Manhood has been the object of much criticism among certain elements of society in recent years. It began with the rise of the feminist movement 50 years ago and continues among hypersensitive far-left progressives today. Indeed, these anti-male voices even associate masculinity with white supremacy. It’s utterly ridiculous, especially when you consider how Black men are also speaking out for the need for more responsible fatherhood across our nation. But I digress.
So, what is masculinity, if not what the definitions hold it to be? To wit, “the quality or nature of the male sex.” More specifically, “the quality, state, or degree of being masculine or manly.” In other words, masculinity is no more or no less than a man or a boy being, well, what they are. In that regard, it seems a bit silly to condemn masculinity any more than one would condemn any aspect of nature.
Yet that has not stopped radical feminists, nihilist professors, and their activist acolyte lickspittles from condemning manhood whenever it raises its head. “Off with it,” they demand. Moreover, any effort to pass on to boys the value and virtue of growing into men—particularly if that involves sports, physical strength, endurance, and asserting man-like behaviors—is regarded by the feminist cabal as some form of child abuse. Boys, they would say, should be cupcakes, retiring, and indeed subservient. They should be conditioned to be manipulated and controlled. For the feminist, women are the forceful class, and men must be serfs.
Without a doubt, there are very bad expressions of masculinity, most of which are in contradiction to the virtues and behaviors of proper manhood found in the Bible, particularly those expected of Christian men. Good, faithful, law-abiding, and responsible men are much preferred over brutish, violent, hedonistic, and reckless ones. Therefore, the kind of masculinity that men should embrace embodies a patient, kind, humble, selfless, forgiving, protecting, trusting, and sacrificial man whose worldview is centered on the Creator, not some false portrayal of men as found in Hollywood. None of these virtues excludes strong men who have tough roles in life, including athletes, law enforcement, and military professions. Manhood is not about being the toughest guy on the block. It’s about sound character that can withstand the winds and tides of a very rough world while modeling to others, especially boys, what it is to be a man, a real man who understands he is made in the image of God.
Consider, for a moment, Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, when he blessed his eight-day-old son at the baby’s circumcision in the Temple.
Zechariah’s Prophecy: Luke 1: 67-80
And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.”
To be sure, Zechariah knew the divine purpose God had for John as he grew from a boy to a man. Zechariah understood that he was entrusted to raise John in a way acceptable to God, and indeed the young boy grew strong in spirit. That is precisely what men should do to bring their sons up in a way whereby their masculinity reflects God’s purpose for men. That’s not to be “macho” as some would think, but to be resolute in doing right, indefatigable in facing difficulty, and wise in every pursuit.
Doing so may not meet the completely distorted expectations of feminists and radicals who hate masculine men, particularly our Founding Fathers. But it will be a step in the right direction to put manhood in an undistorted context, not one of condemnation.
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