Book Review: Man Alive

The author of Man Alive is a smart guy. Dr. Morley graduated from Harvard, Oxford and completed a stint at Reformed Theological Seminary. Yet he is better known for the ministry he created, The Man in the Mirror, which strategically focuses on biblical masculinity.

He begins this book with one of his many inspiring stories, directing the reader to his thesis statement: Every man has seven primal, instinctive needs (each need is unpacked within a specific chapter). Morley believes that most men they lead “lukewarm, stagnant, often defeated lives”. Because these primal needs are neglected, men default into physical isolation and spiritual indifference. This book grandly proclaims that it will bring hope, healing and practical help for such a man.

I am pleased to state that Dr. Morley succeeds in his literary purpose. Each chapter is embedded with sagely advice and anecdotal offerings. In addition, each of the seven primal needs are addressed with levity and simplistic language. It is clear that the author is sensitive to his audience and seeks to walk with the reader, rather than bark instructions from the sideline.

An example of this is found in chapter four, Created for a Life of Purpose. Morley states that men have a primal need to “believe that my life has a purpose and that my life is not random”. To elucidate his point, the author draws from his experience as a successful businessman. Yet after the euphoria of success wore off, he was miserable. Broken and humbled, God graciously revealed his Big Holy Audacious Goal (BHAG, as Morley calls it): It is for My children to become My disciples. The integration of the big Story and Morley’s story is compelling with obvious implications for the reader.

Lastly, chapter two is worth the price of the book. Through anecdotes and focused orthopraxy, the author unpacks the profound truth ‘that you and I are wired by God with an instinct to be in authentic relationships’. In other words, isolation is bad and community is good. Excellent, practical stuff.

Criticism

I am little surprised at the way the author use of certain biblical texts. In chapter one, Morley endeavors to show the difference between a successful Christian and an unsuccessful Christian. He points the reader to The Parable of the Soils (Matthew 13) and states,

“Most men today would recognize themselves in the first three soils, where the seeds don’t grow. Yet they honestly want to be like the good soil…..What is keeping men’s lives hard, rocky, and choked with thorns when so many urgently want more and when God created us for more—much more?” (p.10)

The problem with Morley’s use of this passage is that the three seeds symbolize false or undetermined faith, not explicitly weak or stunted faith. In other words, Jesus doesn’t comment of spiritual position of the three seeds. Some will prove to have embraced self-deception, bearers of the bad fruit. To give no warning to the readers of their possible self-deception is an unfortunate omission.

But a more tragic example of this is Morley’s use of the Sadducees in Matthew 22 to buttress his point. He states,

“Jesus gave us an insight when He was speaking to a group of confused religious men. He said, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God. (Matthew 22:29). Do you see it? Jesus made a direct connection between knowing the Bible and leading a powerful life.” (p.11)

Now I strongly applaud the author’s emphasis on the priority of “knowing the scriptures” and drawing the connection that this spiritual discipline will produce a life of power. This is certainly a biblical concept. Yet to use a Sadducee as an example is reckless. The Sadducees were a group of religious elite who denied the concept of resurrection. Matthew repeatedly put the Pharisees and Sadducees in the same group and denounced them both (Matt. 16:6). Again, to call them anything other than spiritually dead and blind is to ignore the plain implications of the text. Yet the baffling part is that later in the book Dr. Morley acknowledges the dangers of easy believism and cautions his readers.

“But there is a caution. Receiving Jesus, having your sins forgiven, and receiving the gift of eternal life is easy, but only if it’s sincere.” (p. 58)

Overall, Man Alive is a worthy contributor to the genre of biblical masculinity. I would encourage the use of this book in a small group dialogue (with a discerning leader) or as a gift to a spiritually indifferent man.