In this little book, I give advice to young men:
Andrew David Naselli. Help! I Want to Be a Manly Man. LifeLine for Teens. Wapwallopen, PA: Shepherd, 2025.
A manly man contrasts with a harsh macho man or a soft girly man. In this little book, I show you how to be a manly man by unpacking four statements:
- A manly man is on a mission.
- A manly man is responsible.
- A manly man is hardworking.
- A manly man is strong.
Here are resources I recommend at the end of the book:
- DeYoung, Kevin. Daily Doctrine: A One-Year Guide to Systematic Theology. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2024. DeYoung is gifted at explaining complex topics clearly and accessibly.
- Foster, Michael, and Dominic Bnonn Tennant. It’s Good to Be a Man: A Handbook for Godly Masculinity. Moscow, ID: Canon, 2021. Motivates men to have weight-bearing gravitas through God-honoring, delightful duty—a mission with an excellent wife and a fraternity.
- Hughes, R. Kent. Disciplines of a Godly Man. 3rd ed. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2019. Wise advice for men.
- Naselli, Andrew David. Tools to Study the Bible and Theology. Stillwater, MN: Christ the King Church, 2025. I organize the tools into various categories, and I annotate them.
- Piper, John. 27 Servants of Sovereign Joy: Faithful, Flawed, and Fruitful. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2022. These theologically informed, God-centered biographies are instructive and inspiring.
- Riccardi, Michael. Gender and Sexuality: Biblical Sanity in a World of Confusion. The Institute for the Christian Life Series. Fort Washington, PA: CLC Publications, 2024. Clear, insightful, and sound teaching.
- Wilson, Douglas. Father Hunger: Why God Calls Men to Love and Lead Their Families. Nashville: Nelson, 2012. Wilson defines masculinity as “the glad assumption of sacrificial responsibility.” Wilson’s insightful teaching on men, women, marriage, and the family has influenced me more than I know. It’s hard to know sometimes if one of my thoughts about manhood is original or if I learned it from Wilson. I drafted this little book without rereading or relistening to Wilson’s works, but I’m sure that some of what I say here repackages what I’ve learned from him.
Update: I recorded what I thought was an audio podcast about the book, and it turned out to be a video. Whoops. I was walking on the treadmill in my cold Minnesota garage in December.
“Help! I Want to Be a Manly Man” (64 seconds):
