Questions
What Role Do Formation and Constraint Play in Producing Faithful Male Disciples?
Summary: Formation shapes us below the level of conscious decision through the practices and communities we inhabit, and the right constraints are enabling rather than restrictive (Alicia Juarrero). Cultural masculinity closes off capacities that male discipleship requires; Christian community’s constraints open up new ones.
Formation is the process by which the practices, communities, and patterns of life we inhabit shape us below the level of conscious decision. We are formed before we are informed. The habits we develop through repeated engagement with particular environments shape what feels natural, obvious, and right. This is why Paul does not simply tell believers what to think; he establishes communities of worship, instruction, mutual accountability, and shared practice that form his readers over time.
Alicia Juarrero argues that constraints are not merely restrictive, but enabling. The right constraints open up new capacities. A musician constrained by scales and practice develops the freedom to play beyond sheet music. A man constrained by the practices of Christian community—worship, confession, service, communal accountability—develops the freedom of a formed character. He will have the capacity to respond faithfully to complex situations without having to deliberate from scratch every time.
The problem with cultural masculinity as a formative system is that it closes off capacities that male discipleship requires. By ignoring certain constraints offered in God’s word, it diminishes one’s capacity to be faithful. A man formed by the constraints of masculinity—even biblical masculinity or biblical manhood—is captured by masculinity and will be unable to respond faithfully to God in certain ways. Masculinity constrains us in ways that impoverish our discipleship and limit our capacity to love God and others.
Key Takeaways: Formation and Enabling Constraints
- Formed Before Informed: Paul establishes communities of worship, instruction, and accountability because formation precedes instruction.
- Juarrero’s Insight: Alicia Juarrero argues constraints are enabling, not merely restrictive—like scales producing a musician’s freedom.
- Cultural Masculinity Constrains Wrongly: It closes off capacities required for discipleship, including vulnerability, interdependence, and patient waiting.
- The “So What”: A man formed by cultural or “biblical” masculinity is captured by it and cannot respond faithfully to God in certain ways.
About the Author — James Spencer, PhD, is a theologian, author, and host of the Thinking Christian podcast, where he writes and speaks on Christian formation, political theology, and technology. He holds a PhD in Theological Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and completed the Institute for Educational Management at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He serves as President of the D.L. Moody Center in Northfield, Massachusetts, as adjunct faculty in Wheaton College’s MA in Leadership program, and as an Associate Research Fellow at the Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology. His writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Times, Christianity.com, and Sojourners; he has been quoted in The Telegraph; and he is a regular guest on Stand in the Gap Today with the American Pastors Network. His forthcoming book is Digital Discernment (InterVarsity Press, Fall 2026). Learn more at jamesgspencer.com.