ABSTRACT
The most visible movement of religious conservatives in the United States and Canada is the Promise Keepers, an evangelical Christian men's movement begun in 1990 by former University of Colorado football coach Bill McCartney. This movement is not totally new in the history of American evangelism. The thematic content of this movement, however, goes beyond traditional evangelistic ideas. There is definitely a gesture in the direction of feminism with the central idea that men have not kept their promises to women: Men have not been good providers and protectors, and men have not treated women, especially their wives, with respect. The Promise Keepers movement has produced a vast literature, including a magazine entitled New Man and many books by the leadership of the movement. Promise Keepers is a form of religious conservatism; hence, its theological foundations are basic to its understanding of male reality. This chapter briefs the seven promises of the Promise Keepers.
