Many Christians, and even secular analysts, have said that the biggest crisis our culture is facing is the failure of fatherhood. As Christians, we would say it is the failure of men to become what God has created them to be, that is, models of God’s fatherhood to their children.
Blake Wilson calls this crisis, “Daddy Deprivation,” a crisis that Eric Mason says, “crosses cultural and socio-economic grounds; it’s a crisis prevalent in all areas of society, for the absence of a father leaves a lasting void in a man’s identity and development.”
Some of the stats that demonstrate this crisis are:
- Tonight, about 40 percent of American children will go to sleep in homes in which their fathers do not live.
- Before they reach the age of eighteen, more than half of our nation’s children are likely to spend at least a significant portion of their childhoods living apart from their fathers.
This is why Jordan Peterson is a father figure for so many young men. He’s telling them things their fathers should have.
This is why the Bible places such a heavy responsibility upon fathers. Yes, as we’ve seen in our last few episodes, men are given the privilege of leading their wives and children; but with that enormous privilege comes tremendous responsibility.
Colossians 3:21 is a warning to fathers. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. But as with every warning in the Bible, it implies an encouragement. On the flip side of every coin of biblical warning is a biblical encouragement. How do we encourage rather than discourage our children?
Listen here.