I watch “Gutfield”, a late-night, conservative-leaning comedy and talk show that relies heavily on the political events or the day as fodder for their segments.  I will grant you, it’s not the best way to end your day because it’s more of the same 24/7 news cycle that sensationalizes EVERYTHING and only stirs up sentiment against the ‘other side’ that is already well established.  Right-leaning or left-leaning, news is programming that’s meant to sell something and it’s always more than just the news of the day.  Most of us prefer our own echo chambers. 
 
It’s also crude with language that is sporadically bleeped out and a (too much) sexual inuendo.
 
I confess.
 
As a man in his late sixties who has grown up continually being berated, bashed, belittled, and seriously marginalized by liberal pundits of television as the ‘bane of social existence’, (white, Christian, hetero-sexual, conservative, etc.) I find some sense of justice in finally watching a late-night show that is ‘dishing it out’ to the other side.  We (conservatives) haven’t had a voice in the late-night television markets since before Saturday Night Live began and that’s 50+ years ago.   I like “Gutfeld” for the same reason I like Trump:  The both fight back against the squeaky wheels that have dominated the legacy media.  They are FAKE NEWS and “Gutfeld” leads all late-night comedy in terms of total viewership as does Fox News in the cable and digital markets.  
 
Most of the above is just a cathartic expression of confession.  What I really wanted to talk about here is a recent monologue on “Gutfeld” about men returning to faith.[1]  He references a recent Gallup poll that says 42% of YOUNG men say that religion is very important in their lives.[2]  This is a sharp increase from only a few years ago.  What I found even more interesting was Gutfeld’s take on the ‘why’ of this trend.   He suggests that it’s young men pushing back on identity politics.  
 
For the same reasons I shared above, most men are sick of being blamed for literally everything that is wrong in the world.  We are especially tired of being considered toxic to culture and the purveyors of patriarchal societies which are tyrannical and oppressive.  We have been considered a cancer to the very ecosystems that support us since the rise of feminism.  The chaos that has been wrought on society as a result of men being relegated to the back of the bus or worse, being thrown under the bus altogether is starting to wear thin…FINALLY.   
 
Identity politics may bring an ephemeral rush of recognition to people who cry wolf because they ‘feel’ disenfranchised, but only leaves you feeling anxious and….here’s the big thing as it relates to men and the boy crisis….without PURPOSE.  Identity politics has never contributed anything to the health of men (or anyone for that matter) especially when that identity is placed in anything other than who the Bible says we are.  It is a dog chasing its tail. 
 
The church has a great opportunity in this resurgence of men expressing interest in spiritual things and institutions.  It was best stated by Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson in an article entitled, “Message to the Christian Churches”[3]  It is referenced in the footnote below.  In it, Peterson states in regards to purpose and identity:
 
“Men (and boys) have been led to believe that every deep impulse that moves within them that moves them out into the world for the adventure of their lives, even that impulse drawing them to women, is nothing but the manifestation of a spirit that is essentially satanic in nature.”
 
As Peterson goes on to say, this is not only false, it is un-true, which may sound redundant.  But he means, it couldn’t be further from the truth as to be more false.  This level of falsehood must come from the pit of Hell itself and requires the church, as the bastion proclaiming Truth, to stand against.
 
“The Church is there to remind people, young men included, that they have a woman to find; a garden to walk in; a family to nurture; an ark to build; a land to conquer; a ladder to heaven to build; and the utter catastrophe of life to face stalwartly in truth, devoted to love and without fear.”  That’s purpose, purpose and more purpose.  God has a purpose for men and it begins when he assigned them their gender at conception.
 
The time to invite the young men back is now.  Let them know they are welcome in our churches.   It’s time to refill the void that has been left in them from the last 15 years of social media proliferation and social media algorithms.
 
