Did the title get your attention? It did mine. I didn’t make it up: it’s the title of the latest commentary by Dr. Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

This post is for the dads. Dads, if you didn’t see yesterday’s installment of Dr. Mohler’s daily commentary today, here’s the gist: it is about the perilous condition of the future men in our country–our sons. I recommend you read the whole thing, but here is an appetizer:

“Manhood, Moore explains, ‘is not simply a matter of being male and reaching a certain age. These are acts of nature; manhood is a sustained act of character.’ “

“We should rightly fear a future in which young men grow into physical maturity only to show themselves as either barbarians or wimps. Unless this pattern is reversed, we face a future dominated by males who never grow up to be men.”

Dads, these lines evoke two responses from me. First, they make me grateful to God for dads like you and the sons you are raising. This is not the trend in our church. Second, it motivates me to continue to make godly masculinity a priority in my own life, in my parenting, and in our youth ministry.

I’m also freshly reminded that it doesn’t have to be like this. The modern books on raising sons are not terribly helpful. But there are some older books that are extrememly good. I recommend especially Thoughts for Young Men by J.C. Ryle and A Godly Man’s Picture by Thomas Watson.

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