Men and Faith

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.

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