COMING MAY 2026

Men of Virtue
How the Fruit of the Spirit Forms Male Character in the Modern World

For Christian men searching for purpose, the crisis of masculinity is real--but the solution isn't toxic bravado, gender erasure, or culture-war confusion. It's virtue.

The fruit of the Spirit can shape our vision for biblical manhood in today's complex world. In Men of Virtue, Zachary Wagner offers a distinctly Christian vision of masculinity inspired by the virtues Paul commends to all believers. Perfect for men's discipleship groups and campus ministry contexts, this resource shows readers

  • how the fruit of the Spirit guides character development;

  • a nonpartisan, biblically grounded vision of masculinity; and

  • what it looks like for men to live out scriptural virtues in distinct, embodied ways.

Written for Christian men (and the women who love them), this book offers a fresh biblical vision of masculinity that calls men into a new kind of strength, character, and purpose.

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MoV Endorsements

"The receding tide of engaged fatherhood has left a generation of boys struggling for purpose and vulnerable to the hollow promises of secular influencers. In Men of Virtue, Zachary Wagner provides a theological bedrock for rehabilitating male identity, centering it on the fruit of the Spirit rather than narrow cultural scripts. This book is an essential resource for any man ready to trade performance for genuine virtue and join the hard work of making all things new."

Anthony B. Bradley, PhD
Distinguished Research Fellow, The Acton Institute and Research Professor, Kuyper College

"I have spent the past year reading many books on a biblical vision of masculinity. Some were good and some were terrible, but the book you are holding in your hands was the best by far. Many books claimed to be Christian and biblical, but they were light on the Bible and heavy on hot takes and folk wisdom. Sadly, very few seemed to take exegesis or theology seriously. This book is a wonderful exception. Highly recommended."

Jason Meyer
Senior Pastor, Urban Refuge Church

"So thankful for this book. Wagner says what few venture to say: There is no healthy 'masculinity' that isn't rooted in the Fruit of the Spirit. This is a thoughtful, full-bodied view of what it means to be a man, and our culture needs it desperately."

Brant Hansen
Author of The Men We Need and Unoffendable

Non-Toxic Masculinity
Recovering Healthy Male Sexuality

Dismissals such as "boys will be boys" and "not all men" are ingrained in our world. And the purity culture of our youth sold the same excuses with a spiritual spin. Can we break the toxic cycle and recover a healthy identity for men?

In Non-Toxic Masculinity, Zachary Wagner tells men, "If you are in Christ, this is your problem—and you should be part of the solution."

Reflecting on his own coming of age in the purity culture movement and ongoing recovery from sexual shame, Wagner confronts harmful teaching from the American church that has distorted desire, sex, relationships, and responsibility. For those—both men and women—who feel disillusioned and adrift, this book offers a renewed vision for Christian male sexuality founded in empathy and selflessness.

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NTM Endorsements

"For millions of men shaped by evangelical purity culture, Non-Toxic Masculinity will be a breath of fresh air. Rather than offer lists of prohibitions and idealistic expectations, Zachary Wagner situates the conversation within a broader redemptive narrative—one that allows for imperfection while rejecting the dehumanization of women and men, one that decenters sexual morality without abandoning biblical guidance, and one that is filled with humility and grace."

Kristin Kobes Du Mez
NYT Bestselling Author, Jesus and John Wayne

"Zachary Wagner has written a book with perceptive insights about pop-evangelical cultures of sex and sexuality. Wagner writes from the cauldron of experience—his own and his wife's—to tackle topics of church abuse, ideologies of purity, and unwholesome habits of porn and promiscuity. Wagner gets to the heart of the evangelical 'sex problem' and offers an alternative vision of masculinity rooted in love rather than lust management. This is truly a Christian vision of masculinity that is desperately needed in a #MeToo and #ChurchToo era."

Michael F. Bird
Academic Dean and Lecturer in New Testament, Ridley College in Melbourne, Australia

"I am so glad to see this topic being addressed with the necessary frankness, common sense, personal insights, and biblical wisdom that Zachary Wagner brings to these pages. I've no doubt that Non-Toxic Masculinity will generate fruitful and much-needed conversations that will serve the church and people for generations to come."

