Onward Christian Soldier?: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Discourses of 'Biblical' Masculinity in 'Neo-Muscular' Christian Men's Groups

本研究的目的是探索和询问新肌肉保守福音派基督教男性团体（如美国守约者，南非壮人，以及20世纪30年代欧洲的雅利安耶稣运动）中突出的男子气概话语是如何通过象征性的暴力，超男性化的神学话语表现和延续的。在这些团体提供的资源中——比如布道和其他说教材料、书籍、播客和会议演讲——以军事化隐喻、体育隐喻、兄弟情谊隐喻和怀旧家庭隐喻的形式出现的战斗意象被用来促进有问题的男性气概的发展。例如，使用军事化的形象，将那些对男性气概有不同看法的人定义为“敌人”，“真正的男人”有责任“打败”他们，为那些不符合霸权男性气概的人营造敌意和羞耻的环境。使用植根于批判性话语分析（CDA）和批判性隐喻分析（CMA）的方法，我的研究旨在揭露和问题化殖民主义、民族主义、同性恋恐惧症和男性气概之间的交集，这些交叉点支撑着这些运动通过好斗的隐喻表达的关于男性气概的神学话语。通过在CMA框架内分析这些群体的资源，揭示了隐喻、概念隐喻和概念隐喻关键的层次结构，突出了关于性别的“圣经神学”的推广方式，内在地建立在对国家认同、土地征服、政治权力动态、家庭归属感和对阉割的恐惧等根深蒂固的担忧之上。这导致圣经文本和说教通过好斗的语言被过度男性化，随后被男性团体用作反对“文化”的武器，以促进霸权、异性恋规范和可以说是有毒的“圣经男子气概”。在论文的后半部分，我将提供另一种解释学模型，用于参与通过“肌肉基督徒”男性团体表达的超男性化神学和圣经话语。我认为，隐喻的创造需要在说话者和听者之间架起一座理解的桥梁，这是一种创造性的、合作性的参与，在对话的参与者之间建立联系。因此，通过CMA框架，我将研究在用于体现神学意识形态的各种有问题的隐喻中，更多的从属隐喻是否可以提供一些牵引力，以修改其他一些更暴力、更具侵略性或冲突的男性气质模式，并在对立观点之间开启建设性对话。

The aim of this research is to explore and interrogate the ways in which the prominent discourse of masculinity within neo-muscular conservative evangelical Christian Men's groups (such as the Promise Keepers USA, the Mighty Men South Africa, and the Aryan Jesus movement of 1930s Europe) are manifested and perpetuated through symbolically violent, hyper-masculinised theological discourses. Within the resources these groups provide- such as sermons and other preaching material, books, podcasts, and speeches at conferences- combative imagery in the form of militarised metaphor, sports metaphor, brotherhood metaphors and nostalgic familial metaphors are utilised to promote a problematic outworking of masculinity. The use of militarised imagery, for example, serves to define those with alternative ideas about masculinity as 'enemy', whom it is incumbent on a 'real man' to 'defeat', fostering environments of hostility and shame for those who do not conform to hegemonic masculinity. Using a methodology rooted in Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Critical Metaphor Analysis (CMA), my research aims to expose and problematise the intersection between colonialism, nationalism, homophobia, and masculinity which underpins the theological discourses about masculinity expressed by these movements through combative metaphor. Through analysing the resources of these groups within a CMA framework, a hierarchy of metaphors, conceptual metaphors and conceptual metaphorical keys is revealed, highlighting the ways in which what is promoted as 'biblical theology' regarding gender, is inherently founded in deep-rooted concerns about national identity, the conquest of land, political power dynamics, familial belonging, and fears of emasculation. This results in biblical texts and preaching being hyper-masculinised through combative language and being subsequently deployed as weapons against 'culture' by men's groups to promote a hegemonic, heteronormative and arguably, toxic 'biblical manhood'. In the latter part of the thesis I will offer alternative hermeneutical models for engaging with the hyper-masculinised theological and biblical discourses expressed through 'Muscular Christian' men's groups. The way in which the creation of metaphor requires a bridge of understanding between the speaker and listener, I will argue, makes for a creative, collaborative engagement, building connection between the participants in dialogue. Through a CMA framework, I will therefore examine whether within the varied host of problematic metaphors used to embody theological ideologies, more affiliative metaphors might offer some traction for modifying some of the other more violent, aggressive, or conflictual models of masculinity and opening constructive dialogue between opposing viewpoints.