From Hedonist to Traditional Christian
I just watched an old video from back in 2017, from our very first Nordic Men’s Gathering where we gathered 140 men. This was the first big men’s gathering for Maniphesto and a major milestone in my own life. We had set out to find a “new” way for men in society today.
I remember sitting with the other teachers and facilitators after the event, and saying “I don’t know what we have started, but this task ahead of us is far greater than anything I can manage on my own.”
Little did I think back then, that it would be Traditional Christianity that I would turn to.
See the video from our first Nordic Men’s Gathering in 2017.
Today we have taken a major step in the development of Maniphesto. On our “About” page, we have added a simple sentence:
“Our work is informed by a Traditional Christian understanding of what a man is and his role in the world. “
This can hardly surprise anyone who has been following our work. And it is fantastic to make it explicit, to give credit where credit is due – Glory to God.
Getting here has been a slow process. Right at the time that we held our first men’s gatherings, then Jordan Peterson was planning his first bible lectures in Toronto. For myself as an atheist, living a hedonistic and self-centred lifestyle, yet seeking for something deeper, his authoritative exposition of meaning and life from the Christian Bible struck a deep chord.
I will not detail all of the steps of my journey into Orthodox Christianity, but one thing worth mentioning is – as I allowed my work with men to be informed more and more by an Orthodox world view, it became clear how long-lasting transformation was being effected in men’s lives through it.
I had seen that it was easy to give men an “experience”. But really creating positive transformation was something else entirely. Here, I increasingly was drawn to and discovered, a well of wisdom so deep as well as a stable rock of stability in the Orthodox Christian Church, which I am only beginning to comprehend.
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This source of wisdom is the person of Jesus Christ and His Church.
I have yet to meet a person who can convincingly argue that there has ever been any man who has ever lived beside Him, who can serve as a model for how to be a man today. No man has ever impacted our morals, our culture, our understanding of right and wrong, our way of understanding ourselves, our neighbours, our society and the cosmos, as Jesus Christ has done.
The Orthodox Church sees its self as something of a hospital for souls, a refuge against the storm of the world. For those who are open to it, I recommend paying a visit to a local Orthodox Church. There is currently a surge in Western society of especially young men, seeking an alternative to the culture around them, who are seeking towards Orthodoxy.
For Christians with a strong, established men’s ministry in their local church, they are unlikely to see a need for Maniphesto.
For the men who are members with us, many of them are not Christians, but simply pragmatic men, who see that our approach works and is helping them reach their goals. They don’t always buy into all the religious stuff, but they do realise that being connected to something stable with deep roots is important at a time like this. Others are taking some first tentative steps to explore Christianity, perhaps not ready to visit a church yet. Others are practising Christians, but lack strong male friendships or the comprehensive and committed kind of support, which Core offers.
We don’t do apologetics or philosophise on Maniphesto’s Core groups. Almost all of our energy is focused on supporting men in setting their own goals, and the holding them accountable for moving towards them. We aim to become men of our word and men of action.
If you are interested in joining, then check out our web site where you can read about Core Membership. If you are ready for the trip of a lifetime this October, then check out our pilgrimage to Mount Athos. And if you want to join me, Fr Hans Jacobse and Fr Michael Butler on a life changing retreat in Michigan this September, then heed The Cry of the Forerunner.
Thanks, Paul
