This Year’s ‘Pride’ is Not So Proud
Christine Sneeringer
“Women are incapable of love.” “High-value men should never commit.” “Modern marriage is a trap designed to destroy men.”
If you’ve spent any time online recently, you’ve likely encountered these sentiments. This is the world of the “manosphere”—an online ecosystem that promises to deliver the “hard truths” about masculinity that society supposedly hides from men.
This online world that has captivated millions of young men, including many within conservative Christian circles. In a culture that often seems confused about gender, the manosphere’s confident declarations about male nature and purpose can appear clarifying. But beneath the surface lies a deeply unbiblical vision of manhood—one that replaces godly strength with domination, biblical headship with manipulation, and Christ-like sacrifice with self-worship.
The manosphere isn’t monolithic, but certain themes run through its various communities. Popular influencers teach men to view relationships as transactional power struggles, to rank themselves and others on sliding scales of sexual market value, and to see women primarily as conquests rather than image-bearers of God.
When influencers like Andrew Tate declare that “women belong to the man” or when “red pill” coaches advise men to maintain emotional detachment to control women, they aren’t offering wisdom—they’re peddling a distorted vision of power that bears more resemblance to Genesis 3 than the created design of Genesis 1-2.
Most troubling is how the manosphere has infiltrated Christian circles. The biblical language of headship gets co-opted and twisted into dominance. Submission becomes not mutual service but one-sided control. The goal shifts from sacrificial love to securing advantage.
The Bible’s vision of masculinity stands in stark contrast to these toxic distortions. Consider these biblical principles:
The manosphere glorifies strength as a means of control, but Jesus—the strongest man who ever lived—taught that “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all” (Mk 10:43-44). True masculine strength finds fulfillment not in dominating others but in protecting and serving them.
When Paul addresses husbands, he doesn’t grant them license to rule; he calls them to “love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Eph 5:25). The model isn’t a domineering CEO but a crucified Messiah who washed feet and laid down His life.
The manosphere’s objectification of women as sexual commodities or manipulable inferiors contradicts Scripture’s clear teaching that women are “heirs with you of the gracious gift of life” (1 Pet 3:7). In Christ, the relationship between men and women isn’t competition but completion.
Many manosphere figures speak of “disciplining” women, but biblical masculinity directs discipline inward: “I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that… I myself will not be disqualified” (1 Cor 9:27). The godly man masters himself, not others.
The manosphere’s obsession with status, wealth, and sexual conquest as measures of male worth contradicts the biblical truth that our value comes from being made in God’s image (Gen 1:27) and redeemed by Christ’s blood. A man’s worth isn’t determined by his bench press, bank account, or bedroom conquests.
The manosphere's appeal lies partly in its promise of easy answers and self-centered rewards... The biblical path is harder but infinitely more rewarding.
If the manosphere’s vision of masculinity is fundamentally flawed, what should Christian men pursue instead?
First, we need to recognize that biblical manhood is fundamentally about character, not cultural stereotypes. The fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5:22-23)—aren’t feminine traits but human virtues that should mark godly men.
Second, we must reclaim the biblical concept of headship as sacrificial responsibility rather than domineering control. Christ-like headship means taking responsibility, serving sacrificially, and loving unconditionally—even when it costs us everything.
Third, we need honest male community that offers both affirmation and accountability. The manosphere thrives by meeting legitimate needs for male connection and validation, but it does so while enabling sinful attitudes. The church must create spaces where men can be authentic without being toxic.
Finally, we must recover a vision of manhood that’s centered not on power or pleasure but on purpose. God calls men not primarily to dominance but to stewardship—cultivating and keeping the world He’s entrusted to our care (Gen 2:15).
The manosphere’s appeal lies partly in its promise of easy answers and self-centered rewards. It tells men they can find fulfillment through dominance, detachment, and indulgence of natural impulses.
The biblical path is harder but infinitely more rewarding. It calls men to die to self, to sacrifice for others, to reject passivity, and to pursue a vision of strength defined not by control but by character. As Jesus taught, “Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it” (Matt 16:25).
This countercultural vision of manhood won’t gain millions of followers on social media. It won’t promise shortcuts to wealth, status, or sexual conquest. But it will produce men of genuine strength and dignity—men who, like Christ, use their power not to serve themselves but to bless and build up others.
In a culture increasingly captivated by toxic caricatures of masculinity, this biblical vision isn’t just “preferable.” It’s essential. The world doesn’t need more angry, defensive men demanding their own way. It needs men who, like Jesus, combine uncompromising strength with unfailing love—men willing to lay down their lives for what truly matters.
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