Men's Group - The Orthodox Ecclesiology of Manliness (Virtue)

This episode introduces our series on Orthodox Christian virtue, beginning with the call to authentic masculinity. Fr. Anthony explains that true manhood is humble, courageous, and sacrificial, and can only be formed through living a life in fellowship with others.

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Introduction to our Series on Orthodox Christian Virtue
Men's Group, Christ the Saviour in Anderson SC
Fr. Anthony Perkins, 28 September 2025

Etymological note: the word "virtue" is from the Latin virtus, which means strength, manliness, and moral excellence.  The trick is not to redefine moral virtue around fallen concepts of manliness, but to regain the sort of masculinity that is, by its nature, both strong and godly (ie, holy).

Why a Series on Orthodox Christian Masculinity?

·      Men struggle with the development of a proper goal and worldview that would allow them to thrive, specifically as Christian men.

·      Men increasingly lack sound role models and guides, but there are many influencers who would fill that role for all the wrong reasons and give bad advice.

·      This combination of high demand and unreliable supply means that everyone suffers; men who are called to be part of the solution to the problem of the world's pain instead increase it.

·      The Orthodox Church is the fullness of the faith, but has addressed this problem inconsistently (Note on the book "Why Men Hate Going to Church").  It is great to have Orthodox influencers addressing the issue, but this happens at the expense of building the kind of community would and should naturally foster community.  Men can watch videos, listen to podcasts (do men even read books anymore?!), and increase their tribal commitment to virtue, but unless they are in the trenches with other men committed to the same goal and part of a system that blesses and supports the goal and its pursuit, this is idle posturing. 

o   This is the problem of superficial mentorship: ideas without connection or skin in the game. (incomplete or bad ecclesiology).  It is both gnostic (because it is anti-incarnational) and Protestant (in that each person becomes their own guide, moving to the idea/guru that matches their inclinations rather than joining and submitting to something substantial and real).

o   The temptation of clericalism.  Leaving all teaching and mentoring to the parish priest. (incomplete or bad ecclesiology)

o   As on the internet, the men who might want to step up and fill this void may not be suited for it because they lack the proper temperament, manner of life, experience, or training.  (Self-selection is bad ecclesiology.) Remember Matthew 15:14b on the blind leading the blind.

·      This is NOT a series that is going to present THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN UNDERSTANDING OF MASCULINITY ™ so that we can all adjust our minds to its reality.  Lord willing, it will teach the right ideas, but that is not how real spiritual formation happens.

·      It is a series that is part of our effort to create a community of men who not only understand masculine virtue and commit themselves to its achievement, but also one where we train and work towards that standard together.  So it includes NOT JUST ideas of manliness but intentionally develops scalable ecclesial institutions that incarnate the living of those ideas through the brotherly support, mentorship, encouragement, and accountability.

Your role in the process: commitment to living a life of virtue in community with others.

My role in the process and why I am the leader of our local chapter

·      Long-standing commitment to Christian virtue and all the sacrifices that entails; as well as the many blessings that have followed.

·      Married thirty-five years. 

·      A respected and decorated leader in the Army, community, and Church.

o   Retired Military Intelligence Chief Warrant Officer with deployments throughout the world, to include two to Afghanistan.

o   Three master's decrees: political science, divinity, and special education.

o   Ordained as a priest in 2007, have been teaching seminary since 2008; and have served in multiple leadership positions in the national church and at seminary.

·      Trained and experienced in the concepts of teamwork, spiritual development, community, and theology.

·      A lifetime of experience teaching these concepts and discipling others to teach them in the military, academia, parishes, seminary, and on the internets.

If I were into self-promotion or social media, these might get me a following; but the real reason that I am the leader of the process is ontological, that is to say baked into our reality: I am the legitimately and canonically ordained priest assigned by our bishop to the priest – that is to say the "elder" and pastor – of this parish.  This would be true even if I had never served in the military, taught at seminary, or enjoyed the benefits of a healthy marriage. 

It is accepting the fact that we "go to war with the army and leaders we have, not the ones we want" that allows us to get traction in doing the work we are called to do.  We might gain a rudimentary understanding of what we are called to do and be as Christian men from our favorite Orthodox influencers on the internet, but if we are more attached to them and their virtual communities than the leaders and community in which we actually live, then we are setting ourselves up for failure.  The Church has been perfecting the saints for many centuries without the internet; it is foolishness to jettison that system in favor of one that has not been tested and is known to be skewed towards narcissism and exaggeration. 

So here are the objectives of this series:

·      To provide a deeper understanding of Orthodox Christian Masculinity that each of us can defend and commit ourselves to.

·      To provide tools that will allow us to grow in personal holiness, first by dealing with our fallen "manly" temptations (anger, lust, gluttony, manipulation, and just checking out) and second by the acquisition of a peaceful, confident, and humble spirit.

·      To provide the tools – and not just the ideas! – to lead our family, communities, and parish.

·      To develop and intentional community of men, with mentorship, discipleship, and accountability.

·      That mentorship includes

o   The expectation that every man will go to confession regularly and schedule meetings with his priest as necessary.  We should be going to confession AT LEAST FOUR TIMES A YEAR; the ideal is once a month.

o   The development of horizontal friendships with other men IN THIS PARISH for encouragement, accountability, and the deepening of Christian love.

o   Each of us will develop and maintain a relationship with a mentor.  You can have more than one mentor, just like you can go to more than one priest for confession, but the point is that salvation is LOCAL.  Again, you don't go to war with the army and leaders you want, but with the one we have.  The temptation is to Americanize ecclesiology through the internet and to turn the local stable of churches and paraliturgical communities into our very own spiritual buffet.  Didn't we say we wanted to give that way of thinking up when we became Orthodox?
These mentors are:

§  [NAME]

§  [NAME]

§  [NAME]

§  [NAME]

o   Why these? 

§  They are old.  Let no man despise your youth, but a healthy culture has a special place and respect for gray beards.  Younger men are wonderful spiritual brothers and we should rely on them for such.  They can certainly be leaders in other ways, AND it is our job (and especially mine and the mentors) to disciple them so that they are able to do a better job than us when their beards turn gray.  This is within the spirit of having age requirements for formal ordination.

§  They have been committed Orthodox Christians for a while.  This is important because it takes time for Orthodoxy to gain traction.  No one doubts the novice's commitment, but experience is required for mentorship.  Again, this is in line with the spirit of ecclesial norms: Canon Law prohibits the ordination of novices. 

·      Think of it as a kind of apprenticeship, but one where we are all already active life-smiths, but need a good system to help us improve the quality of our work.

So what is Orthodox Christian Masculinity?

·      The way of a man committed to living out his faith humbly, courageously, and sacrificially in service to God, family, and community.

o   Humble

o   Courage (confidence)

o   Sacrificially: DUTY!!!  Get up and do something!  Reliability. 

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

—Theodore Roosevelt

We are doing great deeds together.  To the glory of God and the transformation of the world..

Future classes: Mentors are going to lead.  Spiritual discipline and asceticism.  How to build a strong and safe home.  Financial asceticism.  How to protect and serve the weak and vulnerable. 

In the meantime, commit yourself to being a reliable and godly man.  Peaceful and strong.  Give up things that distract you and build up habits that will make you better.  Lead your family in prayer, lead them in going to church; encourage your friends to be godly and hold them accountable in private when needed, and live the kind of Cross-carrying life that transforms your souls towards perfection and brings peace and joy to those around you.