Preparation for Spiritual Warfare

     There is a growing market for books about manhood and the family. A couple of years back, Pastor Chris Wiley contributed to that market with his book, Man of the House: a “how to” book for young men on how to build a household. While not overtly religious, it is based in a Judeo-Christian, natural law ethic. It serves as a guide for young men who want to know how to build a household.

     His new book, TheHousehold and the War for the Cosmos, serves as a prequel to Man of the House. It clearly presents the foundation for a Christian household. The subtitle is “recovering a Christian vision for the family” but this not your typical, Evangelical (read mushy) book on how to be a better dad. It is a book about what leadership in a Christian household looks like. And it begins with piety.

     

     The piety he describes is not the piety of abstaining from cards and alcohol, but a virtue that is much more profound. He describes its meaning in Roman times when the Apostle Paul wrote about it, and how the meaning of the word was emasculated in modern times. When we hear the word “piety” we should think more about sacrifice, patriotism, and responsibility than quiet walks on a Sunday afternoon. Piety is a masculine virtue.

     He showcases this piety through comparing and contrasting the patriarch Abraham with Aeneas, the founder of Rome. Without giving away the history, there is much more in common with those two men than I ever thought, and they both go a long way in teaching us how piety is displayed. This was an especially good chapter.

     In the last half of the book, Pastor Wiley applies this stronger piety to us, explaining how Scripture calls for fathers to teach their families to be pious, pointing again to Abraham as an example. My favorite chapter was when he walks the reader through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, documenting how piety is developed from chapter 1 through chapter 6. The pinnacle was when he connected the household codes of Ephesians (5:22-6:9) to spiritual warfare (6:10-21). I’ve never read a commentator who could convincingly explain Paul’s logic in writing about households to writing about warfare, but the author’s explanation is more than convincing. To summarize: the household was (and still is) an instrument of warfare. In ancient times it was literal warfare; today godly households are to be instruments of spiritual warfare. Hence the application: get married and begin your battle plans.

     This book accomplishes what is purports to do: present a vision for the Christian family. It doesn’t present the detailed plans of Man of the House, but it lays the necessary foundation. I would have enjoyed a longer treatment of some of the ideas, but I’m sure he will present those in time.

Sometimes books on the family leave you feeling discouraged; either you can’t possibly put into practice what they suggest, or they tell dads to become more feminine and less masculine. This book does neither. It points out a real problem and shows how we can begin the repair process. I received a review copy of this book from the publisher, and am thankful; it will benefit me for many years.