Calling Men to Authentic Brotherhood - Samson and the Pirate Monks

This is a book for men. Christian men. Loners. Wounded men. Lying men. Cheating men. Men who secretely desire to be real men of God but men who continue to live a phony Christian life.

As the book states, this is a book for men who are:

Loners
Wanderers
Liars
Judges
Strongmen

Men for whom their only friend is their spouse. Or girlfriend. Or slew of girlfriends. And men for whom pornography (there, I said it...) and other sexual outlets are the drug of choice.

But as you read this book your heart will break and you will begin to feel God's grace. You are not alone, though your pride will tell you that you are. Your addiction is not who you are, though the enemy will tell you that you are beyond hope. Your shortcomings and failings do not define your future, though the enemy will try and convince you that you are washed up.

Don't give in to this temptation: it is pride in another disguise.

Nate Larkin will stir up in you the desire, and the need, to bond with other men in real unity. Rather than try and find comfort in the arms (even if only by fantasy) of the opposite sex, Nate Larkin will help you to realize, and live, that which has been missing, that which you long for but haven't been able to figure out for yourself, and will give you real tools for which to do this.

I can't recommend it highly enough. No macho talk here, no manly man stuff, no go out and buy a motorcyle stuff. Just real heartfelt dialogue for, with and about other men. Real men made strong in their weakness.

Nate Larkin has offered a very helpful addition to the library of resources for Christian men. His writing style is very engaging, and he is an excellent story-teller with a wonderful (if somewhat irreverent) sense of humor. Especially as a first-time author, I was most impressed and look forward to reading more from him in the future.

The first part of "Samson and the Pirate Monks" details Larkin's biography, including a host of honest admissions and even shocking incidents. The second part of the book describes the establishment of the Samson Society, a collection of gatherings of men across the country based loosely on the principles of 12-step recovery programs but infused with a substantial dose of Christian language and biblical wisdom.

Larkin's brutal honesty is most helpful and unfortunately rare in the church. His willingness to bear his soul and unveil some very dirty laundry in such a public forum is commendable. This passion for candor propels many of the mandates of the Samson Societies. I also appreciated healthy doses of humility peppered throughout the book.

My critiques of this book are two-fold and relatively minor. On some level, it felt like some sort of subtle sales-pitch for the Samson Society, especially the second half of the book. Ironically, Samson Societies have no budgets and collect no fees, so the motivation clearly isn't monetary. But I am always uncomfortable when an author goes beyond sharing their successes and begins to prescribe the exact solution for everyone else's woes. My second criticism is the tendency of Larkin and other contributing authors to carelessly discredit the validity of any previous installments of the modern men's movement as utterly useless. Though I do believe that the Samson Society has captured some helpful elements of relating as men that have been sorely missing in many men's gatherings, this does not mean that these other gatherings have been devoid of value, which is never explicitly stated but frequently implied.

These critiques notwithstanding, I am glad to have read this book. Larkin shares struggles that many men have surely endured, and he offers many insightful suggestions to walk through these issues in the light of God's grace, in Christian community with other broken men who want to more fully experience the life that God planned for them. Though I'm not yet convinced that forming my own Samson Society is the only answer, I do hope to apply some of Larkin's ideas to my own life and pursue more meaningful relationships with other Christian men, confident that God has much more in store than so many of us are experiencing.

(Note: this review is based on the audio version of this book.) The very idea of cracking open your life in the presence of a group of men - most of whom may be total strangers - is counterintuitive to say the least. In our post-modern American culture we Christian men still think that the rugged individualistic lifestyle we've been taught is going to help us find peace. A casual glance at the shell-shocked men sitting dazed in most church congregations proves otherwise. Having come to know Nate Larkin personally and attended Samson Society meetings for just over a year, I can attest that the methods he proposes here do in fact work.

Coming together, admitting our need for true accountable brotherhood (and not the artificial accountability that so often fails in most mens' groups), sharing our struggles and victories, and simply being authentic together, we are finally doing what we've been trying to do all our Christian lives - becoming more like Christ. There's something marvelously powerful in exposing your weaknesses within the safety of a Samson group that actually gives you strength. Learning that another brother is going through the same things as you disproves the all-too frequent lie that you are alone and outcast. Forming real and lasting friendships based on a common thread of humility and genuine care helps us all rise above the surface-level Christianity of today and gets us back to the heart of the gospel we all knew was still available to us.

I commend Nate on this stark, funny, sobering, powerful work.

