On Manliness and Fatherhood
The title for this week's article is derived from a piece
that appeared in the Weekly Standard, May 25, 2015, entitled, "A Dad's
Life," by Jonathan Last. Though not written from a religious standpoint, I
found myself not only agreeing with what he said, but seeing in his thoughts
Biblical principles that are the very foundation of what he considered common
sense observations. His thoughts triggered some thoughts of my own; which by
the way is how I get a lot of my ideas for bulletin articles, sermons, and personal
conversations. Originality is often saying something that has been heard
before, but saying it in a little different way. But I digress.
In recent sermons I have shared with you the staggering
statistics regarding the breakdown of the American family. We can place a lot
of the blame on our educational system, the entertainment industry, and
affluence. But it comes down to this one undeniable fact: fathers are not being
the kind of fathers God wants them to be! Mr. Last points out that "the single
worst thing men have done over the last two generations is abandon their
families: Today, 40 percent of children in America are born out of wedlock-that
is to say, without a father standing there, committed to help raise them."
Seems like I have heard that somewhere before. If Mr. Last's information is up
to date, the full impact of the abdication of fatherly responsibilities is
worse than you might think. "In America, only about 69 percent of kids
live in a home with two parents" (Jonathan Last). How do we measure up to
other nations with other countries that make up the vast majority of the
world's population. Are you ready for a real shocker? "The percentage of
children who live with two parents is 88 percent in the Netherlands, 85 percent
in the Philippines and Indonesia, 83 percent in Germany, 78 percent in Canada,
76 percent in Nigeria, 74 percent in Ethiopia, and 72 percent in Bolivia. With
our 69 percent, the United States sits in 32nd place" (Jonathan Last).
Satan is fully aware that if he can destroy the family he can destroy the
nation and thereby destroy more souls. Too bad 31 percent of our families with
children don't realize this undeniable truth.
With the breakdown in the family comes a corresponding
increase in societal ills. Behavior has consequences. Look at recent headlines;
what do we see? Unrest has run its ruinous course in Ferguson Missouri,
Baltimore, Maryland, and now tempers are simmering in Cleveland, Ohio. Riots
are the reaction to perceived injustices by those who, themselves, never seem
to take justice into consideration when it comes to destroying the property or
running rough shod over the rights of others. I used to watch the villain on
some TV show or some movie, and I would comment facetiously: "That boy did
not have a proper upbringing at home!" I think I can say, without fear of
contradiction, that those who riot in the streets of our large cities (and not
so large cities) would fall into that same category: "They did not have a
proper upbringing at home."
Mr. Last focuses on this complete breakdown in societal
behavior. I share with you this lengthy quote from his article in the Weekly
Standard:
Take a look around modern America. With each passing year
our society becomes more callow, nasty, and unpleasant- predisposed to
juvenilia, ephemera, and self-centeredness. Look at our politics. Look at our
entertainment. Look at Twitter. Now, this isn't the sort of thing you can
measure precisely, but ask yourself this: Does America feel like a happier,
more contented place than it was five years ago? Ten? Twenty? This is a
subjective question, but if you're the kind of person who likes confirmation,
the data are there. The General Social Survey finds that over the last
generation, the percentage of Americans who identify themselves as being
"not too happy" has nearly doubled. Economists and sociologists have
spent years trying to figure out why this is. It isn't a question of money-in
real terms, per capita GDP has increased by 37 percent in a generation, so
we're a lot richer. It isn't a question of education-more people go to college
and graduate school than ever before. It might have something to do with
marriage and family, though. For decades, surveys have consistently shown that
married people are happier, on average, than people who aren't married. And
today, the percentage of married people in America is at an all-time low.
People stay single longer, get divorced more often, and have fewer children to
boot. The American decline in happiness has occurred at the same time as the
collapse of the family. All of which is to say that if we are failing as a
nation, it may well be because we're failing at manliness. And if we are
failing at manliness, it's almost certainly because we're failing at
fatherhood" (Jonathan Last).
After reading Mr. Last's article it dawned on me that
successful fatherhood relies on men being men, and, as leaders of the family,
exercising the kind of manliness that it takes to be a good father. Perhaps
this is why Paul (i.e. the Holy Spirit) put that responsibility of raising
children in the hands of fathers: "And, ye fathers, provoke not your
children to wrath: but nurture them in the chastening and admonition of the
Lord" (Eph. 6:4, ASV). Manliness is that indispensable character trait
that enables us to face up to our duties, lead as we should, and refuse to
abdicate the responsibility of raising our children to anyone, be it the public
school system, the government, or a "village" (as some are now
calling for). I'll close with one last quote from Mr. Last with regard to this
manliness of which I speak: "Manliness bring change or restores order at
moments when routine is not enough, when the plan fails, when the whole idea of
rational control by modern science develops leaks."
--by Tom Wacaster
