Rootin' Tootin' Straight Shootin' Christianity



Joseph Bates - Sea Captain/Adventist Pioneer

Adventist men are not as wimpy as one might expect practitioners of the Golden Rule, regular church-goer's and devoted family men to be. After all, we Adventist men marry Adventist women, who are, on the whole, rather more formidable creatures. Marrying an Adventist gal is not a sport for the faint of heart!

I recently moved across the country and joined a local SDA church where a fledgling men's group has recently formed. Today, during our second meeting, it was suggested we think of ideas as to what we could do as a group. One fellow with a pair of sons in tow caught me afterward. I could tell by the way he spoke that his primary concern was about what kind of men his sons would become. Having raised 3 kids of my own, and been active in youth ministries all my life, I share his concern.

It seems to me that one of Satan's primary avenues of attack against the Adventist church (and Christianity as a whole for that matter) is the un-manning of the men of the church. Even in Ellen White's time, this was becoming an issue. Her quote about men (top right), is spot-on today.



Dr. Harry Miller / Missionary,
Physician and Pirate Fighter

It's time we get our collective act together as men of God. Unlike women, men tend to be poor networkers outside of their jobs. We are a little embarrassed to admit we need male companionship and support. It feels a little girly to actually go looking for male friends, even when our wives are practically kicking us out the house and nagging us to make some men friends.

I came up with the idea for this weblog while I was out walking the dog later. I thought it might be helpful to talk about what Adventist manliness looks like and possibly, by initiating such a dialogue, to build some friendships and alliances among Adventist men.

The point of this website is fourfold.

1. To share stories about the gutsy bunch of males who populate Adventist history. They are a fascinating bunch with as much nerve and testosterone as men of any culture, heritage, race or creed. We're not always as familiar with their exploits as we ought to be. Sometimes our pastors and storytellers seem to be a little embarrassed to tell their stories. I was, however, fortunate enough to hear the stories told and meet some of the rich characters that were the subject of these stories. I think the stories should be told whether its missionaries fighting off river pirates, wrestling anacondas or parachuting into the Amazon Jungle. Our young men need to know what their fathers did in the service of the Carpenter who taught us what it means to be a man in the first place.
2. To share the often odd skills set that Adventist men need in order to serve in the Lord's Army. As a young Adventist man, I was fortunate to have some amazing men as mentors. I learned how to do things like use an ax properly, safely carry and maintain a pocket knife, make vege-corndogs for Pathfinder fund-raisers or stop bleeding with a bandana and a stick. In an age where communication is lightning fast and can be delivered in-depth with pictures and video, there's no excuse for our young men to be unfamiliar with the man skills many of us old guys take for granted.
3. To exchange ideas about how to be full-blooded Adventist men. Men's groups in SDA churches all over the country are coming up with all sorts of creative ways to serve our churches and our communities. Where we find a good idea, we should tell about it so others may reproduce these good ideas in their own churches.  



Clyde Peters / Jungle Pilot,
Skydiving First Responder

4. To mentor the coming generation of Adventist men. We do that by filling in the gaps in our own education so that we may recapture and hone those skills that made Adventist men skilled woodsmen, wood-workers, builders, craftsmen, speakers, youth leaders and teachers.

The blog is just a beginning. At some point I hope to add some social networking capability, forums, calendars and such. The tools are out there and they aren't expensive. We'll see if this grows to the point that it's feasible. Till then, I'll be tossing out a blog or two a week with useful information, some fun stories and features for and about Adventist guys.

If you'd like to contribute a story or column, please contact me at twayneking@gmail.com.  Also please add a comment if you'd like. It helps me know what sorts of things are valuable to my readers.

Your fellow soldier for Christ,

Tom King - Puyallup, Washington