Josh Hawley- Cringe-worthy, Integrity-free...and built to stay that way
What do monster trucks have to do with Christianity, anyway??
(thanks to Jacob Williams for the inspiration)
In order to win votes, particularly in a tight race, politicians will often subject themselves to all sorts of weird rituals/indignities. Sometimes it can be as benign as the time-honored ritual of kissing babies or something similar. Every now and again, things can get can get pretty strange.
Then there are those politicians- like Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO)- who are either just that shameless or don’t care what they do, as long as it shows some promise of advancing their political ambitions.
It seems Sen. Hawley was just shameless enough to attend the “Stronger Men’s Conference 2022,” which was evidently every bit as cringeworthy as you might imagine. Because no conference about becoming a better man should want anything to do with Josh Hawley.
The conference, put on by the ultra-conservative James River Church in Missouri, was advertised as “to live out God’s view of manhood.”
For the low, low price of $119, attendees were treated to
a two-day, all-male affair involving monster trucks, flames, bull riding for some reason and, of course, enough '80s electric guitar to fill a "Top Gun" soundtrack. Plus, a whole lot of preaching.
There was one thing notably absent from this year’s agenda, though:
Yoga. Likely because the church’s pastor has said it’s “demonic” and “diametrically opposed to Christianity.” Real Christian men apparently don’t stretch. They sit still with their backs all knotted up while watching lifted trucks catch wicked air with the fellas. And if you happen to want that experience for yourself, you’re in luck! The event’s promoters announced they are bringing it back next year — with Hawley as a keynote speaker.
Right. Because REAL men enjoy the risk of pulling their hamstrings or tearing their Achilles tendon. They sit for hours as their backs not up, because that’s what God intended. Yoga? Hey, if God had intended for a man to stretch, he would’ve been born with a vagina, knowhutimean?
The “Stronger Man Conference” is really just a Christian version of a men’s drum circle or other male bonding rituals. It’s just another way for emasculated men to chase the fragile masculinity they’ve feel they’ve lost to the women in the lives- and to rid themselves of some of their hard-earned cash.
If your faith leads you to believe that men should be the leaders of their families, and of society in general, you’re probably the target demographic for the entrepreneurs behind the Stronger Men Conference.
The Stronger Men’s Conference exists to empower and motivate men to live out God’s view of manhood and be the best husbands, fathers, and leaders God has called them to be!
They want to put you on top and keep you on top…and not just metaphorically!
When you boil it down to basics, whether it’s the “Stronger Man Conference,” a drum circle deep in woods, or some other male-only bonding ritual, it’s really about depicting “male-ness” in a adolescent and simplistic manner. By reducing gender roles to stereotypes, it’s easy to convince men that their lives are somehow less than. It also makes it easier to separate them from their money.
It’s ridiculous, demeaning, and more than a wee bit silly. A man comfortable in his own skin knows that he doesn’t have to conform to a set of rules or expectations. It’s not about being masculine enough, or claiming your manhood. It’s not about testosterone or conforming to a stereotype.
No, a man who’s comfortable with himself knows that success is about being a good person- a good husband, father, role model, brother, son, etc. There’s no handbook that states a man has to exhibit behavior X in situation Y. A man should possess the maturity to understand how to conduct himself based on what a situation requires.
Then there’s the seeming contradiction of a Christian conference that claims to teach men how to be good men involving someone like Sen. Hawley, who possesses all the integrity and trustworthiness of a greased pig.
[N]o organization wanting to truly tout the best of manhood would let Hawley within a mile of its doors.
This is a person whose claim to fame is rejecting the results of a free and fair election because he didn’t like the outcome; a person who sheepishly cowed to then-President Donald Trump’s demand that senators fight to keep him in office; and a man who showed support for protesters outside the Capitol who shared his apoplectic delusion that Republicans actually won the White House in 2020.
Hawley is a coward who represents the worst kind of human being. Any organization lifting him up as a model for men deserves even less respect than he does.
I’m not certain how one is supposed to respect a “Stronger Men’s Conference” that serves up monster trucks, bull riding, a boatload of ‘80s electric guitar licks, AND Josh Hawley. None of those things have anything at all to do with being a better, more reliable man, though they (except for Hawley, of course) probably make for a good testosterone rush.
Then again, if you’re someone who believe in “muscular” Christianity and waging “spiritual” warfare, then perhaps monster trucks, bull riding, and screaming guitar will bring you closer to Jesus. You might want to keep in mind that Jesus allegedly rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, not a jacked-up monster truck.
‘Course, I’m an atheist. What do I know?
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