New Episodes!
We are two ordinary Christian guys who feel compelled to call men back to true Masculinity. Through raw conversations between a Protestant and a Catholic, we seek Manhood Restored.
About Manhood Restored
Mighty Men of Valor (that’s you!): We invite you to pull up a chair and have a listen—just as if we were talking over cold beers (or hot coffee!). Be entertained, be inspired, be challenged. Then, join us, and let’s get down to some restoration!
Ben Neff
Co-Host
Chad Stolly
Co-Host
Chad Stolly was also a middle school teacher, but got out long before Ben did. He is ONLY an insurance salesman in his five-generation family-owned agency. Podcasting is a welcomed distraction from the always-selling-insurance reality that is his day job. He too is married to his wife of nearly 20 years and is obviously the Catholic because he has 7 children (not just 4).
Recent Episodes
Episode 102- All Episodes Edit Delete The County Fair and Carnies (not what you think)
Picture, if you will, the sights and sounds of a County Fair. It’s a scene of pure sensual wonderment with its neon rides, its flashy food booths, its throngs of people at big concerts and competitions. With so much excitement in the air, it’s surely a fun place to be. But it can also serve as a scaled-down study of how the pleasures of the world can make us manic for more, more, more!
Ben brings his bullhorn to talk over the noise as ringmaster of this sideshow of an episode, as Chad sports yet another polo in an odd hybrid role as carnie co-host. What exactly does Ben mean by “carnies” in his episode title, and what does he have against them? How does the Parable of the Sower speak to the County Fair mentality? And can Ben draw more wisdom from John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress” as a way to see through the worldly wares being peddled to us daily?
SHOW NOTES:
Vanity Fair Full Scene- 14 minutes
Watch, per Ben’s Challenge: The Pilgrim’s Progress (2019) | Full Movie | John Rhys-Davies | Ben Price | Kristyn Getty – YouTube
Episode 101- Make of Your Home a Monastery
We live in dark times. An odd remaking of the Dark Ages, because the light of Western Civilization is again under threat of being extinguished. Preserving that light for the future is an effort worth undertaking. It’s also one undertaken successfully once before, by the most unassuming group of people – Catholic monks. Might we do well to imitate their model… in our homes?
Chad, fond of rules as he is, plays the part of Abbot for this episode, while ‘Brother Ben’ yet again graciously plays along as a Catholic character and co-host. The two ponder the possibilities of preservation within the four walls a Christian home. In what ways did Catholic monks stem the tide of barbarism during the Middle Ages? Who are the barbaric equivalents at our doorsteps? How might one go about “turning their home into” a modern monastery, and what is it we ought to be preserving?
SHOW NOTES:
- PDF chapter of monk history (quick read): working template.qxd (churchinhistory.org)
- Book recommended in Chad’s challenge: Hallowed Be This House (ignatius.com)
Episode 100- Swearing and Cigars
When menfolk get together in celebration, the revelry and carousing that ensues can, to some (to many?), be obnoxious and offensive. Why oh why, some might ask, must it be so? Shouldn’t it not be so? What is it about certain stereotypical manly behavior–like stereotypical manly appearances (see ‘Fords and Facial Hair’, Episode 1) –that can be so off-putting from the outside looking in?
Ben swears he won’t cave to peer pressure for best-in-class life insurance rates as lead ‘foul linguist’ on this episode, while Chad strikes a hard bargain as the clean yet clouded co-host. The two raise their voices, raise their glasses, and light their stogie(s?) in celebration, all the while debating whether any of it is even appropriate! Is there any place for potentially offensive behavior in the life of a man? Is it sinful to smoke, and how divergent are Catholics and Protestants on the topic? Will Chad be able to persuade Ben to light up a celebratory cigar before the end of this episode?
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Episode 99- The Procrastinator- The Hero of Tomorrow
Being a Man of Action isn’t as easy as it sounds. Sure, men may recognize a righteous cause when they see one; and, from time to time, men may feel the flame of mission stirred up within them; they might even, in a flash of inspiration, step out and send a shot across the bow. But then any number of obstacles–distraction, fear, doubt–inevitably follow. As a result, too many of them are left on the sideline, apathetic, and promising to take action–next time. Always next time.
Ben heroically (finally) stops putting off talking about putting things off as lead action star for this episode, as Chad co-stars, insuring they cover all their bases in a single, bounding sit-down. The two calculate, formulate, and figure the distance between good intentions and actually taking action. Do you ever hear a voice of doubt & resistance pop into your head just as soon as you consider stepping out and acting for good? What is Issue 1 in Ohio, and how is it an example of the potential for frittering away an opportunity to take a stand? When an issue/cause is so complex (think human sex trafficking as presented by the recent movie “Sound of Freedom”), what are some ways a man can still act effectively, but in small ways?
SHOW NOTES:
Ohio’s Issue 1 (voting now till Aug 8th): Protect Our Constitution | Vote Yes on Issue 1 (voteyesohio.com)
Two good organizations fighting human sex trafficking:
- End Child Trafficking | Operation Underground Railroad (ourrescue.org)
- Sex Trafficking | International Justice Mission (ijm.org)
Episode 98- Resurrecting the Religious Man
The word ‘religion’ carries a curiously negative connotation in our modern lexicon. The term is more often used for the purposes of criticism, as it conjures associations with anti-individualism, historical oppression, and hypocrisy. Religion might as well mean backward and ignorant. To be labeled as ‘religious’, then, would conceivably be the worst personal descriptor one could imagine. ‘Spiritual’, ‘faithful’, ‘a good person’ – yeah, those are all okay. But surely never ‘religious’!
Chad takes the [fictitious] challenge of breathing life back into the word ‘religion’ as lead contrarian for this episode, while Ben bites his tongue as long as he possibly can (which isn’t long) as co-host. The two wrestle with the many popularized misnomers surrounding this term in hopes of sparking its comeback. Can a Christian have a relationship with Jesus and adhere to a religion, or are the two mutually exclusive? What will take the place of religion if traditional forms of it are eschewed in society? And will Ben and Chad see eye-to-eye on the usefulness of ritual in the religious context?
SHOW NOTES:
Two “viral videos” on hating vs. loving religion (from 10 years ago);
- Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus || Spoken Word – YouTube
- Fr. Pontifex – Why I Love Religion, And Love Jesus – YouTube
Tim Gordon’s podcast episode on the new secular religion: Timothy Gordon Rules for Retrogrades Podcast: Rainbow: Dawn of the Old Idols on Apple Podcasts
