Twenty-first-century Western culture has made life difficult for boys and young men. All the “girl power” and demonization of masculinity by calling it “toxic” has ruined a generation.
Culture hypes girls up on “STEM” education (neglecting that we need people in other fields) and medicates boys to rid them of their rambunctiousness instead of teaching them how to channel it. Society tells girls that they can and should fulfill their dreams but throws boys under the bus.
Girls become victims of the “patriarchy” with reparations in the form of education and empty self-esteem-boosting. Boys become the enemy. And that’s failing our boys and young men.
“Girls are half a grade level or better above boys in all 50 states,” observed Jeff Szymanski in 2023. “Seven in 10 high school valedictorians are girls. College graduates are soon to be 2:1 women to men. Women with a college degree do not like to marry men without one. Single women are far more likely to own their own home, and they are far less likely to commit suicide. If you’re a young male in America today, particularly one without any higher education or job training, the statistics are increasingly grim.”
What are young men to do when society fails them this badly? Unfortunately, too many young men are checking out and refusing to grow up. Addictions to video games and drugs are sending too many guys down a path that will be nigh on impossible to recover from. I can’t imagine how hopeless young men have to be to give up on life like that.
Society’s treatment of boys and young men has played into the hands of the gender warriors. If this culture is treating boys like they’re less than acceptable the way they are, why wouldn’t they fall for the lies of the gender cult? As our entertainment industry and media highlight soft men who stand aside and let women do everything, we can’t help but expect our guys to be demoralized.
I received an email earlier this week from a publisher offering interviews with a “gender-nonconforming” dude named Jacob (pronouns: they/them) who has written a book about redefining masculinity. Part of the premise of the book is the idea of rethinking feminism to treat men better; I would agree with that notion, but I bet you he lands in a different place from the rest of us.
Other guys are turning to hypermasculinity and swinging the pendulum back too far. Look at the influence of Andrew Tate, who treats women horrendously and pushes Islam. Every week on Instagram, I see suggested reels from teen influencers who claim to be multi-millionaire “entrepreneurs” and spend way too much time in the gym because they think that excessive materialism and an unhealthy obsession with working out are the hallmarks of masculinity.
On the positive side, many young men are turning to conservatism and Trumpism in particular. They see qualities in men like Donald Trump and JD Vance worth emulating, and they see that the policies that this administration advocates don’t treat men and boys as second-class citizens. It could be a game-changer for the politics of the future.
Related: New Polling Reveals Some Surprising — and Encouraging — Trends Among Young Voters
Even better, some young men are turning to Christianity. Luke Simon wrote at The Gospel Coalition back in October about how the church is helping young men see a positive version of masculinity:
Today’s gender-neutral, gender-fluid world has blurred the lines of God’s creation of males and females as distinct expressions of humanity. It has questioned masculinity’s value. Gen Z men like me long to hear that our God-given power has purpose, our responsibility has reward, and our valor has value. We crave the call to be humble sons, committed brothers, and wise fathers in our spiritual communities. And in a culture of confusion, the church has provided a clear and consistent vision of manhood shaped by the cross.
He also pointed out how the church runs counter to the world’s disdain for what it calls “toxic” masculinity. Christianity shows young men what it means to be a man:
At church, Gen Z men are still being called to sacrifice in a culture that taught them to live for themselves (John 15:13).
At church, Gen Z men are still being called to discipline in a culture that taught them indulgence (2 Tim. 1:7).
At church, Gen Z men are still being called to community in a culture that taught them to do it on their own (Prov. 27:17).
At church, Gen Z men are still being called to a purpose in a culture that taught them their life was meaningless (Eph. 2:10).
At church, Gen Z men are still being called to love their wives in a culture that taught them marriage could wait (Eph. 5:25).
At church, Gen Z men are still being called to purity in a culture that promised them fulfillment from sexual freedom (1 Cor. 6:18).
At church, Gen Z men are still being called to work hard in a culture that taught them to “quiet quit” (Col. 3:23).
At church, Gen Z men are still being called sons in a culture that taught them they’re toxic (1 John 3:1).
Anecdote isn’t data, I know, but at my church, we’ve seen an influx of younger men. Single guys, college-aged men, and young families led by husbands are coming in and getting involved — teen boys, too. It’s encouraging.
Recommended: Thousands of College Students Are Coming to Faith in Jesus. Here's Who's Behind the Movement.
In Norway, a society that’s over-the-top secular, churches are seeing more young men finding their identity in Jesus. Today, 20% of people in the Church of Norway are between the ages of 25 and 34, and even younger men are joining.
“Churches and faith communities across Norway are noticing an increase among young people in general,” reports NRK. “Some of them have particularly noticed that it applies to young men.”
“There are several people in the research community who have seen the connection between young men and a new interest in religion and Christianity, but we don't know why yet,” religious scholar Lars Laird Iversen told NRK, but one of the young men the site profiled knows why.
“I think more people have started looking for answers," said Johannes Kjosavik, a university student who recently became a Christian. "Previously, people have had a sense of security that the world would only get better and better. Now it may not seem that way anymore.”
This society has left a generation of boys and young men out in the cold. They’re turning to so many different things, but if we can steer them to the good and worthwhile pursuits in this life, we can change the future.
