Toxic Masculinity and the Church: A Call to Pay Attention
Trigger Warning: The following content discusses toxic masculinity, spiritual abuse, church scandals, manipulation, and harmful power dynamics within religious communities. These topics may be distressing for survivors of religious trauma or abuse. Please prioritize your wellbeing and consider having support available as you engage with this material.
There's an undercurrent running through Christianity today that many of us sense but struggle to name. Perhaps you've noticed it in the rhetoric that conflates strength with aggression, leadership with dominance, or faithfulness with unwavering loyalty to certain political or cultural positions. Maybe you've wondered why some Christian spaces feel more like battlegrounds than sanctuaries, or why the Jesus who wept and welcomed children sometimes seems overshadowed by a warrior-king who looks suspiciously like a Hollywood cowboy.
If you've heard references to "John Wayne and Jesus" and found yourself puzzled, or if you've sensed something isn't quite right but couldn't put your finger on it, this exploration is for you. We started with a trigger warning for a reason. We're opening what might feel like Pandora's box—not to create chaos, but to bring light to shadows that have grown too long in our churches and communities.
This isn't just academic exercise. These conversations matter because they're happening in our pews, our leadership meetings, our youth groups, and our dinner table discussions. They're shaping how we understand power, gender, authority, and ultimately, the Gospel itself.
If you've never been exposed to these topics. And if you have, or if this is your everyday reality, exploring one of these suggestions may take you to places you've been before or you may uncover something entirely new. So please, take care of yourself. Take a break if needed. Invite someone to join you for support and reflection. This is a lot to take in, but it is so very necessary for the times we are living in.
Essential Reading and Listening:
If you haven't read or listened to Dr. Kristin Kobes Du Mez discuss her groundbreaking book Jesus and John Wayne, you need to do so as soon as possible. Her groundbreaking work examines how a particular vision of a particular brand of rugged, militant masculinity has shaped evangelical culture in ways that often contradict the teachings of Christ. Her research demonstrates how this "Christian masculinity" became intertwined with political power, creating a theology that prioritizes strength over vulnerability, conquest over compassion.
For those who prefer podcasts, The Holy Post offers excellent discussions highlighting key themes from Du Mez's work.
Then dive deeper with Christianity Today's investigative podcast series "The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill"
This series meticulously documents how toxic leadership and misguided theology can devastate entire communities. Perhaps you've encountered the pastor who rules through intimidation while claiming biblical authority. Or you've watched as women's voices are systematically silenced in the name of "biblical complementarity." Listening to The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill is a challenging journey - it will make you feel uncomfortable, mad, and heartbroken for the destructive ways someone can manipulate the Gospel to feed their own ego.
Next, I’d invite you to watch the Netflix series, Adolescence.
Far from being just entertainment, the themes explored in"Adolescence" directly parallel the issues Du Mez raises in "Jesus and John Wayne." Just as toxic masculinity has infected the Church - the broader culture, especially through social media, has created environments where young boys learn that their worth is tied to dominance, conquest, and the subjugation of women. This dynamic mirrors exactly what happens in church contexts where "warrior Jesus" theology meets insecure young men seeking identity and purpose. The show highlights the ways in which the “manosphere” has affected adolescent boys, with characters directly naming Andrew Tate and the "red pill" community as key influences.
In Canada, Christian ministry leaders should be paying attention to our homegrown Jordan Peterson’s contributions into this space. Through his platform, Peterson has curated hours and hours of Bible studies on YouTube that have almost 10 million views likely from an audience hungry to hear more of his insights. What Christian parent wouldn’t be delighted to learn that their teen is watching over two hours of Biblical teaching on their phone?! But what are they being taught when combined with the other harmful ideologies that their ‘guru’ freely expresses regularly.
For faith communities serious about confronting toxic masculinity, "Adolescence" serves as an essential companion piece to the resources listed above.
Essential Resource for Understanding the Full Picture
While Du Mez provides the historical and cultural analysis, "The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill" documents one high-profile collapse, and "Adolescence" shows us the end result of toxic masculinity taken to its deadly conclusion, the "Sons of Patriarchy" podcast gives us the missing piece: systematic documentation of how these ideologies play out in real families, real churches, and real communities over decades. The platform and its podcast exists to amplify the abuse stories of those who survived when biblical patriarchy, Christian nationalism, and a theology of authority and submission become the pillars of a movement, resulting in scores of abuse stories in marriages, schools, churches, families, and more. It serves as both a warning and a resource for recognizing when seemingly biblical language about gender roles and family structure masks deeply harmful ideologies. Some of the podcast episodes were incredibly difficult to get through but my temporary discomfort paled in comparison to the profound courage of the survivors who shared their trauma at the hands of those who claimed to follow Jesus.
Finally, if you're looking for someone who speaks about these issues regularly with wisdom, dark humour, and occasionally spicy language, our Ministry Forum Intern Rachel Kennedy introduced us to Brian Recker last year.
You are welcome to listen to the amazing conversation we had here.
Consider following his ongoing commentary online and on social:
We hope that these few resources will help you understand how certain interpretations of Christianity have been weaponized to support authoritarianism, toxic masculinity, and spiritual abuse—issues that directly impact how we live out our faith and serve our communities today.
We'd love to hear what stood out for you, something new you learned, or how this shows up in your ministry context and how you hope to address it (or wish you could). If you have books, podcasts, or other resources that you think would be helpful additions to this topic, please don’t hesitate to share them with us.