Masculinity and Its Discontents: Reconsidering the Hyper-Masculine Construction of Jesus in Evangelical and Charismatic Discourse

• In Event: Anti-Capitalist Feminisms (Co-sponsored by Sociology of Sex and Gender Section)

Abstract

This chapter examines the theme of the “crisis of masculinity” as articulated in evangelical and charismatic discourse. Drawing on research on the Catholic charismatic movement, it examines key themes articulated in the declining status of men in de-industrializing society as well as those emerging in reaction to the rise of the feminist movement. The analysis considers the emerging religious alt-right themes that “hyper-masculinize” Jesus as a “man’s man,” recast feminism as “toxic femininity” and depict gender and sexuality as a battlefield of spiritual warfare. Also considered is what boys and men might learn from the feminist movement, given that girls and women have benefited from a half century of reflection on their gender in a way that boys and men have not, leaving boys and men open to manipulation by the right. Drawing on reflections by figures such as critical theorist Herbert Marcuse and expelled Dominican priest and Creation theologian Matthew Fox, arguments are posed that the time is ripe for a re-consideration of the struggles of contemporary masculinity from a more empathetic and progressive perspective.

Author

• Dominic Vincent Wetzel, CIty University of New York (CUNY)