What are men good for? Why did God create men? Is masculinity really toxic?

The role of men in our culture has become increasingly unclear. Author, nationally syndicated radio host and advocate for disabled children Brant Hansen offers a positive definition of manhood that’s both refreshing and yet as old as the Bible from which it is derived.

“People deconstruct masculinity all the time,” Brant said. “It’s easy to deconstruct or knock over, but what’s the construction? What’s the definition of masculinity that’s beautiful and lifegiving? We need to stand up and be men, but what are we talking about exactly? The trope is a muscular man who runs with the bulls or climbs mountains. It must be something deeper. Can the church articulate that so guys of all ages can say, ‘Oh! That’s who I’m supposed to be!’”

Men were created to be purposeful, Brant explained, and suggested an interesting role: Keeper of the Garden. 

“This is the job God gave Adam,” he said. “We are to be protectors and cultivators of our sphere of influence. People should be able to be secure and grow and bloom because we are there. It doesn’t matter what we do – I offer proof to men we don’t have to look like a Men’s Health model. Women find it wildly attractive when a man is a source of security.”

Brant added that a man’s tone of voice with his wife can undermine or promote her security. “It is a subtle thing. Most men think our tone of voice is fine. We’re being direct, not yelling. But women’s ears are tuned differently. Men’s voices can be threatening by design. I’ve learned to moderate my tone of voice with my wife, so she feels secure with me. This is a huge thing. Guys need to hear it.”

Some guys boast how they would defend their homes from an intruder with their weapons. But Brant said, “Most of the time the intruder is me — with my words, my tone, my sarcasm, my lack of words. Once guys are told this, they get it. But the church doesn’t explain how all of it follows from this role (Keeper of the Garden). Even young boys understand when it’s explained they are not to threaten their little sisters but to protect them.”

“Even our culture recognizes (the value in) defending the vulnerable. That’s what all of us are meant to do. This is not one act of heroism, it’s a lifetime of stepping up.”

Brant develops this philosophy and shares examples in The Men We Need: God’s Purpose for the Manly Man, the Avid Indoorsman, or Any Man Willing to Show Up.

Our world is hurting. People are waiting for us. Here’s hoping we can become the men we need.

“Into our cultural confusion, Brant Hansen paints a refreshingly specific, compelling picture of what men are designed to be: keepers of the garden. Combining depth and humor, he calls for men of all interests and backgrounds (including avid indoorsmen like himself) to make key decisions to set them apart, including ● protect the vulnerable ● be ambitious about the right things ● choose today who you will become tomorrow ● take responsibility for your own spiritual life”

“The Men We Need” tackles the challenge of presenting a positive, distinct vision for masculinity that is life-giving both for men and everyone in their sphere of influence. 

“The Men We Need is witty, challenging, bracingly honest, and perfect for any man who wants to know ‘Why am I here?’–and is ready to show up.” From the Amazon description.

Brant targeted material to cast vision for young men in (Young) Men We Need: God’s Purpose for Every Guy and How You Can Live It Out.

“If we don’t give young guys a vision for masculinity, what are they supposed to do?” he asked. “Deep down when they are told, it gets their heart beating faster. The culture tells younger men as long as they are not hurting anyone else – what’s wrong with it? (sitting in the basement not engaging.) I tell them, ‘You are hurting people. We needed you. The whole culture needs you in this role.’ The culture is not offering a vision of masculinity that sets hearts afire.

“Take whatever you’ve got and reframe it,” Brant continued. “Your work is valuable. The Lord lets us find niches where he’ll use our abilities for the kingdom. Step into the role God has for you and use that to make something in your garden. Take your resources, take your strength, and look for ways to defend the vulnerable.”

Brant’s first book, Unoffendable: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better, “prompted a national discussion on the idea of forgiveness, and our culture’s embrace of self-righteous anger,” from his website.

He noted people often immediately contradict his premise that Christians should rid themselves of anger and strive to be peacemakers. “It’s counterintuitive,” he agreed. “I have to explain it’s the opposite of what we’ve been taught. We think we have righteous anger. But it’s not good for humans to stay angry. God’s anger is righteous. He’s entitled to vengeance. A lot of Christians carry around anger that destroys their marriage and relationships.

“Anger is never listed among the fruits of the spirit, it’s on the other list,” he added. “We don’t talk about righteous bitterness. We’ve been forgiven, so we have to get rid of anger before it destroys us.

“You may disagree with me,” he added, “but please hold open the possibility God still wants to show us something. It’s possible we could learn something, and it could be to our great benefit, because it sets us free.”

The argument is persuasive and makes life better, he said. Brant went from being a first-time author to selling more than 300,000 copies of this book. He’s been invited to discuss it on national platforms like Good Morning America. When he recommended forgiveness, the anchor replied, “Forgiveness is so hard.” “You know what’s harder? Living a life of unforgiveness,” Brant responded. “The way of Jesus is lighter and easier. We are set free by the truth.”

He teaches people how to practice forgiveness using an example of the driver who just irritated them in traffic. “Pray for blessings on the family of the people who cut you off,” he said. “You can feel your blood pressure dropping as you start praying for somebody. Your commute will not be rife with anger and frustration. You’ll arrive at work in a more peaceful frame of mind.

