Seven Virtues of Manhood to Become the Man and Father You Were Meant to Be

Somewhere along the way, our culture lost its definition of manhood, leaving generations of men and men-to-be confused about their roles, responsibilities, relationships and the reason God made them men. New York Times bestselling author Mark Batterson joined Glenn on radio Friday to talk about his new book Play the Man: Becoming the Man God Created You to Be .

"This one is a really interesting book . . . I have been looking for books over the last few years because I want to build a library about how you build a man. What does it mean to be a man? Because nothing in our culture is supporting that now," Glenn said.

Batterson's Play the Man helps men understand what it means to be a man of God by unveiling seven virtues of manhood with inspiring stories of manhood. Help start a movement of men who will settle for nothing less than fulfilling their highest calling: To be the man and the father God has destined them to be. Play the Man is available in bookstores everywhere.

The seven virtues include:

1. Tough love

2. Childlike wonder

3. Willpower

4. Raw passion

5. True grit

6. Clear vision

7. Moral courage

Read the transcript or listen to the segment below to get Glenn and Batterson's thoughtful discussion on several of the virtues.

Listen to this segment from The Glenn Beck Program:

GLENN: It is Father's Day weekend. And speaking of Amazon, a book you can pick up on Amazon.com right now is Play the Man. Mark is a friend of the program. Been on several times. He is the author of 16 different books. This one is a really interesting book because we have nothing, and I have been looking for books over the last few years of I want to build a library of how do you build a man? What does it mean to be a man? Because nothing in our culture is supporting that now. Mark, welcome to the program.

MARK: Hey, Glenn, it's good to be to be back.

GLENN: So the comes from the Bible the Romans took because he was worshiping Jesus. Can you tell the story?

MARK: Yeah. Incredible true story about Polycarp, he was the bishop of Smyrna, and he was taken into the coliseum, told to recant his faith, and he wouldn't do it. And part of why he wouldn't do it because he heard a voice from heaven saying be strong, Polycarp, play the man. And when I first heard that, Glenn, it gave me goosebumps because here was a guy who was martyred for his faith, and it's that little saying play the man that, you know, he died for his faith. The question is how do we live for our faith? What does it mean to play the man?

GLENN: That's what I was going to ask you. Play the man is weird advice. What does it mean?

MARK: Well, there's a verse in second Samuel that says play the man for our people. And Glenn, we share a love for history with so I tell a lot of stories about everybody from Teddy Roosevelt to a guy named John Wesley Powell. But really, it's about seven virtues that I think are the key to manhood, and that's the first part of the book. From to have love to moral courage, things that are lacking in our culture.

GLENN: So let's go through some of the virtues. Give them -- just go through all of them quickly first. Tough love, childlike wonder, willpower, raw passion, true grit, clear vision, and moral courage.

Let me start with true grit because you see that in a -- you see that in, you know, the movie true grit, and you identify it as that. As being that guy. A guy who saw something that wasn't right, wasn't necessarily a guy who was living a great life, but followed through and finished what he knew was right. Is that what true grit is?

>> I think it is. And let me just say this. I think different cultures at different points of history have defined manhood differently. And what I do is go back to a person by the name of Jesus. Son of Man. And I think he's true worth when it comes to manhood. No one models true grit better than he does. He endured the cross. I mean, that's -- that's grit right there. And then you read in another place in the New Testament where it says having done all the stand. It's this idea that it's going to take some grit to do the right thing. And I think we give up too easily. We give up too quickly, and I think part of what I advocate for the book is you've got to fight for your family and your marriage. It's not going to be easy. But grit is something exemplified by Jesus, and it is something we are called to as men.

GLENN: What is the biggest lie that our boys are being told?

MARK: That's a big question, and I'm not sure I can reduce it down to one. But I'll start here. The first virtue is tough love. Tough love is carrying a 300-pound cross 650 yards down for someone else's sin. I think we forgot what it means to exercise tough love. I think it's loving people when they least expect it and least deserve it. And it's not easy. But that's the standard we're called to. And in something that I think is -- in some ways because in our culture, Glenn, manhood is almost avoided or devalued or in some ways redefined. And so I think we've got to get back to some of these virtues that we see in the person of Jesus and we need to live out as men.

GLENN: So what is the difference between these virtues with women and why is this play the man? Shouldn't my wife have clear vision and moral courage and willpower and child like wonder?

MARK: Absolutely. And I make that admission in the book that, listen, I think these apply to anybody and everybody. But this is a call to men. Let me give you an example. A few months ago I was in a room with 500 guys, and I asked them how many of you were intentionally discipled by your did ad? And three hands go up. So what we have is a culture of men don't know what it means to be men of god and fathers don't know what it means to be a spiritual father. So what I'm going to do with the book, Glenn, is step into that no-man's-land pun intended and say here are seven virtues that I think we can work on as men. And then of course the second half of the book is really the heartbeat of the book, and it's about how to disciple our children.

