The New and Improved Clint Eastwood: Change and Persistence in Promise Keepers Self-Help Literature

Sociology of Religion, Spring, 2000 by Jon P. Bloch

Jon P. Bloch [*]

Like other expressions of Christian conservatism, the Promise Keepers (PK) often enact complex and strained relationships between social change and social persistence. These strains are evident in the official PK literature, which employs techniques not unlike those used by mainstream pop psychology. These include the use of "scientific" -like classifications of information, authors presented as "experts" on the topic at hand, and the use of exercises to be enacted individually or in small PK discussion groups. Collectively, these strategies suggest that conservative Christians deal with many of the same complex role demands as non-conservatives. In particular, the PK stance on gender roles, though promoted as unambiguously "traditional" in favoring male leadership and female submission, in actuality often reflects acknowledgment and perhaps acceptance of some of the more egalitarian changes in gender role norms. Sociological implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Clint Eastwood used to be on everyone's top ten list of macho men, but now he typifies the new manly man. Eastwood is breaking the mold by taking on male roles that call for more feelings, friendship, even forgiveness. According to reviewers, his movies "Unforgiven" (1992) and "In the Line of Fire" (1993) show us the face of the New Man:

-- the steely blue eyes have a softer glint

-- the taut jaw muscle is more relaxed

-- he reveals some of his softer side -- his emotional vulnerability (E.G. Wagner 1994: 58).

Though Christian conservatives often are labeled anti-modern, it is more accurate to state that their attitude toward modern society has been strained and complex, involving concurrent drifts toward and away from the mainstream social milieu (Stolzenberg 1993; Billings and Scott 1994; Wood 1994; Benkso et al. 1995; Thomas 1996; Macedo 1998). Historically, these religious conservatives have opposed certain forms of social change, but not all forms. Conservatives often have kept abreast of current social issues and trends, and have utilized popular communication tools of the time to advance their agenda (Wuthnow 1989; Bruce 1990a; Harding 1991; Bendroth 1996).

For example, the many self-help pop psychology books that have caused or reflected various lifestyle fads in recent decades have had their counterpart in the conservative Christian world. Though the phenomenon seldom has been studied sociologically, scores of self-help books have been written from a conservative standpoint on how to have a happy marriage, lose weight, make more money, or overcome codependency. Taken as a whole, these books suggest ambivalence toward the modern world on the part of the conservative Christian. On the one hand, the authors of these books frequently blame certain forms of social change for the problem being discussed. On the other hand, much of the ideology in these books -- and the familiar pop psychology techniques with which the ideology is conveyed -- suggests an acceptance of numerous other social changes, trends and fads (Bloch 1997).

The Promise Keepers (PK) have been no exception. [1] A visit to the group's state-of-the-art web site finds a list of suggested self-help reading materials prominently featured amidst promotions for PK conferences, apparel, and computer software (which of course further reflect the Christian conservative's ability to frame the discourse in contemporary cultural terms). [2] If the seven PK "promises" (see Appendix) have become a fairly widely-known phenomenon, this largely has been accomplished through the official PK texts that men from diverse geographies read, study, and discuss.

In this article, I explore and analyze the complex relationship between the contemporary socio-cultural world and Christian conservatism as advanced and reflected through PK literature. Utilizing the official PK volumes advertised on the PK web page, I assert that PK does not simply exploit or oppose current social trends to self-promote, but also is influenced by and reflects these trends. After exploring several key dimensions of this strained and seemingly contradictory relationship, I briefly discuss the sociological significance of PK's often-ambiguous assertions.

PK LITERATURE: SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW

It is hardly inconsistent that Christian conservatives, as pioneers in radio and television evangelism, would also recognize pop self-help books as another important venue for communication. While Christian conservatism is often at odds with its liberal counterpart, the two sides "share a variety of cultural assumptions and there is a large, moderate middle, whether it be theological or moral (Thomas 1996: 293)." And within this "moderate middle" are numerous contemporary ways of conceptualizing the life experiences that are utilized by people from all walks of life, regardless of religious belief. Self-help or advice books would appear to be one such medium.

Despite the highly conservative elements of the PK message, there are at least six important indicators of contemporary cultural influence in PK literature. First and most basic, there is the newness of the literature itself. Next, there is its similarity to mainstream pop psychology in at least four major ways: its emphasis on "scientific"-like classifications; its utilization of "experts" as authors; its reliance upon personalized anecdotes and examples; and its strategies to personalize its materials for each individual reader through introspective exercises. Finally, this literature expresses an ideological strain between traditional and contemporary gender norms.