What is discipline? For many people, the first answer that comes to mind is punishing a child to correct a wrong. That’s part of it, but there’s so much more. The basic meaning of “discipline” is training. “Train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance” (2 Timothy 4:7-9). Based upon this passage, Disciplines of a Godly Young Man encourages young men to develop and nurture twelve different disciplines grouped in four categories in order to be godly. After a couple of introductory chapters, they are Relationships: Purity, Friendship; Soul: Mind, Devotion, Prayer; Character: Tongue, Work, Perseverance; and Ministry: Church, Giving, Witness, Ministry, followed by a concluding chapter on the “Grace of Discipline.”
The theme of the book is found on pages 22-23: “Understanding this, we now get down to the reason for this book, which is that in today’s world and church, young Christian men who are disciplined are the exception, not the rule. Why? The answer is that the popular, politically correct culture of the new millennium suppresses manliness, and especially the manliness and leadership of young men who attempt to follow Christ. The reasons are several (feminism, entertainment, and legalism), and together they are daunting.” Under “Purity,” the talk about sex is frank, though certainly not salacious, but it is very true and needed! There are some excellent comments under “Mind” about television and movies, under “Work” about the need for a spiritually disciplined work life, and under “Church” about the importance of church attendance and the benefits of worship. Also, the Hugheses have a great discussion about the difference between discipline and legalism.
I will say that the use of all the sports examples, apparently cited to make the book appealing to young men in our athletic-saturated society, leaves me somewhat cold because I am totally disinterested in sports. However, I suspect that many readers will find them meaningful, and other kinds of illustrations are provided for those who are not into athletics. Depending upon their religious background, there may be a few word usages and theological concepts with which some may disagree. However, these differences are minor to the purpose of the book, and I think that Disciplines of a Godly Young Man would make a great resource for use in a “life curriculum” for a homeschooled teenage boy. R. Kent Hughes, who authored Disciplines of a Godly Man, is “Senior Pastor Emeritus” of College Church in Wheaton, IL, and his son Carey Hughes is “Senior Pastor” of Christ the Redeemer Church in Spokane, WA. Kent’s wife Barbara wrote Disciplines of a Godly Woman, and together they produced Disciplines of a Godly Family. ( )