Isn't it time we focused more on developing a Christian ethic for masculinity and less on policing women's bodies?

If you think so, too, then let me introduce you to Zachary Wagner

Last July I got to meet Zachary Wagner. He and his wife Shelby hosted me and my daughter for tea and scones in Oxford as well as a picnic on the lawn of Christ Church. Then Zach took my daughter (an avid Harry Potter fan) and me (well, I’m an avid Harry Potter fan, too) to see the movie sights of Christ Church.

It was a great day.

But Harry Potter wasn’t the reason I went to Oxford (although don’t tell my daughter). I went to Oxford because Zachary Wagner published one of the most important books of 2023, Non-Toxic Masculinity: Recovering Healthy Sexuality, and I wanted to meet him. Have you heard of it?

Kristin Du Mez

calls it a “breath of fresh air.”

I can’t tell you how much I agree. I mean, in my conservative evangelical world, a Christian sexual ethic often focuses on rules, shame tactics, and policing women’s bodies (which is also a form of shame) to create “healthy” sexuality.

Except it hasn’t been very healthy. Just go read Rachel Joy Welcher (

Dear Hildegaard

), Shannon (Bonne) Harris, Linda Kay Klein, Emily Joy Allison, and Sheila Gregoire.

Zach Wagner suggests a different way. “If you are in Christ,” he writes to men, “this is your problem—and you should be part of the solution.” Even as he addresses hard issues like church abuse and porn (Michael Bird at

Word from the Bird

), he does so in a way that “points the way toward healing” (Amy Peeler).

I can’t tell you how thankful I am for Zach’s no-nonsense frankness that overflows with pastoral wisdom. (I am also extremely thankful for his recent intervention with Nancy Pearcey’s book, but that is another whole story; you can find his review of it here.) If your interest isn’t piqued yet, then stay tuned till tomorrow when you can read Zach in his own words right here on Marginalia.

I am so excited that Zach Wagner will be joining me NEXT week for a conversation hosted by George W. Truett Theological Seminary. If you are in the Waco area, you do not want to miss our conversation.

I mean, isn’t it time we ACTUALLY recover ‘biblical’ manhood?