Gutfeld says identity politics has erased the curiosity for the mysteries of the world.  Instead of seeking out commonalities, it immediately divides us.  (Just like the evil notions of CRT before that…thanks to Mr. Obama.) You are defined by your sexuality; your political views; your race or gender, your philosophical leanings; your weight; your experiences; your labels.  You.  You. You.  It’s never we or us.  Once you have identified yourself, you expect everyone else to bow to that.  None of these identities have anything to do with responsibility.  I have rights because I’m trans.  I have rights because I identify as a cat. I have rights because I’m a woman.  I have rights and no responsibilities.
 
And thus, the long night begins. 
 
Going back to Peterson’s words above, everything about our true identity has to do with responsibility.  We are not just the children of God.  We have responsibilities as children under God’s sovereign plan for our lives.  My pastor used to say that once you have become a Christian YOU have no rights.  (Not here, anyway)  We are indeed all slaves to something.  The Bible says we are doulas or bondservants.  We have been bought and paid for with a price. We belong to Jesus Christ and He alone determines our identity.  (“For I am crucified with Christ therefore I no longer live but Christ in me.” Galatians 2:20)
 
This is the message that men need to hear now more than ever:
 
We are not part of warring clans defined by some small aspect of who we are vying for supremacy in a world order.
We are not playing Hunger Games for morons. 
We are a part of something much greater than even this world, that requires we get up and take responsibility for our lives, which are genuinely part of a great(er) adventure.
 
So perhaps young men are returning to faith.  Good.  Invite them to church and tell them we are very glad to have them back.   Flipping the script on people to let them know that this world isn’t even as real as the spiritual world we live in (now) and all that implies (cue the Matrix) will give their lives meaning.  Real meaning and real purpose.
 
“If we endure then we will also reign with him.”  (2 Timothy 2:12)
 
At Treign Up we are training up future kings.
 
(For more on the idea of purpose and the meaning of life, I suggest my book, “The Funnel:  The Meaning of Life in View of Eternity” which is available on Amazon.)


[1] Greg Gutfeld, Gutfeld!, April 17, 2026, Fox News.

[2] Gallup, “Rise in Young Men’s Religiosity Realigns Gender Gaps,” Gallup News, 2026

[3] Jordan B. Peterson, “Message to the Christian Churches,” video, July 12, 2022, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7ytLpO7mj0.

I just returned from a mission trip in Jamaica.  Despite far-reaching travel in my life, I had never been to this tiny Caribbean Island.   It is an island nation situated in the Caribbean Sea, specifically within the Greater Antilles, south of Cuba and west of Haiti. It is the third largest island in the Caribbean and is considered part of the West Indies.
 
I was charged with leading a team of 9 doing a Kid’s Crusade there.  We were using one of my Vacation Bible School programs called “Welcome to the Stone Age”.  It’s a tried-and-true program with a strong evangelical message using the theme of ‘rocks’ to share the Gospel arc. 
 
VBS is something I do pretty well.  I’ve been developing my own programs for 25 years and travel extensively during the summer to different churches, partnering with the church to reach children in the community.   So, I have a good bit of experience to fall back on.  However, I was not quite prepared for what happened on the first day of the crusade. 
 
We were all very excited and ready to go that first morning.  We arrived the night before and set up.  I felt confident that the limited audio-visual equipment would be enough to see me through the week.   What I first noticed was that there was a larger-than-usual older group in the audience.  They were seated in age groups and so they were in one section.  This would be ages 12-16, somewhat older than the age I prepare for.  And they had their cell phones. 
 
Normally, that would be a non-starter with me.  No cell phones in the sanctuary.  I require kids to stand during worship whether they participate or not.  It’s not negotiable.  I talk about this extensively in my book “Points for Praise:  Putting Kids on the Path to Worship”, available on Amazon.  However, I was not in a position to make demands as I was there by invitation as part of a larger team.   They did NOT participate in worship.  Most of them sat and played games on their phones. 
 
After the large group session, they were my first rotation in Bible, which I teach.  I asked them to come up to the front and sit on the floor.  They flatly refused saying it was too dirty.  One girl said she was allergic to dust.   This is almost laughable when you consider their living conditions.  I can guarantee you that the church floor was the cleanest thing they would be sitting in all week.  
 
