Talking With Boys About What It Means to Be a Man
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| I am scheduling interviews for Joel Fitzpatrick. For review copy and interview information, contact audra@newgrowthpress.com. Buy a copy of Between Us Guys here! |
Talking With Boys About
What It Means to Be a Man
New book provides fathers
with tools to have gospel-centered
conversations with their sons about every
aspect of life.
Reports
suggest boys are more likely to be violent and unable to express their emotions
than girls. There’s also a great discussion going on about toxic masculinity leading
to pent-up aggression and frustration, isolation, problematic relationships,
violence, anger, and other devastating realities. It’s clear raising boys today
requires a new definition of what it means to be a man.
It’s more important than ever
for fathers to be role models and have gospel-centered conversations with their
sons about becoming a man. In Between Us Guys: Life-Changing Conversations
for Dads and Sons (New Growth
Press/May 13, 2019), author Joel
Fitzpatrick shares how dads are given an incredible opportunity to be the
primary influence in their children’s lives. By inviting conversations about
every aspect of life such as family, girls, love, defending others, failure,
strength, and heaven, the author shows fathers how to pass down the message of
Christ to the next generation, redefining what manliness means through the lens
of the gospel.
Fitzpatrick discusses how TV,
the internet, social media, and gaming culture have all taken away from quality
time spent between fathers and sons. This book will give dads the tools they
need to have intentional relationship-building conversations with their sons. “Most
dads can’t remember ever having these sorts of talks with their fathers, so
they need help having them,” he says. “Understanding the gospel is vitally
important for boys to grow into men who love God and people.”
As a father who is intentional
about having these important conversations with his son, Fitzpatrick urges
other fathers not to shy away from hard subjects, but to focus on the freedom
Christians have in Christ rather than a moralistic message. As a former youth
and family pastor, he has helped many other families have life-changing
conversations with their children. Fitzpatrick is able to offer practical help
and biblical insight on important topics, from social justice and friendships
to money, anger, and even what it means to be a man.
“The subject of ‘being
a man’ is such a touchy one that it’s even hard to say. ‘Be a man’ can cause so
much hurt to those who don’t fit into the typical models of what a man is. What
does it mean to be a man? We have all kinds of ways that we think about how to
answer this question. The entertainment industry seems to highlight three
models of a man in particular: the weakling, the loser, and the womanizer,”
Fitzpatrick writes.
“Men come in all
shapes and sizes. Men may even struggle with their manhood. So, what does it
mean to be a man, and does the Bible hold out a clear description of a man? I
think the answer is yes.”
Written for dads and boys
between the ages of six and twelve, each chapter is divided into sections that
lead the readers through the cycle of what God intended, what the fall broke,
what Jesus has redeemed, what heaven will restore, and how we respond. The book
offers prompts for conversations or can be read directly by the father to his
son. The intention is for the conversations to take place while participating in
activities together, and Between Us Guys even
offers suggestions of things to do.
By helping fathers apply the
life-changing work of Jesus to their sons’ lives, Fitzpatrick’s hope is that
relationships between father and son will be restored and strengthened and that
this book can help to lay the groundwork for future conversations on biblical
masculinity.
About the author
Joel
Fitzpatrick has served as an ordained minister in the Presbyterian
Church in America with a focus on youth and family. He received his MDiv from
Westminster Seminary California. He is the co-author of Mom, Dad . . . What’s Sex? and contributed chapters to The Sinner and Saints Devotional: 60 days in
the Psalms.
Fitzpatrick
lives in Southern California with his wife and their two children.
New Growth Press publishes
gospel-centered Christian books, small group, and kids’ Bible resources for
discipleship, biblical counseling, and missional ministry. For more information
about Between Us Guys: Life-Changing
Conversations for Dads and Sons and other releases from New Growth Press,
visit www.newgrowthpress.com.
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