Fake Men

There is a plague in America. It is spreading rapidly and aggressively. It has already taken countless lives, and threatens many more as we speak. 

This plague is called passivity. It disproportionately affects men, but don’t worry, the women are being ravaged by their own plague. We will deal with that another time. 

This plague of passivity is eroding any chance of recovering a sense of respectability and gravitas to the male gender in our country. For many, it has reached critical mass and they see the bankruptcy of effeminacy in men. The issue I want to broach here briefly is actually more of an overcorrection. 

You see, human beings are natural over-correctors. We swing from one extreme to the other, like the pendulum on a grandfather clock. An example I am fond of using is that of legalistic versus loose upbringings. Some people are raised legalistically, which could be summarized as all rules and no relationship, while on the other side of the coin the loose upbringing involves no rules at all. The loose parents lay down no rules because they believe that the best way to establish a loving relationship with their children is to never say no. Now, when either one of these people experiences salvation in Christ Jesus, and the subsequent freedom found in Him, they will almost always experience a rapid and drastic swing to the polar opposite of how they grew up. The legalist will abuse freedom and live in an unbiblical manner, all the while claiming “grace.” The loose individual will realize the damage the lack of rules did to them and respond with legalistic and unbiblical rule-making and enforcing. Either one of these overcorrections is a problem. 

My concern, and the reason for this post, is what I perceive to be the dangerous counter-plague that is creeping up all around us. That is the issue I am calling fake masculinity. This is arising due to a right recognition of the sin of effeminacy and a wrong solution to it. Many men are swinging the other direction and becoming hyper-masculine, which is, in reality, not masculinity at all. There are plenty of internet influencer types that are great examples of this. They see pathetic and passive weaklings and essentially do the opposite of what they see them do. If a weak man is monogamous and unhappy, the fake man is a whoremonger. If a weak man is in a boring and simple job that isn’t exciting, the fake man is a greedy and selfish mammon-lover. If a weak man is a pale and gaunt shell of a man, the fake man becomes a jacked and tan moron with more steroid acne than he has brain cells. The list really does go on and on.

The path forward is not a pretty one if this trend continues. The only hope we have is for a reclamation of the biblical view of manhood. This is the only picture that leads to a flourishing and healthy society. I will simply end by listing out the virtues of the biblical and godly man, with accompanying scripture verses. Read these. Test yourself against these. Then when you feel conviction, pray to the Lord to grant repentance and lead you into obedience by the Holy Spirit. 

Violently monogamous (Matthew 5:29-30). 

Relentlessly honorable (1 Peter 3:7). 

Ruthlessly sacrificial (Ephesians 5:25-27).

Intensely joyful (John 15:11).

Painfully humble (James 4:6).

Stalwartly faithful (Hebrews 13:4).

In everything, loving (1 Corinthians 16:14). 

This is a real man.