I was in a combat zone.
 
The girls in this group were the worst, but I got the impression that the boys would have enjoyed it if I had started making demands.  Later, the pastor agreed saying that they are just waiting for an opportunity to push back on authority.   He referred to it as a normal part of being independent.   In my thinking, it is either rebellion or defiance.  This was defiance because of their age and their motives.
 
Defiance is a tricky thing in teenagers.  There is a fine line between being independent and being disrespectful.   This is not an article on that subject, so I’ll leave it there.
 
As I considered this matter and made adjustments in my approach for the week (seeking counsel from church leaders there in Jamaica),  I realized that the REAL issue is FATHERLESSNESS.   It is an epidemic in Jamaica.
 
(NOTE:  Much of what follows is information taken from an article by Hayley Headley entitled, A Fatherless Nation:  Headley, Hayley. “A Fatherless Nation.” Justice for All, January 31, 2021.)
While there have been very few dedicated studies about the issue of fatherlessness, it is estimated that 47% of Jamaica’s children live in single-parent homes with their biological mothers. Additionally, the number of households headed by women continues to rise as men erode entirely from the family structure. 
The impact of this on children, their socialization, and the country’s future has been a point of discussion for many years, but it’s often tabled in favor of attempting to address more pressing matters, like crime.  Based on the level of defiance that I experienced and lack of strong male leadership in the home, it is not hard to image that this is a leading cause of crime in the nation.  In 2014, Peter Bunting, the Minister of National Security, declared that fatherlessness was driving much of the crime that plagues Jamaica’s streets.  
This is the same reason for the Boy Crisis in America, one that we talk about extensively in our book, “Boys Have a Dam Problem:  Examining the Faults that Have Put Our Boys in Crisis.” (Also available on Amazon)  Of the four primary ‘faults’ that have destabilized the family foundation, the lack of good father figures in the home is the biggest factor.
In his paper on Black fatherlessness in the Caribbean, David Samuel Green pinpoints colonial oppression during slavery as the first crack in the structure of Black families.[1] At the time, they weren’t allowed to form families, and if they did, plantation owners would sell one or both of the parents to keep those ties severed. As a result, Jamaican men have been long removed from the concept of fatherhood. As fatherlessness begets fatherlessness, the crack that was split open centuries ago has widened and deepened into the modern chasm that now divides our homes.
One of the ladies at the church compound who was a missionary to Jamaica from Quebec, noted that Jamaica has long been noted for its strong maternal influence in the home.  For whatever the reasons are, it is not God’s BEST plan for the family and the absence of a father-figure should not be the default for any reason.  I’m not chastising.  I understand this is a serious problem in MANY cultures.  It’s just not good for the children and especially the boys.  This is an anthem in Treign Up.
As fatherlessness begets fatherlessness, so goes the culture into poverty.  When the family unit breaks down, boys will look to gangs for affirmation and acceptance that a father should be showing.  The spirit behind fatherlessness is an impoverished spirit;  not only social poverty but spiritual poverty as well.
 
I applaud the men in that church who stand in the gap for the boys in their communities:  Pastor Vernon Allen;  Pastor Damien;  Pastor Lemarc Allen.  I thank them for giving young boys in Jamaica a model and someone to look up to as they grow in wisdom, stature, and favor with both God and men.
 
As for the rest of the week at VBS, I was able to make adjustments in the way I approached these teens during the week.  On the last day of the crusade, I was able to present the Gospel through my Gospel arc using rocks and a role play exercise that demonstrates the reality of a decision to follow Christ.  The presentation was crystal clear (from my perspective) and several of the teens made decisions that day to ask Jesus to save them from their sinful ways.   I’m thankful for that, but more thankful for the men who are there who will be able to help guide them on the journey ahead.
 
[1] Green, David Samuel. Differential Pathways of Fathering and Fatherlessness in Afro-Caribbean Families. PhD diss., University of Guelph, 2018.