Saving boys: Recovering Christ-like masculinity in the age of Adolescence

As the hit Netflix series Adolescence prompts a national debate about toxic influences on young men, Martin Saunders suggests practical solutions the Church needs to adopt now

Three Gospels record the interaction between Jesus and the rich young man. In each, the Messiah is approached by a man in his 20s or 30s, who Luke describes as a ruler, and who all three credit with great wealth. The story is consistent: the man arrives with a sense that he has everything figured out except for the one thing that money can’t buy: eternal life. Not only is he fabulously rich and successful, but he’s also managed to work out how to play the system, perfectly navigating the letter of the Jewish laws while ignoring the spirit of them. He probably has legions of admirers; men who know of him almost certainly aspire to follow in his footsteps.