Models of Manhood

There are two other models of manhood that come to my mind. The first is the playboy. This type of man could really care less about scholarship, or financial success, or family. He's concerned about three things: himself, the opposite sex, and the intersection therein. That's it. He holds down a job, of course, but he doesn't find his identity in it. He has friends, but he doesn't define himself by them. No, the playboy defines himself by how much attention he gets from girls. He devotes lots of attention to his appearance and in fact often spends more on it than on any other aspect of his person. The newest clothes, the coolest gear, the bronzest tan--such are the pursuits of the playboy. His is a hedonistic existence, measured in contact with the opposite sex. His attitude only grows with each encounter, yet his satisfaction only diminishes.

The misfit, well, doesn't fit in with any of the five other models. He is generally the one who kept to himself in high school, and could have well worn some kind of face makeup to school in that period. He has a strong connection to music, for some reason, and spends long amounts of time listening to his favorite bands. He doesn't dress by everyone else's standards, he's weird, and he's usually interesting and nice when you get to know him. The misfit has little sense of social restriction and so is often flirting with danger. The misfit is generally intelligent though not motivated. He is perhaps the saddest of the models, because he is not hostile to others, usually, but is generally the victim of neglect.

Each of the models present a unique evangelistic challenge. It could be an interesting exercise for Christians to think through which group they most belong to, and then to think through ways they could show kindness and friendship to that group of people. Of course, sometimes it is with opposites that we are most able to build friendships, but all the same, thoughtfulness never hurts. How beautiful it would be to reach men of all these models and introduce them to the supreme model, the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave His life for the redemption of all kinds of jocks, normal guys, and misfits.