The Masculinist #59: What Happens When Grandma Doesn’t Die?

Welcome back to the Masculinist, the newsletter about how we live as Christian men and as the church in the modern world.

This month’s newsletter was inspired by my own family’s Christmas get togethers.

But first, as we come to the end of the year, be sure to take advantage of my limited time offer to become a Subscriber or Member at a big discount.

To be clear: nobody has to pay to read this newsletter. It’s staying free.

Subscribers will get access to other exclusive content, podcast and interview transcripts, access to podcast versions of the first four years of the Masculinist as I record them, and the ability to comment on posts and articles.

Members get all the benefits of being a Subscriber plus access to twice or more monthly Zoom discussions (Q&A, book discussions, coaching, self-improvement, news commentary, and things I can’t yet say publicly), and access to a private discussion group on Slack or a similar platform.

The regular price to be a Subscriber will be $10/month, but through the end of the year you can subscribe for a special rate of only $5/month.

The regular price to become a Member will be $50/month, but through the end of the year you can join for only $35/month.

You can become a Member on either Patreon or Gumroad.

Benefits will roll out starting in 2022, but I’m actually having my first Member Zoom event on Monday December 20th. I’ll be giving an overview of anthropologist J.D. Unwin’s 1934 book Sex and Culture, which discusses the link between cultures requiring sexual purity and civilizational achievement.  I’m one of the few people who have actually read this book, so I can give you the straight scoop on it. Anyone who becomes a Member before Monday will be…

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ARTHUR KWON LEE: Aesthetics, Art, and America

Arthur Kwon Lee is the rare combo of a conservative Christian who also received acclaim and solo gallery exhibitions in the New York City art world. He joins us to discuss how, despite being the son of a Presbyterian minister, he was once an atheist; why he is a conservative for aesthetic reasons; what’s wrong with art and aesthetics in modern day America (and in the church), what needs to be changed; and his own efforts in the Genesis Council to move in a better direction.

Web Site: https://www.arthurkwonlee.com/

Become a Member or Subscriber on Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/masculinist

Or on Gumroad at: https://gumroad.com/masculinist

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An Elite Church for the Elite

Tell people you are starting  a church to reach the homeless, a new immigrant ethnic group in town, a neighborhood, etc. and you’ll be praised. But people would look at you sideways if you said you wanted to start a church to reach the elite.

This episode discusses the need for more Protestant elite formation, why existing elites who are still theologically orthodox continue to stay with mainline denominations like Episcopalianism, the functions of elite institutions, what conservative Protestants needs to change in their elite formation approaches, and why they should study Catholic approaches.

Become a Member or Subscriber on Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/masculinist

Or on Gumroad at: https://gumroad.com/masculinist

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Lessons From the Way Mormons Choose Elites

Religion is in decline in America, but there’s an exception: the Mormon church. Mormonism is growing, has strong family formation dynamics, healthy communities, good aesthetics, and strong finances.

One factor in Mormon outperformance is the way Mormons choose elites. Rather than relying on a self-selected professional leadership pool, Mormons screen for, identify, develop, and promote people who have demonstrated leadership competence and skin in the game. They also rely largely on unpaid lay leader instead of a paid, professional clergy.

A result of this has been a church whose leaderships ranks are staffed with highly talented and accomplished people. Mitt Romney, for example, served as the equivalent of a parish priest for several years while also running Bain Capital, something unthinkable in the Christian church.

While Christianity has its own theological and ecclesiastical reasons for the way it chooses elites, there are some lessons that could be learned by analysis of the Mormon case study.

You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple PodcastsYouTube, and elsewhere. Check out the other podcasts here.

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The Masculinist #58: Loyalty Is the Coin of the Realm

Welcome back to the Masculinist, the newsletter about how we live as Christian men and as the church in the modern world.

We are coming up on the Thanksgiving holiday in the US and then the Christmas season. I know many of you make year-end gifts during this period and decide which ministries to support the following year.

I hope you’ll consider including me in your giving. The material I give in my newsletters, podcasts, and article is next level insight you won’t get anywhere else. As Rod Dreher put it, “Renn is asking some of the most important questions of our time.”

I’m reaching thousands of men every month, and hearing from men and pastors about how my work is changing their lives and ministries. I work hard every day to make sure the work that I’m doing is high impact and worthy of your investment.

During the Christmas season, I will be running a year end fundraising drive here built around a new reward structure that I’m rolling out in the New Year.

First and most importantly, everything that is free today will remain free. I will also have two premium levels available: subscriber and member.

Subscribers will get access to:

  • Exclusive posts and articles
  • Transcripts of podcasts and interviews
  • Podcast versions of my first four years of the newsletter (twenty recorded so far)
  • My book notes and other resources I may develop to power my work

The price will be $10/month to subscribe, but through the end of the year I’m giving a special promotional rate of $5/month.

Members will get access to all subscriber benefits, plus:

  • Twice (or more) monthly interactive Zoom sessions (Q&A, coaching and self-improvement, news commentary, church strategy, etc.)
  • Book discussions
  • Private member discussion group on Slack or a similar…

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Passing on Your Patrimony – Podcast #59

Using the recent celebrations of Reformation Day and All Saints Day, I discuss why the church (especially the Protestant evangelical church) needs to be more attuned to its history and cultural patrimony.  This includes things like the great English language hymns, but also simply a greater awareness of the incredible legacy of faithfulness and sacrifice that previous generations made to bring us into being and enable us to be Christians today.

You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple PodcastsYouTube, and elsewhere. Check out the other podcasts here.

American Reformer: Evangelicalism’s Second-Class Status in Conservatism

Hymn: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

Hymn: For All the Saints

The Lion King: “You Don’t Even Know Who You Are”

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