Wildmen, Warriors, and Kings: Masculine Spirituality and the Bible

There is growing evidence that the decade of the 1990s will become the decade of the Mens movement. Increasingly men are engaged in spiritual work. Two decades of the Womens movement propelled this development and writers like Robert Bly have challenged the contemporary beliefs and values of men pointing out the dysfunction of modern society and the failure to provide healthy nurture to its sons. With all the discussion of a mens movement there exists a gaping need for a strongly positive book on mens spirituality. Patrick Arnold addresses this through a discussion of the relation of sexuality and gender to spirituality and the unique qualities of masculine spirituality. He then goes on to show how key figures in the Bible teach men about the blessings and curses of classical masculine archetypes such as the Wildman and the Warrior and indicates how these figures are reflected in the masculine metaphors for God. Abraham (the patriarch) Moses (the warrior) Solomon (the king) and Elijah (the wildman) are viewed both for the positive traits they display as well as the shadow side of their character. These figures are a much richer resource than is usually perceived and Arnold believes that the positive traits of these and other biblical figures can be incorporated by men today.