“Decide you are going to forgive people in advance,” he advised. “We shouldn’t be shocked by behavior in human beings if we are believers in Jesus. We know what people are like – we know what we are like. We become more like Jesus by practicing the things he told us to do. Becoming a different sort of person happens with practice.”

Choosing to pray and release anger rather than stew has ramifications inside your home as you decide “not be continually angry with the person you are living with. When you have two people practicing this, there’s a difference in the tenor of the home. Peace pervades it.”

Brant’s latest book, published in 2024, Life Is Hard. God Is Good. Let’s Dance.: Experiencing Real Joy in a World Gone Mad, weaves thought provoking yet humorous essays around his experiences with CURE.

CURE is a Christian non-profit organization that provides no-cost orthopedic, plastic and neurosurgery to children to repair treatable disabilities through eight fully staffed, state-of-the-art surgical hospitals in the most underserved places in the world. In countries like Niger, Ethiopia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Philippines and Ghana millions of children are born with maladies like cleft pallet and club foot. In the Western world, these things would be immediately fixed, but elsewhere, not only are the children left to suffer, they commonly are branded a “monster,” or “cursed,” ostracized and vilified. Not only do the doctors and staff heal the child physically, they work overtly in the name of Jesus, sharing the good news of the kingdom with every patient and parent, Brant reported.

As Brant puts it, “CURE is one of the best kept secrets in the Christian world.” He didn’t learn of the ministry until he was asked to highlight the cause onstage at a Toby Mac concert and was “blown away.” Since then, Brant’s made it his life’s mission to use his platforms in radio and publishing to spread the news of the great kingdom work done by the organization.

His work with CURE supports his argument that men were created by God to lend their strength to protect and defend the most vulnerable. “I can take my resources, my money and allow them to bloom. It’s very life-giving and energizing to say yes to this.”

He continues to remind men they are made for a specific purpose. “God has used me to bring healing to kids around the world who were abused because of their disability – in spite of my nerdiness.”

He shares a story in Life is Hard. God is Good. Let’s Dance of the first surgery he witnessed, a 17-year-old girl with a cleft palate. He had raised the money to pay for her surgery – just $1000 literally covers the cost for most patients.

“She had never gone to school a day in her life because of something that could have been fixed easily in the U.S.,” he said. “She was very shy, understandably. I watched her surgery. The hole in her face was gone when she woke up – she looked like a completely different person!” As he sat with her in the ward, he realized she needed to see herself, but there were no mirrors. He turned the camera around on his phone and handed it to her.

“She was astonished and could not stop staring at the phone in disbelief that her face was now whole! So, I’m thinking, ‘What a blessing that I got to be part of that…What we do actually matters!’”

If you’ve ever needed to see Jesus in action, travel with CURE, and you’ll see Jesus in action, he exhorted. “We can’t shovel in enough money. Why in the world would I not do that? It’s such a kingdom thing.

“We are doing something so close to the heart of God,” he continued. “Healing is not just another ‘Christian thing.’ The miracle of God’s healing is a sneak peek of everybody being made whole. 15-year-old girls who have never been able to walk. Babies who get lifesaving surgeries. People with no money in disbelief that they are not being charged a dime to get first-rate, modern surgeries at the best hospital in the country.”

Another factor that makes CURE unique, Western doctors and staff members don’t just rotate in. They train locals to take permanent positions. In Kenya there are 300 on staff at the hospital, and everyone’s a Kenyan, Brant said. CURE employs a pastoral staff to minister to the needs of the families and tell them about Jesus. They lead devotions, pray for the moms and patients by name, play worship music in the wards. “Some of the best worship services happen in the operating rooms,” he added. “It’s an incredible source of light to the whole country.”

He describes the Thursday afternoon dance party in the kids’ activity room at the CURE hospital in Niger in a chapter titled, Success Tip: Embrace the Awkward. “…the kids dance. Some dance on crutches; others use canes. Some sit in wheelchairs and dance. Some love to join the dance by being picked up and held. …I don’t think that’s really neat (to watch). … No. I think, Unleash me and my moves! My friends know I’m an introvert, but they also know I’m a complete animal on the dance floor. I bring the fire. I will do the robot, the sprinkler, the shopping cart… all of them. And then I fuse the styles… I further fuse that fusion with, say, Cossack folk dance and then perhaps self-defense moves taught by the Israeli military. … People watch me and think I’m strange, but I see the way they look at me. They wish they could be me, having this much fun and laughing this much with the kids. … Being willing to look goofy is freeing. And it completely fits a faith that is founded on humility and trust and childlikeness and a willingness to be uncool.”

Let’s Dance!

When he’s not writing books, Brant’s on The Brant Hansen Show, described as an “offbeat and quirky radio show” that airs on more than 200 stations. He’s won “personality of the year” awards multiple times for his work. He also hosts a podcast, Brant and Sherri Oddcast, with his friend and radio producer Sherri Lynn that counts more than 15 million downloads. Find his blogs and more at BrantHansen.com.