Our all-sufficient Savior is many things, including a perfect model of masculinity. This point is a significant theme in Eric Mason’s new book Manhood Restored: How the Gospel Makes Men Whole (B&H).

Mason joined me to talk more about his book and masculinity in the latest Authors on the Line interview. Mason is a husband, father, and church planter who lives and ministers in the heart of Philadelphia, and he is the co-founder and lead pastor of Epiphany Fellowship.

In our 24-minute conversation, Mason shares the story of his father, a man who escaped the Jim Crow South to become a decorated WWII Buffalo Soldier, only to return home disillusioned by ongoing segregation. Then we talk about manhood’s highest expression, in the life and work of Jesus Christ, and why conversations about masculinity are opening new doors for the gospel. We talk about distinguishing Christ-centered manhood from cultural macho-ness, and we talk about the battle against pornography and why Christian Hedonism and joy are essential weapons. We look at the role of the local church in giving vision for masculinity in gospel mission advance. And we close our conversation with the one thing every wife wishes her husband would provide (beyond bacon).