(10.) Women and Children First: A Knightly Quest for Men

(10.) Women and Children First: A Knightly Quest for Men. 

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” (Helen Keller).

To Quest (a very active verb): To engage in a long, difficult and adventurous journey that requires hard work in order to achieve a worthwhile goal or a valuable possession; to give oneself to a focused search, a single-minded pursuit, that frequently involves challenges, exploration, and personal growth; to invest personally in a prolonged endeavor in which the process is just as important as the product; to engage in a mission or expedition in an extensive search to discover something important.

“It has become fashionable to attribute pathology to millions of healthy male children. We are turning against boys and forgetting a simple truth: that the energy, the competitive and corporal daring of normal, decent males is responsible for much of what is right in the world… and that traditional male traits – constrained by virtues of valor, honor and self-sacrifice – are essential to the well-being and safety of our society.” (Christina Hoff Summers, The War Against Boys).

Spiritual Hunger. Is it really all that surprising that here, in the Year of Our Lord 2026, young men are flocking into Christian churches and buying Bibles at a record pace? Does it shock anyone that the churches that are appealing to young men are the historic, traditional churches like the Eastern Orthodox, the Roman Catholic and the more traditional Evangelical congregations? It’s no wonder the young men are hungry for meaning and common sense when we consider the junk food that our modern society has been force-feeding our men for decades… obscene gay pride parades; feminine products in boys bathrooms; drag queen story hours for kids; 76 genders at one’s choosing; “toxic masculinity;” transexual mania; feminized churches that ask the men to sing sentimental songs that sound suspiciously like Jesus is our boyfriend; gay marriage; adoptions  by same-sex couples; girls allowed into the Boy Scouts; our completely feminized educational systems that don’t even begin to consider the learning styles of boys; the demeaning of hands-on trade jobs as legitimate careers; the rejection of the competitive instinct.

“The level of testosterone in any boy – and the way that testosterone affects him – has less impact on his behavior than how the boy is loved, nurtured, and shaped by his parents and by the context of the society within which he lives. The hormone may well predict a certain type of energy in boys, but the way in which that energy is funneled and expressed lies in our hands.”  (Dr. William Pollack, Real Boys).

The Options for Men. So what does our culture offer as options to its junk food? In addition to being overlooked, ignored and devalued, American men are offered such spiritually empty and dead-end activities as porn, gambling, pot, endless video games, minimum wage jobs that are not self-supporting, and lots of time alone in the basement. It makes sense that these young men are flooding traditional churches that offer stability in this time of constant change and uncertainty; a moral framework when it looks like there is no solid ground and every form of behavior is acceptable; a community in this time of isolation and loneliness; an enjoyable and comfortable place to interact with like-minded women that is not a bowling alley, billiard room or pick-up bar; a place that offers hope that there is some ultimate meaning to life and a purpose to follow; a trustworthy place that offers interesting challenges and responsibilities with accountability and a sense of duty; a community of substance that is intellectually stimulating and provides ideas that are worthy of one’s thoughtful time.

Male celebrities, rather than true heroes, are still honored in popular culture. Many of the famous men who boys look up to are superstars or high-profile achievers who specialize in personality or a noticeable ability, but with no reference to character, moral depth, or purposeful courage. Rather than authentic male heroism, America seems to idolize everything from the self-absorbed ladies’ man to the type-A workaholic; from the insecure authoritarian to the brainless hoodlum; from the slam-dunk artist with a posse to the racist rapper who hates women; from the dumb and dumber dude to the hypermacho man. How about King Arthur or Sir Galahad instead? Or better yet, how about looking up to that one man who could fashion a whip and beat the tar out of sacrilegious profiteers one minute and five minutes later interact wonderfully with children and those with disabilities? Now there’s a knight errant!

Learning from Legends? Why should we even bother to seriously consider tales of knighthood? Various authors offer these profound reasons to lift up the legends in our lives:

Legends are carriers of truth we’ve forgotten how to see with modern eyes. 

Myths often point to deep truths that go beyond mere facts and end up informing those facts. 

Stories can have emotional truth and psychological truth that stretch beyond literal accuracy. 

Legends contain essential truths that cannot be expressed otherwise. 

We can learn from stories because we ourselves are a part of a universal narrative and so can easily join into a story, learn from it, and participate in it within our own lives. 

Legends are able to stand the test of time because it communicates universal truths about the human experience that historical facts or literal reality cannot fully capture.

When a story rings true to real life, the reader makes the personal connections, and the fictional can then represent reality. 

The fictional often specializes in providing the reader with living symbols. 

Abraham Lincoln once said that a fool learns from his own mistakes, and a wise person learns from the mistakes of others. In stories, we can learn from the mistakes of fictional characters, we can witness the consequences of moral failure, we can be inspired by the triumphs of sound moral decisions. 

When a reader’s imagination is captured by a story, the rest of that reader soon follows along, including one’s conscience, one’s ability to reason, and one’s strength of will. 

