Two Events in Holland, Michigan

I'm headed up to Holland, Michigan for two events this weekend, one on Friday and the other on Saturday. Both are either free or very inexpensive, and I'll put the links below.

The first event is Friday night, where I'll be giving a new talk on Rebuilding the Order of Men. My basic argument is that male relationships have been steadily broken down by modernity over the last century. If we want virtuous homes, virtuous churches, and a virtuous society, we have to start rebuilding these relationships.

But where do we begin?

I'll try to lay out both a roadmap of how we got here and some practical steps we can take to get back to where we should be.

I'll consider three lies or three attacks.

First is the attack on masculinity itself. It presents masculinity as something toxic or inherently evil. Quite the opposite. Masculinity is a good gift designed by God. When lived out according to His Word, it is one of the greatest forces for good in creation.

Second is the lie that for it to be good to be a man, it must be bad to be a woman. As if there is some sort of zero-sum conflict between the sexes. This too is a lie. It turns men against women and women against men. In reality, when men live virtuously, women, families, and communities thrive.

Third is the attack on the relationship between the generations. It is sin and the devil that turn father against son and brother against brother. For men to build things that last, whether families, churches, businesses, or societies, they must learn to work together. We need the wisdom that comes with virtuous old age and the vigor and strength of zealous young men. Big things are built when a brotherhood of faithful men works together across generations.

The second event is Saturday at the Christ the King Festival. There I'll be speaking on the importance of having an earthly home. If you've followed me for any length of time, you know I'm all about biblical localism, which I define as giving first priority to the time and place where God has put you.

In this talk, I want to challenge the idea that the only way a Christian can live a radical life is by leaving home, traveling far away, and loving people they have never known. There is great honor in foreign missions, and the church should celebrate and support those whom God calls to that work. But it is not the calling of every Christian, nor should it be considered the pattern for ordinary Christian faithfulness.

In fact, Scripture repeatedly directs us to begin with the responsibilities God has already placed before us. If a man cannot order his own household, why would he assume he is prepared to order the household of another?

I want to show that giving yourself to the time, the place, and the people God has entrusted to you is not a lesser calling. It is one of God's primary means of sanctification. Through the ordinary duties of family, church, work, and community, He shapes us into the kind of people fit for heaven.

More than that, rootedness is one of the most effective ways to love your neighbor. Lasting communities, strong churches, healthy families, and thriving towns are built by men and women who embrace their God-given place and faithfully labor there over the course of a lifetime.

I hope you'll come. I'd love the chance to meet you, and I'm praying that God uses these talks to encourage the Christians and churches in that region.

Men's Event ($5). Register here.

Christ is King Event (Free). Learn more here.