Future Men

by Douglas Wilson

Publisher:

Canon Press

, 2001

Overview

As much as it may distress us, our boys are future men. When Theodore Roosevelt taught Sunday school for a time, a boy showed up one Sunday with a black eye. He admitted he had been fighting and on a Sunday, too. He told the future president that a bigger boy had been pinching his sister, and so he fought him. Roosevelt told him that he had done perfectly right and gave him a dollar. The stodgy vestrymen thought this was a bit much, and so they let their exuberant Sunday school teacher go. What a loss.

Unbelief cannot look past surfaces. Unbelief squashes, but faith teaches. Faith takes a boy aside and tells him that this part of what he did was good, while that other part of what he did got in the way. “And this is how to do it better next time.” As we look to Scripture for patterns of masculinity for our sons, we find them manifested perfectly in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one who set the ultimate pattern for friendship, for courage, for faithfulness, and integrity.

Contents

Top Highlights

“Men are created to exercise dominion over the earth; they are fitted to be husbandman, tilling the earth; they are equipped to be saviors, delivering from evil; they are expected to grow up into wisdom, becoming sages; and they are designed to reflect the image and glory of God. Some of these following terms may seem somewhat cumbersome, but let’s call them lords, husbandmen, saviors, sages, and glory-bearers.” (Pages 13–14)

“The basic framework of the Christian worldview includes, first and foremost, the gospel. This consists of two basic parts—knowing the condition of man and knowing the provision of God in Christ. Man is dead, not sick, in his sins (Eph. 2:1–2). The God/man in Christ has died on the cross for His people (Eph. 5:25) and was raised to life for their justification (Rom. 4:25) in accordance with the Scripture (1 Cor. 15:1–4). In short, the gospel is about knowing God in covenant. The gospel brings individuals into a covenant relationship with God.” (Page 46)

“One additional caution. Many times fathers who are domineering (as opposed to fathers who exercise a godly leadership) will browbeat their sons into a pattern of cowering submission which is effeminate. They then wonder why their sons do not follow their example, but the reason is that the father would not permit it. He was not training his son; he was sitting on him.” (Page 21)

“‘the collection of all those characteristics which flow from delighting in and sacrificing bodily strength for goodness.’” (Page 13)

“Unbelief cannot look past the surface. If there was any sin involved, unbelief sees only the sin. Faith sees what was turned aside to the service of sin and seeks to turn it back again. Sin is parasitic and cannot function without some good attributes that it seeks to corrupt. Consequently, faith must distinguish that which must be preserved and developed and that which must be abandoned as sin.” (Page 11)

Product Details

• Title: Future Men
• Author: Douglas Wilson
• Publisher: Canon Press
• Publication Date: 2001
• Pages: 208

About Douglas Wilson

Douglas Wilson (1953– ), a prolific author and speaker, has been the pastor of Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho for over 30 years. He is a senior fellow of theology, a permanent member of the Board of Trustees, and a professional in residence at New Saint Andrews College. Wilson graduated from the University of Idaho with a BA in classical studies and a BA and an MA in philosophy.

He is the editor of Credenda/Agenda magazine and has authored numerous books, including The Paideia of God: And Other Essays on Education, Standing On the Promises: A Handbook of Biblical Childrearing, Reforming Marriage, and Reformed Is Not Enough: Recovering the Objectivity of the Covenant, which can all be found in the Douglas Wilson Collection (17 vols.).