Are Christian men today comfortable with their wives, children and those in their circles of influence following them? This is a central question in the book, Take It Back: Reclaiming Biblical Masculinity—The Heart and Strength of Being a Man, by Dr. Tim Clinton and Max Davis, who ask, “Are Christian men living the reality of Jesus’ presence inside them so they will be transformed into His image?”
If the answer is “no,” the authors say men should turn inward and learn how they can reclaim their biblical manhood. Clinton writes in Take It Back that when men imitate Jesus, they complement and support women. He makes her better. Ephesians 5:25 (NIV) exhorts husbands to “love [their] wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”
“How did Christ love the church?” Clinton asks. “Well, for one, He died for it. He obeyed God and suffered. Sometimes love suffers. Jesus washed his disciples’ feet. Sometimes men need to wash their wives’ feet. Jesus elevated women in a society that didn’t highly regard women. For example, Jewish men could mistreat and divorce their wives for the pettiest of reasons. Yet Jesus showed respect and honor for women, particularly his mother. His first miracle at Cana turning water into wine was at the pleading of his mother. Although Jesus said His time was not yet come, He did the thing she asked because it was important to her.
“To the woman at the well,” he continues, “He publicly engaged in a theological conversation because she had a mind for biblical truths and questions. He met her where she was physically and mentally, and gave her the answers her soul needed to reveal Himself to her and free her to receive ultimate truth.”
Clinton notes in Take It Back that Jesus was about relationships with God and with people—all love and all man. “When you have Christ in you, you can rise up, and that can change the culture,” says Clinton. “The enemy knows if he takes down godly men, he can take down a family, a community, a city, even a nation. Arrogant, toxic men who don’t respect women are pawns in the enemy’s hands.
“Jesus was the perfect blend of tenderness and warrior,” he adds. “He wielded a whip, but He also wept. He didn’t stand for status quo or give in to the culture around Him. He took lashings. Make no bones about it. Jesus was a man’s man. Ultimately, it took a man to stretch out his hands and feet and take the nails. Jesus was the man, the warrior. Behold the man!”
In Take It Back, Clinton, president of the American Association of Christian Counselors, challenges readers to reject the culture’s redefinition and seek biblical examples of true manhood. Fast-paced, filled with relevant, biblical stories of godly men like David and Nehemiah, and contemporary stories of godly men like George Foreman and Tim Tebow, Take It Back empowers men to be who God created them to be and to impact the culture that is in desperate need of their influence. Study and discussion questions at the end of each chapter make Take It Back a perfect resource for men’s Bible studies and small groups.
Dr. Tim Clinton, Ed.D., LPC, LMFT, is president of AACC, the largest and most diverse Christian counseling association in the world. Clinton also serves as the executive director of the James Dobson Family Institute and co-host of Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk, heard on nearly 1,400 radio outlets daily. Licensed as a professional counselor and as a marriage and family therapist, Clinton is recognized as a world leader in mental health and relationship issues and spends much of his time working with Christian leaders and professional athletes. He has authored or edited nearly 30 books. Clinton and his wife, Julie, have two children and a granddaughter.
Max Davis is the author of over 30 books that have been featured in USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly, Bible Gateway and on the Today show and The 700 Club. He holds degrees in journalism and biblical studies. In addition to his own works, he’s done a variety of collaboration projects with highly notable leaders.
Take It Back was released on April 6, by Charisma House, which publishes books that challenge, encourage, teach and equip Christians. To learn more, watch the book trailer here.
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