Book Review: The Way of Kings
What does it mean to be a man? This deceptively simple question is the emphasis of Nathan Clarkson’s new book, The Way of Kings: Ancient Wisdom for the Modern Man. Clarkson urges young men to ignore all the nonsense that the world tells us men are or are not. Are we supposed to be the ignorant goofball men of most sitcoms, the rugged, tough guys of police procedurals and westerns, the crude playboys of many comedies and even dramas, or something else altogether? Clarkson turns our attention to what God says men ought to be; we are meant to be kings.
Being a king means a lot more than wearing a crown and bossing people around. The title gives us great power but also great responsibility. We must fight the darkness and stand up for what is right. We must follow God’s calling in our lives, embracing our identities in Jesus Christ. The book consists of 40 chapters, and it would serve well as a daily devotional. Each short chapter contains a short letter followed by a few relevant questions, a scriptural passage typically drawn from Psalms or Proverbs, and a practical “King Tip.”
For example, one chapter is entitled “Fear Not” and explains how it can sometimes be scary to be a king. It can be terrifying to have major responsibilities and make very difficult decisions. However, God reminds us that we do not need to fear and need to trust in His promises. This short devotional reading is followed by a few questions about what we fear and whether or not we truly trust God to deliver on his promises and a passage from Psalm 27. The “King Tip” for this chapter provides some strategies for dealing with anxiety, a topic that most readers can probably relate to.
This book combines the poetic and the practical extraordinarily well. The devotional portions are poetic and aspirational; Clarkson has a gift for making you want to be the type of king he describes. It makes you want to fight the dragon, go on the adventure, and gather around the Round Table with your comrades. The practical portions bring those ideals back down to a basic level, encouraging the reader to set goals, manage your finances responsibly, know what to bring for a hike, or begin a basic workout regimen. Including these relatively beginner-level steps helps bridge the gap between where you are and where the devotionals encourage you to be. It is almost like taking an adventure; you know your destination, and these practical tips help provide the first step in that direction.
Another feature that I appreciated about this book is that Clarkson recognizes that not every man is identical. I personally do not love to listen to country music in my truck as I am going hunting. For some people, masculinity looks a lot like that. Some guys do not love sports, cars, or action movies. Clarkson appeals to a universal set of virtues and values rather than appealing to many of the stereotypes that have come to define masculinity. For someone like me, who does not always fit the media-created image of masculinity, it was refreshing to recognize that I still pursue masculine virtue and still recognize many of the same desires in myself despite my interests being different.
This book is primarily targeted toward young men. Parents and youth leaders would do well to gift this book to the young men in their lives. That being said, even as a 30-year-old man, this book did light a little fire in me as well. Being the men that God wants us to be is a lifelong journey, and we all can use encouragement along the way. Like Bilbo Baggins, we might need a little push out of the door every now and then. This book can certainly fulfill that capacity, no matter your age.
We live in a society where masculinity has been twisted by a combination of personal shortcomings and societal pressures. Despite that, masculinity is not a bad word. In fact, approximately 50% of the human race is explicitly designed by God to be men and embrace masculinity, so we have to wrap our heads around what masculinity means and how we ought to live our lives as men. Returning to the timeless wisdom of the Scripture, Clarkson’s book is a valuable, inspirational resource that I highly recommend.