“It’s Not Macho, Is It?”: Contemporary British Christian Men’s Constructions of Masculinity

Abstract

Religion is a key site for constructions of masculinity, and visions of a gender equal society must include religious men. This study examines how a group of British white, heterosexual, middle-class, lay Anglican men construct masculinities via discourses on church-going, worship styles, and godly submission. The interviewed men express a hybrid form of masculinity, informed by religious faith, that embraces typically “feminine” characteristics such as love, humility, and vulnerability. At the same time, they articulate ideals of heteronormativity and essentialized gender differences that support hegemonic masculinity. The participants engage simultaneously in a selective, “discursive distancing” from, and a discursive alignment with, hegemonic masculinity norms, thus revealing tensions between competing masculinity norms.

Sex and the clergy: An insider perspective on attitudes towards celibacy

“…Although some values of the hegemonic man align with those of the biblical man (Rogers, 2019), there is also some distance between the two. Christianity has a history of male and heteronormative hierarchies, with sexism and Psychological Applications and Trends 2024 homophobia at the forefront (Nyhagen, 2020). At the same time, there are instances where stereotypically undesirable feminine traits have been marketed as desirable by the Church.…”

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“…A few years ago, a close friend was murdered, and he is now, in his words, a much calmer, mature, and reformed character and was studying business at college. In many ways, Charles seemingly swapped one fraternity (his gang) for another (the church), and it appeared to offer a similar sense of belonging (Nyhagen, 2021).…”

Studia Socjologiczne

“…I tak, religijne zaangażowanie, w chrześcijaństwie kojarzone przede wszystkim z kobiecością, w procesie zawłaszczania może stać się również sposobem na ekspresję męskości i strategią odzyskiwania męskiej władzy oraz reprodukowania patriarchatu. O budowaniu takich nowych religijnych męskości pisali badacze, którzy zajmowali się męskościami protestanckimi (Nyhagen 2020;Aune 2010;Burchardt 2018;Dube 2014), rzadziej katolickimi (Gelfer 2010). Papierkiem lakmusowym nowego wzorca religijnej męskości miało być praktykowanie zaangażowanego emocjonalnie ojcostwa przy jednoczesnej przywódczej roli mężczyzny w rodzinie, a także "czystości" seksualnej.…”