Interpreting Ephesians 5:22–24 in the Context of Masculinities in Crisis: Implications for Men and Sustainable Development in Zimbabwe

In the letter to the Ephesians, the author gives an idealized model of how a husband and wife should relate to the Christ-church bond. The husband is given the authority to lead in the marriage setting. With the emergence of women’s activism, this position of men is challenged. Traditionally, in Zimbabwe and Africa, the defining traits of masculinity were conceived as controlling, powerful, dominant, tough, self-reliant, and heterosexual behavior. On the other hand, several indicators of legal, physical, cultural, psychological, religious, and social well-being are developing negatively for men. The purpose of this chapter is to consider Ephesians 5:22–24 in the context of a possible crisis of masculinities and examine its implications for men in light of sustainable development in Zimbabwe. The chapter argues that masculinities may indeed be in crisis. Still, men also do not easily open up to express these experiences because society and culture may harshly turn against men who exhibit emotion and weakness. This chapter is going to be informed by insights from Raewyn Connell’s masculinity theory in interrogating the role of men in marriages and the masculinity crisis in Zimbabwe. Connell’s theory will provide critical feminist analysis of traditional and historical masculinities and acknowledge the changing degrees to which men play their roles in society. Drawn from this research, it can be concluded that masculinities are in crisis, but men are remaining silent because they fear that society will turn against them.