Both men and women bear the likeness of God in important ways. However, it seems that men are uniquely under assault by America’s Left-leaning culture and need a recalibration of their perspective of manhood.
The Adamic Fall has impacted us all in powerful ways, and headlines are filled with examples of mankind’s inhumanity to man. But that is not the whole story. The idea that all men are to be seen as predators because some are, and that men, even young men and boys have virtually no redeeming qualities is not merely naïve, it is evil. Young men and boys are suffering through an epidemic of depression, self-abuse, and suicidal thoughts, yet the Left is clearly unconcerned. It explains why thinkers such as Jordan Peterson, who provide support and encouragement for beleaguered young men and boys, are gaining such a following.
Superficially it appears that the Left agrees with Biblical Christianity about men, which states that “the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.” But the similarity ends there. The Left desires to emasculate them, or even eliminate them, while Christianity cries “evangelize them!” Our desire is that they would be transformed by the love-empowered Gospel of Jesus Christ, while the Left seeks to undermine their very existence. The Left is becoming a death cult!
Yes, mankind is sinful, and everything we do has been impacted by our fallen nature; but God, in grace has bestowed upon us, even in our fallen state, the ability to do good things (called common grace). Cynically, the Left, with intention, focuses only on men’s failures and ignores their achievements.
Consider this: the Sun is a principal cause of many ailments such as aging in general or cancers such as melanoma; but to reject the Sun and seek to escape its influence would be to freeze to death. Water, as well, is the cause of many deaths by drowning or deluge, but we cannot live without it. And so it is with men. Yes, they are the cause of many troubles, but they are also the source of much good. No good person hates men as a class. The notion of “toxic masculinity” did not arise from honest or good intentions.
What, then, is God’s message for men?
Men, created by God in His image as all humans are, have infinite worth. But one might ask, “how is that worth determined?” Which begs the question, how does anything get its value? Art’s value is intrinsically linked to the artist. You or I may copy a great work of art with skill, but regardless of how accurate our rendering is to the original, it would have no value in comparison to the original. If a Rembrandt or DaVinci is considered priceless, how much more that which is created by the God of the universe, the Artist without peer!
Quite literally each person is worth more than all the wealth on the planet. Scriptures asks, “what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mt. 16:26 KJV).
Being image bearers of God does not mean that we are gods, or that we match Him in His infiniteness, omniscience, or in His other attributes of deity. But it does mean that men manifest many of His characteristics. Physical strength and character are but two.
Genesis 1:1 reads, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” A cursory look finds that men are generally creative, as well, and have an innate desire to bring their ideas into reality. While there is no equivalence between God’s creative abilities and men’s, there is an uncanny resemblance between the two that cannot be overlooked! The creative work of gifted men can be breathtaking both in terms of beauty and complexity!
It is not surprising that men excel at protecting and defending what they see as valuable and or vulnerable. It is not unusual to see even young boys stand up to protect others who are weaker than themselves.
Of course, many people, both men and women, follow dark paths due to the Adamic Fall, but it is precisely this fact that demands that good men defend those who may be victimized by evil men. A most important consideration is that some men’s abuse of their giftedness does not diminish the value of the gift itself! An artist’s ability to make magnificent forgeries of masterpieces in no way demands the vilification of art in general!
In the same way, the fact that some men abuse others does not mean that male strength and aggressiveness are in themselves evil! God created men with generally greater strength than women, not that they might misuse them, but that they might accomplish great things for them, and protect them, as God does for us. Hebrews 1:1,2 notes that God is the sustainer of the universe, and He delights in that responsibility. Men, also, ought to relish the joy of protecting and sustaining the lives of those around them, especially those who are vulnerable or needy.
America has become a dangerous place for those who are weak, vulnerable or dependent. If you are a burden to someone, financially or otherwise, beware! Unbelievably, the Left has been able to so pervert the cultural narrative to where such individuals are deemed unworthy of life! The unborn, the elderly, those who are deeply depressed, and the handicapped are now portrayed as possibly better off dead, suggesting that the rest of us are doing them a favor when we assist them in a premature demise! Assistance in suicide is legal in at least ten states and promoted in over a dozen others. Canada, by the way, has stepped over the edge in this regard! In the face of such evil, real men must and will stand up! It is to confront such atrocities that men’s physical and emotional strength have been given.
But I wonder if there is any person more maligned today than the young man who declares that his desire is to provide for and protect his wife and family, and that he wants multiple children. Leftists will call him a chauvinist, or a waster of natural resources, or some other absurdity. Of course, much of their hatred also springs from their disdain for children.
But is it not the likeness of God, inherent within every man, to “create” little people “after their own image” that is manifesting itself! Genesis records God creating man and woman in His image, declaring that likeness to be a good thing, and then commanding them to fill the earth with their children! Therefore, the innate desire in the hearts of men to have children, especially a son, to carry on their name originates in creation, and is generally a good thing and to be encouraged. It is certain that the confusion, apathy, and violence so rampant among young men today springs from the separation of little boys from their fathers, due largely to government welfare policies, and anti-biblical and anti-family cultural forces.
Much of the cultural malaise the nation is dealing with would be improved radically if young men were encouraged to take on the mantle of biblical manhood! It is not an accident that as God and the Bible have been pushed aside in America over the last seventy years that there has been a corresponding disintegration of the family, community tranquility, and national unity.
Strong and loving men are the kid-gloved “police” who firmly yet gently aid young men to grow from wild and reckless boys into strong, productive adults who need no government police to restrain them. I told my own sons on more than one occasion that I was the rock against which they would crash until they gained the wisdom and self-discipline to run their own lives. They are all today self-regulated!
And so it must be for men if a nation is to survive. Let men be men, guided by the Bible, and America will be a better nation!
