SPECIAL POST: Key Insights from My Articles on the Social and Spiritual Impact of Dads

Photo by Brittani Burns on Unsplash

I'm heading out on vacation for the next couple of weeks, but I wanted to share this post as a summary of what I've written here over the past two years about the role of fathers.

This summary brings together key themes and findings from previous posts on this Substack page that I’ve written over the past couple of years, highlighting the profound—and often underestimated—impact of fathers on both individual and societal well-being. These posts consistently emphasize that father involvement is essential to children's mental health, academic achievement, spiritual formation, and overall flourishing. They also challenge conventional views of masculinity and current institutional priorities. This summary explores the influence of fathers on both boys and girls and concludes with practical recommendations.

1. Redefining Masculinity: Maturity, Not Modern Stereotypes

The concept of "Biblical Masculinity" is often misconstrued, reflecting contemporary cultural assumptions rather than scriptural truth. The Bible, according to Anthony B. Bradley, defines manhood not in contrast to femininity or specific gender roles, but in terms of maturity.

• Maturity over Gender Roles: "In the Bible, masculinity and manhood are not contrasted with femininity in the modern sense; rather, they are framed in relation to maturity. The Bible does not provide a specific definition of 'biblical masculinity,' and attempts to define it using the term 'biblical' often reflect contemporary cultural assumptions more than the biblical text itself."

• Moral Softness vs. Effeminacy: When biblical texts like 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 warn against being "effeminate" (malakia), it refers to "the moral softness of self-indulgence, self-centeredness, self-preservation" not acting like a woman. This calls men to a higher standard of serving others.