Samson and the Pirate Monks

November 27, 2006
Currently in vogue is "the Christian Men's Movement," a reaction to the perceived feminization of Christianity and an attempt to help men realize their God-given missions in the world. Using the biblical Samson as a model, Larkin offers "The Samson Society," a coming together of evangelical men to encourage and help each other on the road to a full Christian life. Though blessed with great strength and a pleasing physique, Samson suffered from moral lapses and a lack of clarity about his mission. In the end, this would be his undoing. Larkin uses Samson's story to show how he and his fellow churchmen—the "pirate monks" of the subtitle—must focus more fully on the moral and ethical challenges of being a Christian, and less on the physical and the superficial. Describing themselves as loners, wanderers and liars, these men set out to correct their shortcomings and align themselves with what they perceive as God's true plan for their lives. Included is a plan for Christian men to begin their own Samson Society. Written in a breezy, comfortable style, Larkin offers a workable plan for men to identify their spiritual dysfunctions, though he offers little that hasn't been said by other proponents of the Christian men's movement.

January 29, 2007
Currently in vogue is "the Christian Men's Movement," a reaction to the perceived feminization of Christianity and an attempt to help men realize their God-given missions in the world. Using the biblical Samson as a model, Larkin offers "The Samson Society," a coming together of evangelical men to encourage and help each other on the road to a full Christian life. Though blessed with great strength and a pleasing physique, Samson suffered from moral lapses and a lack of clarity about his mission. In the end, this would be his undoing. Larkin uses Samson's story to show how he and his fellow churchmen\x97the "pirate monks" of the subtitle\x97must focus more fully on the moral and ethical challenges of being a Christian, and less on the physical and the superficial. Describing themselves as loners, wanderers and liars, these men set out to correct their shortcomings and align themselves with what they perceive as God's true plan for their lives. Included is a plan for Christian men to begin their own Samson Society. Written in a breezy, comfortable style, Larkin offers a workable plan for men to identify their spiritual dysfunctions, though he offers little that hasn't been said by other proponents of the Christian men's movement.