Powerful. Controversial. Desperately Needed. This is one of those books where “Preacher” is stepping on *everyone’s* toes (while aiming for their hearts, as the old joke goes). Left. Right. Woke. Based. Southern Baptist. Cooperative Baptist. Andrew Tate. Elliot (fka Ellen) Page. Don’t matter. Wagner openly proclaims you’re all wrong, and here’s why. Yet even while doing this in a fairly direct, uncompromising manner… he also has (and shows within the text here) quite a bit of heart and compassion for everyone, no matter where they happen to currently find themselves in this particular discussion.
As one example that particularly stood out, at one point Wagner proclaims (apparently quoting someone else?) “A Christian is someone who is always more willing to die than to kill.”, when speaking to Jesus’ pacifism.
But this is truly the heart of the book, from the introduction:
“This book is not a call for us to take back the culture from the ‘feminists’ or the ‘bigots’ or whoever your preferred scapegoat may be.”
Instead, Wagner uses the famous Pauline “Fruits of the Spirit” – Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control – to walk us through a fairly balanced view of what male virtue *should* be according to the Bible itself.
One area that I always look at in Christian nonfiction is the use of prooftexting – citing Bible verses out of context in support or opposition of some point or another – and here, while Wagner decries the practice in the introduction… he actually uses it fairly often throughout the text. Not as horribly as some other authors, and indeed in focusing so much on expounding the famous verse from Galatians he actually provides quite a bit of the overall context of *most* of what he discusses… there’s enough “throw away” proof texting here that it almost constitutes slamming his pinkie toe onto the corner of the bed and snapping it (as I did while reading this book!). Painful in the moment and an unforced error… but ultimately not actually harmful. Yet it still cost him a star on my rating, because I try to be consistent about removing that star *any* time I see the practice used as my one “weapon” in my personal war against all vestiges of the practice.
If you’re interested in Christian ethics and virtue at all, you’re going to need to read this book. Wagner truly does an excellent job of looking at the topic from a remarkably balanced view while actively ignoring many more hot button culture war issues – and actively telling you he is going to and his reasons for doing so.
If you’re not interested in Christian ethics or virtue – or perhaps even question whether that last phrase is an actual oxymoron – this book isn’t going to be for you. Which the cover and description should have told you, but I’m telling you here now as well. Just leave it alone if you are so adamantly anti-Christian or anti-organized religion generally or what have you. You’re only going to make yourself upset as you read it and if you review this book you’re more than likely going to make yourself look like a jackass. So *please*, just leave it alone. This book isn’t for you, and that is perfectly ok. It has an audience, that audience simply doesn’t include you.
Overall though, this book really is a solid examination of its premise, written in a very approachable style and using a cohesive narrative structure quite well indeed.
Very much recommended.
This review of Men Of Virtue by Zachary Wagner was originally written on March 26, 2026.