While there are plenty of books by men, for men, on the topic of "Christian masculinity," these books generally fail to address men's propensities for violence and the traditional inequity between men and women, often endorsing inequity and sanctioning aggressive behavior as an appropriate "manly" response to conflict. Peaceful at Heart cuts through this conversation by offering a uniquely Anabaptist Christian perspective on masculinity. The vision of masculinity presented in this book is more peaceful, just, caring, life-giving for men, and more sensitive to women and children than both traditional images of masculinity and the hypermasculine images promoted by contemporary popular culture and wider evangelical Christianity. Peaceful at Heart addresses men and masculinity using Anabaptist theological themes of discipleship, community, and peace. This book demonstrates through personal narratives, theological reflection, and practical guidance the importance of collective discernment, accountability, and mutual encouragement regarding how to live as a peaceful man in a violent world.
A Kindle edition of the book Peaceful at Heart: Anabaptist Reflections on Healthy Masculinity is also now available. While the print version of the book has been available for some time, readers can now access the book digitally as well. Peaceful at Heart provides a uniquely Anabaptist voice to resource our discussions of healthy masculinity, whether individually or collectively in a book study group. Rather than supporting patriarchy and nationalism commonly advanced in traditional Christian thought, this volume draws on the experiences of various contributors to present an Anabaptist perspective of faith that invites men to experience God's call to live at peace and be peacemakers. Further details and sources for purchasing this resource can be found here.
