It’s Sunday 1 September here, which is the local Father’s Day. We will be off to church in a minute: I have chatted with daughter (face book is useful sometimes), phoned my Dad, and woken the boys.
Today’s reading is for sons…
7b Train yourself in godliness, 8 for, while physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 9 The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance. 10 For to this end we toil and struggle, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
11 These are the things you must insist on and teach. 12 Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 13 Until I arrive, give attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhorting, to teaching. 14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders. 15 Put these things into practice, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress. 16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; continue in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers.
And I am taking a gloss from Zippy’s comments at SSM.
I’m just some guy voicing his point of view, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
But in real life, I’ve found that when I address insecure effeminate men as men, they naturally respond by becoming more manly. When other men address them in more effeminate modes, they respond effeminately. So guys like Rollo and Deti who use effeminate polemics (e.g. exaggerating to the point of falsehood for effect, refusing to grant that at some point a legitimate vent becomes effeminate whining, etc) may be shooting themselves in the foot — assuming that their mission is to teach effeminate men how to act more manly.
As far as I can tell, the role of a father is to train his sons. Intellectually, physically, and spiritually. By word and, much more importantly, example.
There are duties of provision to his family, and daughters need protection (and mothers should be training them in a similar manner) but young men need their sons.
Because the current memes of manliness, in our culture, are borrowed from those men who love men. And that model will not work around women.
And the memes are not healthy or appropriate for raising sons.