Ben Wilson: 300 and Masculinity

“Go tell the Spartans, passer-by, that here, by Spartan law, we lie.” – Simonides of Ceos

I have a strange fascination with 300. It’s not just the half-naked guys either - the excitement of an insurmountable challenge, the staunch-stubbornness, the raw virtues entailed. Obviously I’m not the only one. The influence 300 has had on mainstream culture is significant. It’s practically become a default activity on sausage fest gatherings on top of the established barbeques, wrestling and gumboot throwing. But has it actually become part of our psyches? Surely it’s only improved our idea of manhood, given us greater goals to achieve as blokes. Well…sort of.

300 speaks to a primitive part of the male brain (or at least mine) and makes it so fun to watch. While the story of Thermopylae doesn’t exactly win points with the screen writers guild, these seem to be the kind of tales that captivate us so much; The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, Star Wars. None of these stories are what you’d call ‘complex’, but they’re classics because of their ‘good versus evil’ nature (on top of being actually good) and people relate easily to that.

But these are all copies of a single archetype – God’s epic story. Maybe we can’t help but replicate His narrative – something so engrained at the heart of humanity and its redemption that we just have to retell it.

Truly the story of 300 is close to the heart of God – saving a people from oppression with stern courage against impossible odds. Jesus did that Himself.

While there are few deeds I can think of that are more heroic or ‘manly’, the underlying messages 300 implies are more controversial. Its perception of people reminds me of Disney – the good guys are handsome in that rugged kind of way, ridiculously courageous, really keen to die and just when you thought this bachelorette party couldn’t get any better – they all come with a complete set of abs. Conversely the bad guys are either slaves or monstrous ninjas.

What’s a man to think? We’re feed this message time after time. I don’t think we can say it hasn’t affected us. The first time we meet someone, we’re more likely to believe they’re friendly if they’re good looking. I think the same is true of masculinity. If I’m to be a ‘true man’ do I have to work out? If I don’t, on what grounds can I say I’m a man? Does manliness originate from the way I’m seen, or the way I see myself?

Having been to the gym somewhat, I can say that having muscles is nothing special. I chat frequently with the owner, who set up the gym as a Christian ministry and through our talks I’m constantly reminded how empty a pursuit it can be. A lot of guys would like to ‘get back to the gym’, or be buff in some respect and I encourage that - It’s a healthy thing to do. But the magic word is always ‘moderation’.

Again, what does make a man ‘manly’ then? Is it by just being male? Should we even be worrying about this?

In a world of so many ideas and messages, hopes and hurts – life can be chaotic and confusing. Where you come into this world can seem insignificant when you’re only one person in a sea of many, in a planet of billions in our Milky Way and still one galaxy of many more. And here we are – pondering the meaning of masculinity. Seems almost petty. Yet we also live in world with a God who gives Himself wholly and personally to each of us, concerned with our everyday needs, troubles and thoughts. That includes manliness.

This is an issue that can leave men perplexed and frustrated and as a church we have the responsibility to engage with such matters.

Feel free to disagree, but if I had to put it down to something – true masculinity is bravery in the sovereignty of God. It’s one of the most courageous things you could do in life - men who are undeterred by a shifting world in the strength of an unmovable God – men whose significance and security is found in Him. Think of it as a ‘Spiritual Spartan’ if you like. I’m sure the world could do with more than 300 of those.