Masculinity in Crisis

David King, DSW

Professor of Social Work, Indiana Wesleyan University

During a recent Center for Biblical Unity Family Meeting livestream, Krista and a guest pastor discussed the rise, following, and social impact of Andrew Tate. For those unfamiliar, Tate is an online influencer who is popular with hyper-masculine groups and, despite facing charges of abuse and sex trafficking, has grown a massive online following that even includes many young Christian males. His message of aggression and domination often attracts men who feel lost, confused, disempowered, or disenfranchised by current cultural trends; Tate also appeals to men who simply want to belong to a tribe that emphasizes strength and power. His version of manhood reinforces a masculinity that shames, disrespects, and often mistreats both women and men who are seen as weak.

Tate’s popularity underscores the debate in culture and the Church about the purpose and roles of men and masculinity. Stirring the discussion have been reactions to the increasing effects of feminism, sexual abuse, and harassment controversies (think Me Too and toxic masculinity) and the rise of gender confusion and dysphoria in the West. These, accompanied by the drumbeats of increasing emphasis on women’s issues and people identifying as sexual minorities, the epidemic of pornography, and the growing impact of divorce and fatherlessness, have left a generation of confused young men seeking answers about the meaning, place, and purpose of masculinity and male sexuality. 

In response to these issues and a popular culture focused on eliminating all distinctions in the name of equality or equity, some Christian voices have taken an approach similar to Tate’s, saying men should  “man up”— as if the “man’s man” version of masculinity is the correct or biblical one. These Christians often mean well but fail to represent the spectrum of masculinity we find in the Bible. Yes, God’s design for masculinity includes the tough and athletic, the hunters and warriors. But it also includes men who are nerdy, musical, artsy, small, large, sensitive or have no interest in sports. And none of these qualities make someone less male or masculine. Further, there are men inside and outside the church who struggle with same-sex attraction, gender confusion, porn-distorted views of sexuality, and insecurity about their masculinity due to past emotional wounds. These issues make them no less male or masculine in God’s eyes. 

Shaming men for not being masculine enough doesn’t help. 

For many young men, simply telling them to “act more like men” doesn’t help;  that is not how change works, especially in the context of powerful personal, peer, and cultural influences. Information and willpower alone are rarely enough. In this article, I’ll share some thoughts and observations based on my experience as a man, a father, and a Christian counselor that can help us think biblically about men’s issues. 

Jon Tyson describes the church as falling into one of two traps in responding to men’s issues: it adopts cultural stereotypes by taking popular ideas of manhood and imposing Jesus on top, or else it ignores or minimizes the importance of masculinity in the creation design, preferring to focus exclusively on the Fruit of the Spirit (2025, Seedbed). To avoid these traps, accurate biblical teaching about manhood is essential. Jesus said that He came “to seek and save” the lost (Luke 19:10). If the church is to effectively help all varieties of men to overcome sin and grow in their God-designed masculinity, then we must start by affirming their inherent, God-given maleness while helping them more fully embrace and live out a godly version of it. Many young men already do not feel good enough and need to begin with an affirmation of their masculinity, not with shame and pressure.

Many young people are confused about their identity in general. 

Further, we must recognize that the problem is deeper than we may think. With no understanding of what it means to be human as designed by and for God, many young men lack a solid starting point for understanding their true identity as men. Their foundations have been shaken, and focusing on actions or rules for achieving manhood may be difficult to implement or understand in the context of their experience. Furthermore, it may contradict the values of their friends, the internet, and culture. Their worldview likely incorporates concerns about intersectionality, oppression, gender, identity, and inequality, and they may have little understanding of or interest in the authority of Scripture and God’s design. This can be true even of men raised in the church who identify as Christian. Before the Church can promote an accurate view of biblical masculinity, we need a broader doctrinal foundation of what it means to be made male in the image of God.  

How Do We Help Young Men?

I agree with Tyson (2025) that a definition of biblical manhood should center on Jesus and a calling to emulate Him as the perfect man who demonstrated masculinity in its ideal and fullest form. Jesus’ version of masculinity included such attributes as living from his whole heart, weeping when he was sad, exercising godly spiritual authority, confronting and fighting evil when necessary, treating women with respect, honoring his heavenly Father, and demonstrating security in his identity and worth as God’s beloved Son (Seedbed). Indeed, these character qualities—lived out in relationship with God, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and focused on the Kingdom’s mission—should be central to the church's vision for what Christian men are called to become. 

Further, we should emphasize the gospel’s good news that no one has to earn their worth, value, or ability to be entirely accepted, loved, and adopted by God if they trust in Jesus. It isn’t necessary to be a certain kind of man or to perform particular masculine works to receive and experience God’s grace and affirmation. I agree with Rosaria Butterfield (2023) that Christianity is the only religion where one’s identity is received and not earned (Butterfield, 2023). And that identity in Christ overshadows one’s identity as a particular kind of man (see Galatians 3:28). The focus shifts to our union with Christ and growing in holiness as male or female image bearers who abide in Him. For young Christian men, this should include surrendering sinful expressions of masculinity, sexuality, or identity to Christ and learning to exercise their inherent masculine strength, stewardship, or leadership in ways that reflect their unique masculine design and God’s call for them as individuals. The church should be a place that calls all varieties of men to come, find freedom in their union with Christ, and support one another as they learn to reflect Him in their lives and relationships. 

In Christ, as originally in the Garden, a Christian man’s identity is entirely defined by God. Identity, belonging, and purpose are found and fulfilled in a relationship with God, in connection to Him and His body. To renew masculine identity is to rejoice in the reality of being made male in God’s image with its blessings of creativity, choice, capacity to pursue intimacy, a masculine body and energy, the gift of walking in God’s affirming love as a beloved son, the responsibility of stewardship, and the call to spread God’s kingdom on the earth or multiply God’s image-bearers through family.

I pray that this good news of God’s plan for men that has been purchased for them in Christ will be the cornerstone of the Church’s message to the young men of this generation. 

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References

Butterfield, R. (2023). Five lies of our ant-Christian age. Crossway. 

Seedbed (February 19, 2025) Christian Men: Where Are They? What Are They? with Jon Tyson of Primal Path https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjOH_lrl_Ec