TheoloJeep

From the very beginning, God designed men and women to complement one another. Adam was created first, given responsibility to lead, protect, and provide. Eve was created as a helper fit for him—equal in value, distinct in role. Together, they were to display the image of God, multiply, and exercise dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:27–28; 2:18–24). But from the fall onward, this design has been twisted. Just as women are tempted to resist submission, men are tempted to abdicate or to abuse authority. Feminism has taken these distortions and weaponized them—not to restore biblical balance, but to destroy masculinity altogether.

The modern cultural mantra is “down with toxic masculinity.” On the surface, the phrase sounds like a condemnation of men who abuse or dominate. But in reality, it is an assault on masculinity itself. Biblical manhood—courage, leadership, strength, provision, protection—is now branded as “toxic.” If a man exercises authority, he is oppressive. If he is assertive, he is domineering. If he seeks to lead his family, he is a patriarchal relic. Slowly but surely, men have been told that the very things God made them to be are dangerous.

This is not accidental. Feminism, from its early stages, aimed to dethrone men from their God-given role. Gloria Steinem once said, “We are becoming the men we wanted to marry.” Feminism has celebrated female empowerment not by honoring womanhood, but by encouraging women to take the place of men—and by demanding men step aside. In schools, boys are medicated for being energetic. In media, fathers are portrayed as clueless buffoons. In public discourse, manhood is mocked, and masculinity is blamed for the world’s problems. The result? A generation of men who are passive, absent, or ashamed of their own calling.

But Scripture calls men to something far different. Paul exhorts the Corinthians, “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love” (1 Corinthians 16:13–14). This is not toxic masculinity—it is biblical masculinity. It is strength under control, courage shaped by love, leadership marked by humility. Christ Himself is the model. He is the ultimate man: the One who lays down His life for His bride, who protects the weak, who fights the serpent, who provides salvation for His household. Feminism’s attack on men is ultimately an attack on Christ, the true and better Adam.

The fruit of feminism’s war on men is everywhere. Fatherlessness has reached epidemic levels. In many communities, the majority of children are raised without their fathers. Studies consistently show the devastating consequences: higher crime rates, drug use, poverty, and emotional instability. Yet our culture rarely acknowledges this crisis. Instead, it continues to weaken and ridicule fathers. Boys grow up without models of strong, godly manhood, and the cycle of dysfunction repeats. Meanwhile, women are left to carry burdens they were never meant to bear alone. Far from liberating women, feminism’s assault on men has left women and children more vulnerable than ever.

This is why the church must recover a biblical vision of manhood. Men are called to lead, protect, and provide—not with tyranny, but with Christlike love. Husbands are commanded to love their wives “as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). Fathers are commanded not to provoke their children to anger, but to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). When men embrace this calling, families flourish, churches are strong, and societies are stable.

Feminism tells men to step back. Scripture calls men to step up. Feminism calls masculinity toxic. Scripture calls masculinity good. Feminism despises the authority of husbands and fathers. Scripture honors it as God’s design. The church must not bow to the cultural narrative that treats biblical manhood as a problem to be solved. Instead, we must raise up men who will stand firm in the faith, act like men, and lead with love.

The world does not need fewer godly men—it needs more. More fathers who are present. More husbands who are faithful. More leaders who are courageous. More young men who refuse to waste their lives in passivity and sin.

Feminism has sought to erase and emasculate men. Christ redeems and restores them. And when He does, everyone—wives, children, and society at large—thrives.