Still working through if I think this is great book or a good book, but either way it will leave an impression. It is very much Nate's life story and the lessons he learned (the hard way) which lead to the formation of the Samson Society. For the me the message is men need to have real authentic friendships where they can talk freely and honestly about their successes and failures. I don't think you have to join or form a "Samson Society" to create that. The book is very much about discussing brokenness, which is good and much needed, but men also need to be inspired, encouraged and sometimes just kicked in the rear end to get moving.

A good dose of honesty we all need, thanks Nate!

Nate Larkin recounts the story of his downward spiral into sexual sin and the destruction it caused in his life. He also tells the story of his long walk back to faithfulness and fruitfulness. The relationships of truth and love he formed with other men were indispensable to that walk. This book is about more than just accountability. Larkin tells of men who meet regularly to be honest about what is going on in their hearts and who walk together as brothers. Larkin also explains how to form a Samson Society while explaining the pacts and agreements around which it will function. The inspiration and the tools are all here to help make this kind of thing happen in your church.

This was a great book. I've attended Samson Society meetings and started doing so before reading this book. This book helped me to fully understand why we do what we do in those Samson Meetings, but beyond that, it helped me in the process of breaking free from the addictive personality traits that I struggled with much of my life. Very helpful book. I recommend it highly!

The thing that makes this book so very different than all the other Christian men stuff out there is that it gives a real how-to. This how-to is not "now go and do this and this," rather it guides the reader in how to form a vibrant community of men. Larkin has real-life, every day experience in this important thing. He doesn't write from some ivory tower. He is living what he is writing, every single day, in a real-life fellowship that he helped to start. Read this book, and then use the tools.

Nate Larkin tells his story of sexual addiction in this book. Larkin is the founder of The Samson Society and this book is the story of his life and the society's founding. But the book is about more than sexual addiction. It describes how men can gather for mutual accountability toward the goal of spiritual formation and overcome any kind of addiction or sin in their life. The book also counsels how to begin and conduct a meeting of the Samson Society. I first learned about the society from a Christianity Today cover article on pornography addiction. Every male needs a male accountability group which can be a place to confess sin, receive support

Thank you Mr. Larkin for your willingness to share so much of your life's struggle. This book offers liberating truths that are most feared by our old Adversary! By removing the veil of secrecy, we truly can move toward greater freedom in Christ. The writing style is masterfully elegant and ever-intriguing, and as is promised on the cover it's never boring. Only someone who has walked down such a difficult path--and has experienced the grace daily offered to us--can speak with such honesty and joy at the same time. I recommend this book to anyone who has ever heard this lie in their mind: keep your mouth shut, this sin is too big!

This book is really an experience. So many times I have tried to "do it on my own" only to fail. Mr Larkin shares from his heart and it made me really take a look at my own life and ways to change. This book gave such a great picture of a "journey" rather than a "destination".

I believe this book represents the "front-line" battle most men, especially in our culture, face today. Perhaps the battle is even more intense in Christian ministry, because we often connect our livelihood to upholding a shiny image. But that is all it is ... an image. A golden calf of our time. I believe this book will inspire a new level of honesty and authenticity in our culture. God is moving the hearts of men toward a new freedom that comes through a community of brothers. Brothers who are flawed and weak, but together become a force to be reckoned with!

As a Christian leader I teach often on community and the importance of fellowship. The truth is that the real me is more isolated than not. The answer found in this book is the simplicity and power of brotherhood. The pursuit of honest relationships is often messy and complicated. This book paints a compelling picture of real friendship based in truth that makes brotherhood worth the effort. Friendship may be the Pirate Monk's greatest treasure! More valuable than gold... (John 15:12-15)

Ever get tired of surface conversations with other men? Ever want to talk about something you're struggling with in your life with another man, but were too afraid that you wouldn't be taken seriously? Or worse yet, laughed at? This book is for men who want to be real, authentic, and want to live a life for Christ but struggle in that effort. Read about how men are finding support with, through, and from other men and that "you're not alone". Find out what it means to be a "pirate monk".

Through his own transparent story of a journey done in secret, Nate reminds us that this trek doesn't have to be traveled alone in isolation, self-rejection or a fake-it-till-you-make-it type hypocrisy. It reminds us of the importance in hearing other's stories and the sharing of your own because as brothers our stories often intertwine. Nate invites all men into a brotherhood discontent with sterile authenticity, but rather a brotherhood which will share life together at all passages.

To know that there is someone else out there with a similiar story and on a journey similiar to mine gives me the strength and courage to wake up and face another day battling my own struggles and addictions. Our culture needs more men willing to stand up and be this honest.