Forming Boys into Healthy Men with Jon Tyson

What are the messages that boys are receiving about manhood from the culture around them?

In this episode of The Teach Your Children Well Podcast, host Sarah Cowan Johnson sits down with pastor and author Jon Tyson for a conversation about raising boys in a culture that often champions toxic or unhealthy versions of masculinity. As the author of Primal Path, a discipleship curriculum for fathers and sons, Tyson has helped tens of thousands of families to walk the road from Christ-centered childhood to Christ-centered manhood.

Together, Sarah and Jon talk about the differences between passive parenting and intentional parenting, how cultural messages often prevent boys from developing a healthy sense of self, and why the goal isn’t to shield them from the world but to prepare them to follow Jesus within it.

Jon offers wisdom from his books The Intentional Father and Fighting Shadows, naming the lies boys and men believe and how families can resist shame and spiritual apathy by leaning into identity and purpose.

From dating and friendships to rites of passage and building courage in children, this conversation invites parents to form their children with love, clarity, and purpose so they’re ready to live as faithful disciples in a culture that constantly pulls them away from Jesus.

This episode highlights the following themes:

✅Unhealthy messages about masculinity in the culture and in the church
✅Forming healthy attachments with both boys and girls in the family
✅The importance of prayer as kids grow up from childhood into adolescence

Links from the episode:

✅Learn more about Jon Tyson (www.jontyson.org/)
✅Read The Intentional Father (amzn.to/44U0Nua) and Fighting Shadows (amzn.to/40KAiVt) by Jon Tyson
✅Learn more about The Primal Path (primalpath.co/) and Raising Resilient Daughters (www.formingmen.com/daughters)
✅Learn more about Sarah Cowan Johnson (www.ivpress.com/sarah-cowan-johnson)
✅Read Teach Your Children Well by Sarah Cowan Johnson (ivpress.com/teach-your-children-well)
✅Read How Christianity Changed the World (amzn.to/44UeXLO) by Alvin Schmidt
✅Read Validation (amzn.to/4m5gg0v) by Dr. Caroline Fleck
✅For more on complementarity without hierarchy, see Discovering Biblical Equality, edited by Ronald W. Pierce, Cynthia Long Westfall, and Christa L. McKirkland
✅Read the transcript here (drive.google.com/file/d/1xFgSrs9vjHMg-0OsXoxfk_k2LP7K9pw6/view)
✅Take the survey here (forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx)

Credits

✅Special offer: Visit ivpress.com (ivpress.com) and use the code IVPTEACH25 for 25% off and free US shipping on any IVP resource mentioned in this episode.
✅Producers: Kaitlin Borek, Helen Lee, and Travis Albritton
✅Sound Engineering: Honest Podcasts (honestpodcasts.com/)
✅Social Media Manager: Makayla Payne
✅Podcast Art: Kate Lillard
✅Theme Song: "Childlike Wonder" by Reveille

=== Time Stamps ===

00:00 – Introduction
02:37 – About Jon Tyson
04:53 – Jon’s Motivation for Writing Primal Path
08:07 – Jesus, the Fully Integrated Man
09:15 – The Challenge of Toxic Masculinity
11:48 – The Need for Voices that Speak to Men and Boys
18:10 – Is Christianity Good News for Both Men and Women?
23:57 – Winning Your Kids’ Hearts
29:22 – Avoiding the Projection of Adult Stress on Your Kids
30:42 – Creating Healthy Attachment with Daughters
34:33 – Parenting Question: How Do I Raise a Son Without a Faithful Father Figure?
45:10 – Steal This Idea: Marking the Moment

Disclaimer: The comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and/or the guests featured on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of InterVarsity Press or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

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