Good news, boys are making a comeback.At least that is the perspective of a recent article in Time magazine, that bulwark of conservative values and Christian theology. Ok, I am kidding about their perspective but not about the tenor of the article, “The boys are all right” written by David Von Drehle; (8/6/07). And I am happy to hear the news. It confirms my own observation and validates the work many have been doing, through the years, in working on/coaching men. And, starting with boys is the best place.
Here is what’s going on.
It has been popular and justified to worry about the state of males over the last 3 decades or so. If, in the words of Tom Brokaw, the men of the 40’s were our greatest generation, it seemed the opposite was true of the men from the 60’s on. And, according to this article, several things conspired to shift men away from the heroic, admired social position they once enjoyed.
First came an emphasis on equality for women, and rightly so. Women wanted a fairer shake at education, jobs, earnings and other status’ of equality, tiring of the unfair impediments men had placed before them for years. Unfortunately radical feminism took a cue from the gender equality emphasis, and began demonizing men and marginalizing boys. The end result was not healthy for men and their younger prodigy as attested to by such works as “The War Against Boys”. The end result was that many academicians and sociologists began concluding that boys were “scared and disconnected, severely lagging behind girls in both achievement and self confidence” (p40).
Along side of this was a new socio-behavioral theory that men were predisposed to inattention, aggression, risk and lacked teachableness; areas where women were superior to men. From academia’s perspective evolved pop culture’s response - the unisex revolution with hair styles, toys and even educational standards. Men, furthermore, were taught to get in touch with their feminine side. ‘Emasculating” became a buzz word when describing American men.
Then by the 80’s and 90’s we found the prophecies self fulfilling. Boys were far more likely to engage in anti social behavior – and the statistics reinforced the new ideology of female superiority. Men began dropping out of school at an alarming rate – when compared with women. Men were more prone to alcohol and drug abuse, men were more prone to vacate a relationship after impregnating their female counterpart, causing the unwed birth rate to sky rocket. And, of course, we know that men have much larger incarceration rates, suicide rates and mortality rates.
This is one reason why we’ve been targeting men for focused ministry since the mid 80’s. The other being, primarily, the biblical recognition that God has entrusted men with a unique and heroic role in society – that of being the family’s and greater society’s primary providers, protectors and pastors. As men go, we assessed theologically, so goes the family and the state of our nation.
Therefore, I was ecstatic to find that this August 6th issue of Time supported that viewpoint, underscoring the positive results that occur when men are given the proper focus educationally, treated as unique emotionally and physiologically, while being stimulated to historic, inherent heroic behavior. When that is done, men respond successfully.
Also, what is interesting to me, about the Time article, is that it is not coming, necessarily, from a sympathetic view of biblical theology. Their conclusions were drawn from secular researchers, academicians and social scientists. Yet they conclude with what the bible has always prescribed; that men have a unique construction, and, therefore, need to be validated and groomed according to their design so that they can fulfill their unique role in society, as God created them.
Note these comments from the article. P 45: “our boys are doing better because we are paying more attention to them…were giving them more time”. In other words, the researchers discovered what worked for girls 3 decades ago – “a generation of enlightened teaching and robust encouragement has awakened America girls the need for higher education – “women now out number men in college by a ratio of 4-3” - could work for boys – and it has.
For example, the Frederick Douglass Academy, a public school in Harlem, has ”learned that, young people are looking for validation’; according to Gregory Hodge, principal at the school. Hodge says that what he has learned from his educational experience with boys is, “…that boys need room to learn in their own way…that’s what makes a boy, they’ve gotta experiment, learn the hard way, that his head won’t break concrete. Male students tend to want to find things out for themselves – so why don’t you use that as a teacher?
The Falling Creek Camp for boys in North Carolina is another proving ground for the renewed emphasis on male uniqueness as well as the use of constructive programs for developing boys. Margaret Anderson, a pediatric nurse from Nashville and member of the faculty at Vanderbilt, who works there, says this; “When no one’s looming over them, they learn to take responsibility for themselves and their emotions, they start leaning self discipline, self confidence and team building, if we don’t let kids work through their own problems we get a generation of whiners”.
Von Drehle summarizes past movements meant to engage men and heighten their sense of responsibility by stating as examples the following – “In France, Pierre de Couberin, starting the modern Olympic movement; in Britain, Robert Baden-Powell, who founded the Boy Scouts”, etc, - concluding that “all these reforms share a common impulse, to return to the basics of boyhood, quest, competitions, tribal brotherhoods and self discovery. There was a recognition that the keys to building a successful boy have remained remarkably consistent…boys need mentors and structure but also some freedom to experiment. They need a group to belong to and an opponent to confront”.
And what are the results of all this “new emphasis” on training boys unique to their design? All the negative social indicators are in reverse; graduation rates are up, college enrollments are up, drinking and elicit drug use is down and sexual activity in high school is down. That suggests a trend worth applauding, learning from and repeating. Fortunately there are some good resources out to help us do just that.
One recent positive addition to the collection of “how to raise boys right ” school of thought, is the best selling book, The Dangerous Book for Boys, by brothers Conn and Hal Igguiden. This enchanting volume, gives us many warm and wonderful instructions for boys. It is filled with, not only, sound teaching of many of life’s necessities – “grammar, how to treat a girl and astronomy, but other points of interest too; like the worlds seven wonders, famous battles, and explorers. But perhaps the best instructional parts are the following; “the golden age of piracy, how to make a tree fort, how to make a go-kart and “essential gear” which includes the obvious “got to have” for all boys; namely, a Swiss army knife, a compass, a box of matches, fishhooks, etc”. this book reminds us all of how unique and wonderful God made boys.
Boys are, to quote Von Drehle “to be treasured not cured”. I couldn’t agree more. Who doesn’t want to construct a tree fort or swing from a rope into a lake? And what about making a radio or learning how to use a knife or learn to make a coin disappear? This book, as the article exclaims, “celebrates the curiosity, bravery and respectfulness of boys and I believe gives each of us males a renewed appetite for challenge, discovery, fun and camaraderie. It vindicates our unique design, our unique perspective and pursuit of life.
Von Drehle concludes one section by saying this “Men and boys today are the same as they always were…you want to be self-sufficient and find your way by the stars”.
And that is our joyous challenge in The Master’s Men ministry. We seek to treasure manhood without becoming chauvinist, to coach men to excellence in Christ not denude them of their masculinity. It takes patience, a sense of humor and forbearance – but it is well worth the effort.
When we, as a ministry, do that well, we discover exemplary males who work to build strong stable families and fight to defend them with all their resolve. Fortunately for our world, Christian men, living unapologetically for Christ, result in better neighborhoods and communities – a better country.
That is our satisfaction at the Master’s Men.
Thanks for being a part of it.
