Malestrom How Jesus Dismantles Patriarchy and Redefines Manhood
by Carolyn Custis James
Updated and expanded—with a new foreword by Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author of Jesus and John Wayne—Malestrom provides a redemptive vision of biblical manhood and a way through the treacherous seas of patriarchy.
Like the danger of a maelstrom in the open seas, a relentless force threatens our culture, swirling with hidden currents that distorts God's image of personhood. This book reveals how the malestrom is one of the Enemy's single most successful strategies. Its victories are flashed before us every day in the headlines as men lose sight of who God created them to be. It has consumed the evangelical church that stoops to offering toxic "manly" solutions to the wrongs it perceives in society and distracts from the rich potential God has entrusted to his sons.
Digging deeply into the stories of men in the Bible who subverted cultural hierarchies, Carolyn Custis James shows us how countercultural God's design for men really is. Through personal story, biblical commentary, and cultural analysis, Custis James:
- Makes a strong case for the unbiblical nature of patriarchy.
- Illuminates the sociology of marginalization and cultural gender roles.
- Takes a close biblical look at Jesus and what his character and humanity means to the men of the church today.
Malestrom offers what we so desperately need—a biblical, global, timeless vision of godly personhood that is big enough to encompass the diversity of men's lives and strong enough to withstand the crises they face.
"It is one thing to critique the abuses of a domineering masculinity and lament the religious and societal consequences, but Carolyn Custis James takes the next crucial step and offers us a better path forward. For those asking, "What now?" Malestrom serves as a sure-footed guide." —Kristin Kobes Du Mez
ISBN: 9780310138891
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About the Author
Carolyn Custis James (MA, Biblical Studies) travels extensively as a popular speaker for women's conferences, churches, colleges, seminaries, and other Christian organizations. Her ministry organization, WhitbyForum, promotes thoughtful biblical discussion to help men and women serve God together. Carolyn founded and is president of the Synergy Women’s Network. She is a consulting editor for Zondervan's Exegetical Commentary Series on the New Testament and author of When Life and Beliefs Collide and Lost Women of the Bible. Carolyn and her husband live in Sellersville, Pennsylvania. They have one grown daughter
Review
— Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Author of Jesus and John Wayne
"With fresh readings of biblical texts, Custis James draws on the Christian Scriptures to explore what it means to be a man—and what it means to be a Christian man—in our own historical moment. Introducing us to a cast of characters who subvert cultural hierarchies, Custis James shows us how countercultural God’s design for women and men really is. This is a message the church desperately needs to hear, and take to heart."
— Michael F. Bird, Academic Dean and Lecturer in Theology at Ridley College, Melbourne, Australia
"Carolyn James has written the book that every Christian man needs to read. For so long our conception of manliness has been shaped by cultures and media that promote patriarch, power, and violence as the metric of masculinity. Against that, James seeks to redeem masculinity by a Christ-culture so that men and women can flourish together. A powerful mix of personal story, biblical commentary, and cultural analysis that is hard to put down."
— Soong-Chan Rah, Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism; author of Prophetic Lament
"Malestrom offers us a reminder from Scripture that God’s intention for men was not for a dysfunctional masculinity that devastates the image of God within us. Thank you, Carolyn Custis James, for your historical and theological insights that will reshape how I live out my faith in the world. Thank you for a book that benefits both my son and my daughter."
— Rachel Held Evans, author of A Year of Biblical Womanhood and Searching for Sunday
“More than ever men face an onslaught of expectations, both from the culture and the church, about what it means to be a ‘real man.’ Through this treacherous landscape, Carolyn Custis James proves a trustworthy guide. With her characteristic warmth and wisdom, she examines manhood through the lens of Jesus Christ and offers a better way forward for men. This book is biblically faithful, immensely timely, and delightfully readable. Every last page is charged with healing power.”
— Darrell Bock, Executive Director of Cultural Engagement and Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary
“Malestrom takes a close and provocative look at the dangers of patriarchy by taking a close look at what Scripture says about it. This book will lead you to ponder the type of person God asks all of us—male and female—to be. It is a good question to meditate on.”
— Paul Louis Metzger, Professor of Christian Theology & Theology of Culture, Multnomah University
“Carolyn Custis James is a modern-day Deborah, whose work serves as a prophetic challenge to all men to image Jesus. Against the backdrop of patriarchal and radical feminist perspectives that degrade and discount men, James invites Adam’s progeny to display profound courage as they gain a biblical sense of their true identity. This is not a book for the faint of heart: liberated male readers will join forces with women to conquer despair and celebrate the transformative power of God’s cruciform and unifying love.”