Redefining Toughness: How Ancient Philosophy and Scripture Shape the Male Soul

June 11, 2026

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Beyond the Biblical Manhood Checklist: Overseer and Deacon Traits for Every Disciple

June 8, 2026

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Is our modern definition of "toughness" actually biblical, or is it just a shadow of the ancient world?

In this intellectually stimulating episode of Thinking Christian, Dr. James Spencer and Dr. Ashish Varma explore the intersection of virtue ethics and theology. They look back at how the ancient world understood masculinity and femininity in relation to the virtues and ask: How did the early church transform these ideas into a call for all disciples?

In this episode, we discuss:

Virtue Epistemology: Moving beyond "what we know" to "who we are" as a prerequisite for truth.
The Classical Map of Virtue: How concepts like courage, fortitude, and restraint were gendered in the ancient world.
Redefining Toughness: Shifting from a "claspable" understanding of physical toughness to the spiritual grit of the person of Jesus.
The Universal Call: Why virtues like courage and restraint are not gender-exclusive but are intended for everyone conformed to the image of Christ.
Character over Culture: Navigating the current cultural tide by rooting our identity in the character of God rather than social stereotypes.

Join us as we bridge the gap between ancient philosophy and modern discipleship to find a more robust way to live as men and women of faith.

Go deeper: Unmanly

Thinking Christian is hosted by Dr. James Spencer, president of the D. L. Moody Center and author of Digital Discernment (InterVarsity Press). Each conversation reads the Bible as the final authority for life and faith, questioning the assumptions of our culture, even our Christian culture, so that we don't settle for a narrower vision than God's word offers.

Unsettling convention. Cultivating conviction.
Episodes, articles, and questions: thinkingchristian.org
About James Spencer: thinkingchristian.org/james
The Thinking Christian Framework: thinkingchristian.org/framework
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Meet Your Host

James Spencer earned his Ph.D. in Theological Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He believes discipleship will open up opportunities beyond anything God’s people could accomplish through their own wit and wisdom. As such, James seeks to help believers think Christianly about social, cultural, and political assumptions. His desire is to see Christians test God by trusting God so that they conform ever more closely to the image of Christ.

In addition to being a regular contributor to Christianity.com and Washingtontimes.com, James has published multiple works, including Christian Resistance: Learnign to Defy the World and Follow Christ, Useful to God: Eight Lessons from the Life of D.L. Moody, Thinking Christian: Essays on Testimony, Accountability, and the Christian Mind, and Trajectories: A Gospel-Centered Introduction to Old Testament Theology.

James currently serves as president of the D. L. Moody Center, an adjunct instructor at Wheaton College Graduate School, and faculty member at Right On Mission.

You can find out more about James at his personal website www.jamesspencer.com.