OPINION
Too many men in America today were raised in households where the father didn’t step up to his God-ordained responsibilities.
Is it any wonder, then, why we see the strength of our nation perilously decline and evil flourish in the absence of righteous, biblical masculine leadership?
In the United States today, more than 25 million fatherless children reside in a home that lack a father's physical presence.
Millions more have dads who are physically present, but emotionally absent.
The consequences of this epidemic of fatherlessness are associated with almost every societal ill facing our country.
Children from fatherless homes are more likely to be poor, abuse drugs and alcohol, drop out of school, become involved in crime and suffer from emotional problems.
While a hard-working single mother can be wholly dedicated and dutifully committed to raising her children alone, nonetheless kids who grow up in fatherless homes begin their lives at a serious disadvantage.
Their sense of purpose, direction and value are compromised.
The foundation of a healthy and productive society is the traditional nuclear family, as it was perfectly designed by our Creator — the Heavenly Father.
Our nation was established on Christian faith, the stable structure of a complete family, and of course, freedom — a foundation which is now under attack.
If we do not restore our foundation, our country will continue to be overrun by the overwhelmingly negative consequences of the perversion of God’s design.
Since the 1950’s there’s been a huge, evident slide from the Christian values upon which our forefathers constructed this Republic, garnering this observation from St. John Paul II: "As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.
In our nation, we used to cultivate and celebrate strong men.
United by values, we were committed to raising boys in a society in which men were role models of strength, responsibility, and accountability.
Men proudly stood on the front lines of danger to defend our nation and they demonstrated those same values in their homes.
Slowly and surely, we’ve allowed masculinity to be redefined, birthing the epidemic of fatherlessness that has spread like a cancer.
Labels like "toxic masculinity" suggest that men are too masculine, when in fact the real problem is that they’re not masculine enough.
Both our nation’s heritage and our future are under unrelenting assault. We’re murdering our unborn babies in the womb at a genocidal rate while little boys are being told they can be little girls.
Our young children are being sexualized, trafficked, and exploited.
These absurdities have crept into our lives and threaten to become our country’s official ideology. If we do not recognize this moment for what it is — a tipping point — we surely will not mount the restorative and widespread movement that will be required to save our nation and our families from a fatal fall.
Prior to the introduction of welfare programs for unwed mothers in the 1960’s, more than 75% of households in the Black community had a father in the home.
Today, that figure is below 25% — a devastating reality by virtually all accounts.
This is no longer limited to inner city, urban communities, either. It’s seeping into every community in our nation.
What are we going to do about it?
The future of America is worth fighting for.
We are part of a nation that was once and can once again be uniquely positioned to be the global beacon of faith and freedom.
The Judeo-Christian principles that are the very foundation of America can be restored if we fight for them — and with them the return of all that is good about who we are and what we’ve accomplished together.
Now is the time to stand in the gap and defend the fatherless.
We need courageous and counter-cultural men to step up and fight. If we recover fatherhood, we’ll recover the family — the strength of American society.
Well-known evangelist Greg Laurie said, "The family can survive without the nation, but the nation cannot survive without the family."
By our Maker, the family was designed to be led by men of honor, integrity, character and courage. If you’re a father — a pastor, provider and protector — who is fully committed to your children and you love your wife, you’re a hero and role model.
Keep it up, our nation is counting on you.
Look beyond your own homes and make intentional efforts to coach, mentor and support the fatherless children in your own communities.
This crippling epidemic will continue to run rampant if we wait on others to step up or just hope the government will take action.
Instead, all of us, America’s own people, must care enough to fight the issue at its roots.
We must mobilize courageous men and begin to wage war against the enemy that is destroying our homes and our country.
Lt. Col. Allen West is a combat veteran, former member of the U.S. Congress and an author and speaker. John J. Smithbaker is an author, speaker, founding servant of Fathers in the Field. His latest book, “Man Enough to Forgive: Healing the Wounds of Fatherhood Abandonment” is available now.
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