Karen Swallow Prior
Author of On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life Through Great Books

"In a world awash in toxic masculinity, Zach Wagner's book accomplishes two important things. First, it unmasks the pitfalls of 'purity culture' and its implicit prosperity-gospel assumptions about sex, virginity, and marriage. Second, it reminds men that male sexuality preaches the embodied gospel truth that 'every man is called to be a father to the world in his own way.' Both of these truths are vital to healthy male sexuality. I commend Non-Toxic Masculinity to all the jaded Christian men who have been burned by purity culture and who are looking for a new yet distinctly Christian way forward."

Gerald Hiestand
Senior Pastor, Calvary Memorial Church
Cofounder, The Center for Pastor Theologians

"Boldly vulnerable, Zachary Wagner gives voice to the brokenness of male sexuality within contemporary Christianity, and in so doing he points the way toward healing. Because he is dogmatic only about the goodness of the gospel, readers from a broad spectrum are invited to join him as he continues to process the complexity of these issues. As one who advocates for the value of women in the Christian story, I am thrilled to recommend this book as one that restores and cultivates the God-given value of men."

Amy Peeler
Associate Professor of New Testament, Wheaton College
Associate Rector, St. Mark's Episcopal Church

"Finally, a book that treats men like they can actually be full followers of Jesus! Zachary Wagner doesn't berate men, blame men, or condescend to men. He just tells the truth. The church has told a story of manhood that is toxic and looks nothing like Jesus, and the fruit has been rotten—broken, shame-filled men. Ruined relationships. Shattered women. But it doesn't need to be this way. By rediscovering what Christic manhood looks like, we can aim for emotional wholeness and health, especially in our sexuality. I'm excited to see men and women embrace this message!"

Sheila Wray Gregoire
podcaster at Bare Marriage and author of The Great Sex Rescue

"Sexual assault is one of the biggest issues facing the church. There are cultures that facilitate assault, and men bear responsibility for constructing and sustaining such cultures. For healing to occur, men must therefore repent from the toxicity of masculinity, and Zachary Wagner helps us take the first steps. Abusive power is healed by humility, chiefly demonstrated by Christ. Wagner's book both depicts and sets an example of this humility."

Fellipe do Vale
Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

biography

Zachary is an author, ordained minister, and New Testament scholar.

He grew up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago in a homeschooling family as the fourth of six siblings, an environment that sparked his lifelong love of languages, ideas, and reading.

After completing degrees from the Moody Bible Institute and Wheaton College. Zachary and his family moved to Oxford, England, in 2020 for him to pursue a DPhil (PhD) in New Testament studies. His research focused on the theme of reward in the letters of Paul and the Gospel of Matthew, and he successfully defended his thesis in 2025.

He published his first book, Non-Toxic Masculinity: Recovering Healthy Male Sexuality, in 2023 with InterVarsity Press. His second book, Men of Virtue: How the Fruit of the Spirit Forms Male Character in the Modern World, will release from Brazos Press in May 2026. He is currently pursuing publication for his DPhil thesis, as well as a further writing and research projects on Christianity and Stoicism.

Zachary was ordained for gospel ministry in 2022 and has over a decade of nonprofit leadership experience. He currently serves as the director of programs at the Center for Pastor Theologians, where he also co-hosts the Pastor Theologians Podcast.

He lives just outside Chicago in an intentional community with his wife, three kids, and two additional housemates.

ARTICLES

Why We're Weird for Thinking Tim Scott Is Weird | Christianity Today

Why We're Weird for Thinking Tim Scott Is Weird | Christianity Today

We Should Be More Careful with Sex Typology for Christ and the Church | zacharycwagner.com

We Should Be More Careful with Sex Typology for Christ and the Church | zacharycwagner.com

In Search of Non-Toxic Male Sexuality | Christianity Today

In Search of Non-Toxic Male Sexuality | Christianity Today

What Makes a False Teacher False | pastortheologians.com

What Makes a False Teacher False | pastortheologians.com

Broken Masculinity: How Purity Culture Sowed the Seeds of Violence and Abuse | pastortheologians.com

Broken Masculinity: How Purity Culture Sowed the Seeds of Violence and Abuse | pastortheologians.com

Jesus Is Not a Republican and Christianity Is Not Nationalism | pastortheologians.com

Jesus Is Not a Republican and Christianity Is Not Nationalism | pastortheologians.com

CONNECT WITH ZACHARY

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