Legendary Inspiration. Men, it’s knight time! Perhaps we men could be inspired by the Arthurian legend of the “knight errant,” and maybe even be willing to adopt something like this vision of manhood as we search for spiritual challenge and life purpose, as we seek our excellent adventure, our meaningful mission that would help us overcome all the junk food in our world…

The Knight Errant. A warrior for truth who has taken the vow of courage and integrity as a lifestyle while traveling to wherever life takes him, promising to bravely seek justice where there is injustice, to defend the helpless, to rescue those in distress, to advocate for the needy, to honor and cherish women because they are the bearers of life. The knight errant willingly risks whatever might be involved in declaring “women and children first!” The knight’s quest can be summed up in the words of the prophet Micah, “What does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” The knight errant is called to confront evil wisely, to do battle by speaking the truth in love, and to follow God daily with obedience, humility and gratitude. This knightly lifestyle of being shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves is strengthened within a like-minded brotherhood and enabled by our High King God.

“If you remain indifferent in time of adversity, your strength will depart from you. Rescue those who are being dragged to death, and from those staggering to slaughter withdraw not.” (Proverbs 24:10-11).

Three Biblical Words for the Qualities of the Knight Errant:

1. Mishpat (mish-pawt) = Hebrew word for “saving justice;” treating people equitably and fairly; giving others their human rights in freedom; advocating for what is properly due to others as fellow human beings made in the image of God; wisely defending others who are being treated unfairly, including the powerless, the vulnerable, and those who are unable to defend themselves; exercising the righteous judgments that reflect the character of God. “Dispense true justice, and practice kindness and compassi0n each to one another; and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.” (Zechariah 7:9-10).
2. Tsaddiyq (tsad-deek) = Hebrew word rooted in the word for righteousness; a person who is upright, just, godly, in right standing with God; who lives according to God’s standards; a title in Judaism given to people who are especially outstanding in piety, holiness and righteousness; the “tzaddik” has been described as someone who oozes goodness, who takes joy in justice, who loves to blamelessly puts things right. A righteous person is one who lives a life pleasing to God. “I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” (Isaiah 61:10).
3. Dikaios = the Greek word for both justice and righteousness, can be translated as righteous, just, fair, blameless, innocent, uprightness, heart that is right with God. “For I tell you that unless your uprightness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of Torah, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20).

Can there be a new version of this old pathway to knighthood? What young men look for is something with teeth in it, that requires effort and focus and commitment, that really means something important. The following process for medieval knighthood has been taken directly from written records for that time period in the Middle Ages when knighthood was a serious calling to a particular lifestyle. Is this adaptable to our times now in such a way that will capture the imagination of young men?

(1.) The Page. The first step in becoming a knight started early at seven years of age, when a young boy with obvious potential was selected and groomed for the responsibilities that would come a few years later;

(2.) The Squire. Once the Page hit his teenage years, he would receive training more suitable for the older years, such as riding a horse, self-defense and combat skills, keeping promises, developing a character of honesty, loyalty, obedience, integrity. The squire was the knight-in-training, and would serve at the behest of his superiors. Knighthood would only be awarded to those squires who were worthy of the title and responsibilities.

(3.) The Knight of Faith. When the time came for the squire to assume knighthood, a Feast Day would be chosen during which the official ceremony would be held. The Christian Feast Day would add to the atmosphere of celebration and sanctity and would draw that much more attention and attendance from all those around.

1. Before the official ceremony in the Prayer Chapel, the squire was to fast on his own for 24 hours, which must include a time of self-examination and confession in full repentance to the priest in charge;
2. After the fast and confessional, the squire would take the ritual bath of purification and put on the following uniform for the ceremony: a white robe to represent purity; brown stockings to represent the ground from which he was created by God;  a scarlet  cloak to represent his own blood that the squire would be willing to shed in keeping his solemn promises, his oath of knighthood;
3. After entering the Prayer Chapel, the knight-to-be would start his all-night vigil by lying fully prostrate before the altar and laying his sword and shield on it for God’s blessing;
4. During the vigil, various experienced knights would enter occasionally and offer words of wisdom and encouragement to the squire;
5. While the vigil continued, at some point the priest would preach a long sermon that would include the Articles of Faith, the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, and instructions regarding the Sacraments. The sermon was very intentionally offered to the squire “so that the squire knows how to reconcile the office of knighthood with the things that pertain to the Holy Faith;“
6. During the vigil, the priest would lead a special Mass for the squire;
7. After the Mass, the squire vows his solemn promise “to remain loyal to his king and to the code of knighthood, to defend the honor of God, promote the order of the kingdom, pursue virtue and valor, provide a refuge for the weak and the orphan, and protect at all times the ladies of the realm because they are the bearers of life;” 
8. After making that solemn promise before God and the Church, the squire “prays to God, that He give his grace and blessing so that he can be His servant for his entire life.” The squire prays while kneeling in front of the altar, “lifting his bodily and spiritual eyes and hands unto God the High King;”
9. After the promises and prayers, the accolade ceremony takes place: the “dubbing” (“naming”) occurs when the lord or chieftain or queen instructs the new knight to kneel before him or her as s/he slaps the flat of the sword onto the squire’s shoulders or neck, saying, “In the Name of God, I dub thee knight.” The accolade (“neck”) originally referred to a ceremonial embrace around the squire’s neck;
10. The knighthood ceremony ended with the lord or queen slapping the cheek of the new knight, giving him a wake-up call as to the importance of the ceremony, and demonstrating the last blow a knight should receive without retaliation. The slap reminds the new knight that the oath of Knighthood was a sacred promise that had grave consequences if the promises were ever broken.

The Ultimate Adventure: “First and foremost, keep seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness… For everyone who continues to seek will find. Be a seeker!” (Matthew 6:33, 7:7-8).