“The real issue is that in this day and age we do not have great role models in the culture.”

Best-selling author and speaker Eric Metaxas reveals the characteristics of greatness found in scripture and displayed in the lives of fourteen men and women who closely reflect God’s image.

“Look around the culture and you have many bad role models. There are few good ones here and there, we get glimpses, but by and large we have a lot of bad role models.”

How does our culture portray men and women?

“We get these false messages and these false choices. On the one hand you can be a sort of chest beating, spiking the ball in the end zone, ‘me me me,’ bravado-filled macho character; which is really a nothing but a boy, a boy on steroids. Or you can be this asexual creature that says, ‘I don’t want to be too manly.’ What is manhood? It really doesn’t mean anything anymore.”

A great man of God demonstrates his strength in a positive and assured way.

“In the middle someplace, is somebody who is a gentleman; somebody who uses his strength for others, who’s a hero. I think we all want our fathers to be heroes and we need to put those examples, those characters out there.”

Eric’s book  provides examples of those characteristics lived out.

“Principally, I want young men to get seven pictures of seven lives that are great, that God would say in my estimation, that they’re great. Also, for the young women to read about what makes a great man so when they choose a husband, they’re thinking about those kinds of qualities.”

The same truth about our society is reflected in  .

“These are seven women that are so great that when you just come in contact with their story, you cannot help but feel drawn to wanting to be a better person.”

How does God portray men and women?

Despite the misconceptions in our society, the bible reminds us that we are called to love and serve others.

“Really living for others is what the New Testament calls agape love; to live for others to sacrifice yourself for others. The irony is we can only be our truest selves when we’re living for others. God created us to live for others; that doesn’t mean we become doormats, but ultimately that’s why we’re here is to bless others and to serve others with what we have.”

“I would say that the seven characters in each book represent that virtue.”

Highlight: Reflecting God’s image

Men and women of greatness