GLENN: The name of the book is creating the man God created you to be. 16 best-selling books and a message that I think we truly, truly need. Play the man. Thanks, mark, for being on the program with us.

MARK: , hey, absolute joy and privilege. God bless, Glenn.

GLENN: God bless. We'll talk to you again.

POLL: Should Universities allow pro-Hamas protests?

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Just one day after Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel, which left over 1,400 people Israelis dead , 34 different student groups from Harvard University wrote a joint statement pinning the blame of Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel. In the following days after publishing this callous statement, these students staged a walkout and rallied in support of the Palestinians. As Glenn has discussed, this is not an isolated event, and campuses across the country have hosted similar rallies where antisemitic jargon like "we don't want no Jew state" and "globalize the intifada" is freely spewed.

Should Universities allow pro-Hamas protests?

While the Universities have not officially backed any of these rallies or student groups that organized them, they haven't stopped them either , which raises the question: should they? On one hand, these are American students in American Universities, who are protected by the First Amendment. On the other hand, history tells us how dangerous antisemitism is if left unchecked; and what of the rights of Jewish students to be safe on the campuses they pay to attend? Let us know what you think in the poll below:

Should Universities allow pro-Hamas protests?

Would you feel safe if your child attended a University that allowed pro-Hamas protests?

Should Universities allow pro-Israel protests?

Is pro-Hamas rhetoric protected by the First Amendment?

POLL: What do YOU think Israel should do about Gaza?

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Should Israel take over Gaza after defeating Hamas? This contentious historical question has resurfaced amid Israel's retaliatory airstrikes in Gaza following Hamas' terror attacks, which resulted in the greatest death of Jews since the Holocaust. Biden and the global elites have warned Israel against occupation of the Palestinian territory. When asked on 60 Minutes if he would support the Israeli occupation of Gaza, Biden said, “I think it would be a big mistake.” Today Glenn responded to Biden’s answer: “I don't think it's a mistake to occupy."

This has been a long-standing, polarizing issue that is now more relevant than ever, and we want to hear YOUR thoughts. Let us know in the poll below:

Would you support an Israeli occupation of Gaza?

Do you think the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza are justified?

Do you think a two-state solution is still possible?

Funding IRAN?! Here are the TOP 5 reasons Joe Biden should be IMPEACHED

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On September 12th, the House announced an official impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden with allegations of abuse of power, obstruction, and corruption. Naturally, the media quickly jumped to the President’s aid claiming that “there is no evidence to support these claims” and that the whole affair is a witch hunt.

If you’ve been listening to Glenn, you know that this is simply not the case. Biden has been committing impeachment-worthy deeds before he even stepped foot into the Oval Office—there’s no shortage of evidence to justify this inquiry. Here are 5 scathing reasons why Biden should be impeached :

He was responsible for the Afghanistan withdrawal disaster.

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The Biden administration began with the US's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. Under his watch, Biden left thousands of US citizens and allies stranded in the Taliban's hostile regime. Countless Afghan allies have been murdered by the Taliban due to the Biden administration's negligence.

He was involved with Hunter Biden's illicit foreign business dealings.

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There is clear evidence that Joe Biden was more than aware of his son Hunter's foreign business dealings. From suspicious money laundering through the Biden family's accounts to Joe's involvement with important business meetings within Hunter's company, there is mounting evidence to warrant an impeachment inquiry.

He lied about his involvement with Hunter's business dealings.

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Not only did Biden involve himself with his son's less-than-legal foreign business ventures, but he lied to the American people about it too, claiming he had NO KNOWLEDGE of what was going on.

He failed to protect the Southern border, and actively made it worse.

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Biden singlehandedly turned the Southern border into the worst illegal immigration crisis in US history. He reversed many policies set in place by the Trump administration, resulting in 2.3 million illegal immigrants flooding into the US under his watch, a historic high.

He sent IRAN AND HAMAS BILLIONS OF DOLLARS.

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Biden reversed the Trump-era policy that halted all funds going into Iran. The Wall Street Journal revealed the smoking-gun evidence proving that Iran trained AND funded Hamas before its gruesome terror attacks against Israel. Moreover, shortly before the attacks, the Biden administration unfroze $6 BILLION dollars of Iran's assets as a part of a prisoner swap. On top of this, Biden resumed $200 million worth of "humanitarian aid" to Gaza that Trump had ended —because the money was being used to buy weapons for Hamas.

Top 5 economic milestones that show HOW BAD Bidenomics has made the economy

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From groceries to house prices, everything seems to get more expensive, and you can thank Biden for that. Glenn recently exposed the truth about 'Bidenomics' and the havoc it has wrought on the American economy. Here are five economic milestones during the Biden administration that expose the glaring track record of "Bidenomics:"

In July 2022, the inflation rate hit 9.1 percent, a 40-year record high.

In June 2022, gas hit an all time record high of $5 a gallon for the national average.

61 percent of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck as of this September.

Interest rates reached a 15-year high at 5.25 percent and are still increasing.

Americans have $1 trillion in collective credit card debt, in part due to food/staple pieces being very high.