Editor's Note: This is an adaptation of Dr. Tim Clinton’s latest book, “Take it Back.”
Believe it or not, there was a time in ancient Israel when kings ruled irrespective of God’s desires. According to the Bible, “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” People lost sight of God and became gods to themselves.
To the surprise of no one, the result of this self-reliance was an overflow of wickedness. As wickedness became the norm, God gave them over to their own desires, which made things even more perverse. Psalm 81:11–12 says, “But My people would not heed My voice….. So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their own counsels.”
This is a dangerous place to live, both mentally and physically. When we begin to rely on our own capacities, our minds can become distorted and we are susceptible to believing all sorts of perversions and ridiculousness. And when we begin making decisions with this frame of mind, we begin to alter the reality around us in a negative way.
“Furthermore,” Romans 1:28 says, “just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind so that they do what ought not to be done” (NIV).
A mind that willfully deprives itself of God’s teaching will always result in the distortion of values. For the Israelites at this time, God was no longer the ultimate source of value. What is seen as evil in the eyes of God (idolatry, pride, etc) was considered by the Israelites as the ultimate good. And, as a result, what is good in the eyes of God (recognizing God as the creator, humility, etc) was seen as evil. Their axiological hierarchy saw humanism and the rationality of man as the true source of knowledge and virtue. They worshiped the creation over the creator.
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If this is not indicative of where we already are as a society, it surely seems to be our inevitable future — a place where the unthinkable becomes tolerable, then acceptable, then legal, then praised.
Today, we are at the point where a man who dares to stand up and be who God created him to be is considered toxic and evil, while a drag queen who reads books to young children and teaches them detestable movements is lauded as brave.
It’s getting really bad out there. And it isn’t stopping at the applause of adults — those who should know better — who commit backward behavior. Our children are also being indoctrinated with the same anti-God, anti-Christian, anti-family, and anti-masculinity rhetoric. The consequences have been dire, to say the least.
Sadly, the new reality of the world that we live in is characterized by the toleration of despicable actions. Bullying and harassment of those who support traditional masculinity have now reached way beyond the classroom and have pervaded all sectors of society. Every man now has to be wary because the woke mob is lurking everywhere, awaiting an opportunity to indict us for the heinous crime of being a God-fearing man.
The truth is they want to make you irrelevant as a man and for you to accept their way of life. “Years ago, manhood was an opportunity for achievement,” wrote Garrison Keillor, “and now it’s just a problem to be overcome.”
They want our boys, and to get to them, they must eliminate our influences. For the progressive agenda to succeed, they have to wipe out real men. But as men, we must ensure that we take heed of the lessons learned from the story about the Israelites. Instead of bowing to the loudest voices of our culture, replacing good for evil, we must restore in ourselves and our families the purpose for men as it is written in the Bible.
Tim Clinton, Ed. D., LPC, LMFT is President of the nearly 50,000-member American Association of Christian Counselors, the largest and most diverse Christian counseling association in the world. He serves as the Executive Director and Dean of Education for the James Dobson Family Institute and is recurring cohost of Dr. Dobson’s signature radio program, Family Talk. The author of over 30 books, he is professor of counseling and pastoral care and executive director of the James C. Dobson Center for Child Development, Marriage and Family Studies at Liberty University. Follow him @DrTimClinton.
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