Men of the Mark,
Greetings.
You are receiving this email because you are a member of or regularly attend St. Mark Reformed Church, or have some level of acquaintanceship with the congregation (or me).
“Men of the Mark” is a new group and ministry of St. Mark with the idea of providing resources and fellowship to encourage and develop biblical, godly men. With the attack upon masculinity within our culture, and even from some sectors of the church itself, having a clearer understanding of what it means to be a man and what that entails is that much more important.
The group’s name, Men of the Mark, comes from two sources. First, and obviously, it has ties to our name, St. Mark Reformed Church. Second, for the Riders of Rohan, or the Riders of the Mark, warriors found in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. These horsemen are described as true-hearted, generous in thought and deed, bold, wise, known for the singing of many songs, and for feasting in their Golden Hall. Literature has the ability to inspire us to true virtue through the characters about which we read, and I trust the soldiers of the Rohirrim may serve that purpose for us.
In its initial stage, the group will be a means for me to pass along articles, podcasts, and books for your edification that address various aspects of masculinity or pressing issues of the day of which we, as men, need to be aware. Understand that just because I recommend a particular resource does not mean that I agree with every detail. Sometimes I do. Other times I do not, but find points made to be thought provoking and helpful nonetheless. I am considering a possible online discussion group of some form or fashion, and we may even plan an in-person men’s gathering for later this year. If there are books, articles or podcasts that you have found particularly helpful, please let me know, and I may include them in future issues.
If for some reason you do not wish to be part of this group, just send me an email and I can take you off of the distribution list. Also, if you know someone who would be interested in being a part of this group, you are welcome to make recommendations, but know that I reserve the right of refusal. For the time being, please keep the emails private. At some point a Men of the Mark page may be added to the church website to which you will be able to direct others who are not part of the group. However, do not hesitate to share the links to resources, especially your wives. This isn’t Calvin’s G.R.O.S.S. Club (from Calvin & Hobbes) and there will be plenty of content that women will also appreciate.
Without further ado, below are a number of resources from which I have especially benefited over the past years and months. I make use of Apple Podcasts, so you may need to find other carriers if you do not use that application. I will try to provide links to sources with varying options for listening as I am able.
Christus Victor,
Joe
Podcasts:
Hard Men: Masculinity and the Church, Pastor Rich Lusk
The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast: Jocko Willink (links on the Jordan Peterson website weren’t working properly for some reason, so you may need to manually look for Episode 13 from Season 4, dated April 5, 2021.)
Hard Men: Why Pietism is Destroying America, P. Andrew Sandlin
Theopolis: Why We Should Sing and Chant the Psalms, Brian Moats
Hard Men: Interview with Bnonn Tennant from It’s Good to Be a Man
The Art of Manliness: The Spartan Regime
Books:
Solomon Says by Mark Horne (not just for young men)
Out of the Ashes: Rebuilding American Culture by Anthony Esolen