Friday, January 20, 2012

The Decline of the Male Role Model

I’m concerned. I look around and I see a decline in good male role models. I don’t just mean in the world. I don’t expect the world to provide much in the way of role models. The world is so confused that they don’t know which way is up; you can’t expect them to know how men ought to act. No, my concern is male role models among the saints. We still have a few good male role models, but I’m concerned about some of the things I’m seeing.

One thing I’m concerned about is men going to church because their wives want them to go to church. There’s nothing wrong with these men going to church, but their role is messed up. In everything the Bible has to say about the relationship between men and women, it makes it very clear that the men are to lead. Ideally, it should be the case that a family gets up on Sunday morning and they know they are going to go to church because that’s what they always do on Sunday. But let’s suppose that isn’t the case. It should be the man who turns to his wife at the breakfast table and says, “Honey, I’m going to church today.” Actually, if things are the way they ought to be, the man would say, “Honey, we’re going to church today,” and his wife and the kids would do as he said.

Children expect their fathers to teach them the difference between right and wrong. Mothers are free to be a little more relaxed about things without it messing the kids up too bad, but what Daddy says is the law. Unfortunately, fathers are often portrayed as just wanting to have fun with their kids, but what Momma says goes.

One of the things I’ve noticed in Christian fiction is a tendency to measure the value of a many by how attractive he is and his willingness to get involved in the things women are doing around the house. I’m sure women don’t mind having extra hands to help them mop the floor and wash the dishes. There’s nothing wrong with a man doing those things, but his true value should be measured in how he leads and make the tough decisions. His value should be measured in his willingness to do the hard things and to set the example for his family.