Godly Masculinities: Gender Discourse Among the Promise Keepers

Abstract

At tlxpeak of its prominence, the Promise Keepers had attracted criticism from many quarters. Morerecently, this evangelical men's movement has struggled to retain the visibility it once enjoyed. Using insights from cul tural theory, 1 analyze a select sample of best-selling men s manuals representingmrious advice genres within this movement larguethatPK gender discourses have given rise tofour evangelical archetypes of godly manioood: the Rational Patriarch (traditional masculinity), the Expres sive Egalitarian (men's liberationism), the Tender Warrior (poeticized manhood), and the Multicultural Man (interracial masculinity) 1 explore howPK luminaries utilize two rlxtorical devices—discursive tackingand gendered metaphors—to manage the tensions and contradictions thatsur facewithinandamongthesediscourses. ThesearchetypesenablethePromise Keepers to define themselves with reference to othernewsocial movements. Multiple depictions of godly manhood contributed to therapid riseofthis evangelicalmen'srnavementduringthel990s,andmaybeonesourceofits mcentdedine.