'Duties of Manhood': South Australian Baptists and Manly Character circa 1880-1940

Abstract

South Australian Baptists liked to view themselves as ‘people of
the Book’. But their views on what constituted manliness were
strongly influenced by a pervasive discourse on character which
was rooted not only in biblical ideas but in notions derived from
the Enlightenment and Romanticism. South Australian Baptists
believed that men had a God-given responsibility to engage with
the wider world and in the process protect women from the
dangers of the world and provide for them. They maintained that
men needed to provide strong leadership if manly character,
families and churches were to flourish. Denominational leaders
hoped that men would lead in a ‘red-blooded revival of vital
religion’ that would result in many conversions and the
transformation of society, but were often disappointed by what
they viewed as men’s failure to fulfil their God-given duties.2
Moreover, they viewed with alarm the disparity between the sexes
in church attendance and membership.