“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” – 1 Corinthians 16:13
This week, we’ll continue our series on building up men. If you believe the storyline of the Bible, all of human history is a battle between good and evil and between God and Satan. Everything really fell apart when a dragon showed up, and our first father, Adam, wasn’t ready to fight. I would submit to you that, in United States history and in Western culture, men are in a weaker position than ever. That’s why we need godly men to build up their fellow godly men to lead, create, worship, and bless women and children.
Let’s start with some statistics. Testosterone levels for men have fallen one percent every year since 1980. (1) That means we’re like 15-20 years from men devolving into Care Bears. In addition, the Journal of Hand Therapy talks about grip strength. (2) Do you ever shake a guy’s hand wondering if you can break him? One of us has to be the alpha. They tested it and said, today, sons have weaker grip strength than their fathers, and men in their 20s have weaker grip strength than their grandmothers. What that means is if you went back in time and wrestled your grandma, she’d whoop you. What we’re seeing is literally the biological, emotional, psychological, and spiritual deterioration of masculinity.
Here’s another concerning statistic. (3) More than a quarter – 27% – of young men who would qualify by age for the military would not pass the physical. Worse, 75% of young adults today would not pass the requirements for the military because of psychological, emotional, or physical deficiencies. Can you imagine if America was invaded? We’d have drag queens throwing sprinkled cupcakes at invaders hoping for victory. We’re not in a position of strength. In addition, the average sperm count for men is down 50% in 40 years. Our culture has literally reduced and diminished masculinity and virility. Unless something changes, there won’t be any men left.
We live in an increasingly woke world that creates increasingly weak men. But evil doesn’t stop itself, so we good men need to stop it. Sin and death don’t stop themselves, so evil men will continue unless God’s men do something different. For the younger men, this desire for masculinity and longing for strength plays out in fake battles in video games. Virtual reality is where boys pretend to be men. Pornography is where boys pretend to be men. So much of the digital world appeals to the masculine desires within men – to conquer, love, and have conflict or pleasure – but instead of having to be a man and enter the real world with struggle and pain to get a prize, we have a lot of counterfeits leading to a cultural crisis and a decline of real dudes. Tomorrow, we will talk about men and work.
I often refer to Jesus as both lion and lamb, meaning He is both tough and tender. Are you more of a lion or lamb? Is that good or bad?
(1) https://www.forbes.com/sites/neilhowe/2017/10/02/youre-not-the-man-your-father-was/?sh=5956e7428b7f
(2) https://www.jhandtherapy.org/article/S0894-1130(15)00212-4/abstract
(3) Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, Volume 92, Issue 1, January 2007).
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