In modern society, it seems that men are persona non grata unless they are dressing in drag. Men doing manly things like hard work, sports, outdoor activities, or just raising their children is ignored as uninteresting and even unwelcome as overbearing. Pop culture glorifies immature men still dressing and prancing around like teenagers or irresponsible men cavorting and impregnating random women like careless rabbits. According to distorted advertising and entertainment, one would think at least half of Americans identify as some form of LGBTQ+ perversion; they go to great lengths to exclude average heterosexual men.

The common man is boring on a daily basis, but ordinary American men dutifully fulfilling their roles as husbands and fathers are the bedrock of healthy families, sound communities, and a strong country. Ever since feminists started their irrational howling about the patriarchy decades ago, these everyday heroes have been cowed and chased into the shadows. Ironically, once feminists beat back the patriarchy, women have suffered as single mothers and victims of dysfunctional relationships. Now women are being erased by transgender men in every realm, but feminists have lost their shrill voices to protest these genuine depredations.

The world has gone stone cold crazy. Tobacco is taboo, but marijuana is enlightened despite growing evidence of psychiatric side-effects. Blue collar work is discounted, but useless, meaningless university degrees are praised despite there being no jobs in whatever nonsense. Boys are playing girls’ sports. Young girls are being mutilated with double mastectomies. Unstable men dressing as women are somehow hired to top government positions. Our children as young as kindergarten are being taught that gender is fluid, and that they can choose their gender. Society has been turned on its head as traditional values are castigated as out of step with evolving cultural mores.

How did this happen? What’s missing? Quite simply, men are missing in action. Maligned as toxic, masculinity is missing. Men and specifically masculinity have been ridiculed and ostracized, but worse, men have retreated from society. Our country and culture cannot survive, much less thrive, without masculinity and particularly biblical masculinity. America needs real men to step forward, and real men follow the ultimate real man, Jesus.

Sacrificing His life for our eternal salvation, Jesus showed us unconditional love and thereby taught us to love others unconditionally. However, love is not an empty emotion; it is action. Our Heavenly Father so loved us that He gave His only begotten Son to liberate us from the slavery of sin; Jesus paid our ransom with His blood. Wanting only good for us, He will chasten his children. He will correct our paths so that we are not misled by the falsehoods of this world and left in sinful servitude. Jesus exuded biblical masculinity with unconditional love that evoked repentance so that we could be reconciled to God’s holiness.

By Jesus’ example, real men should unconditionally love their families. Men are the providers for their families and protectors of society, but they must also be the spiritual leaders of their families, churches, communities, and country. Men must stand up as husbands and fathers to teach their children about God and guide them to salvation with love by discipline and truth. Do not leave your children foundering in the confusion and deception of this world, but reflect God’s light of truth to extinguish the lies in the darkness of sin. If a man loves his family unconditionally, he will not leave them to the ravages of a cruel wicked world.

In the current scene, it appears goodness is losing badly, but God is still in control. He only intends good for us, so he is calling godly men to come forward and show their love by leading again. Though ignored by the mainstream media, there is a growing movement of real men coming into discipleship with Jesus to lead and love their families. One such movement is the “Man Church” by Rick Burgess Ministries that teaches biblical masculinity through a robust curriculum. More than just a Bible Study, the “Man Church” is a mobilization of Christian men to reassert biblical masculinity to lead their families, churches, and communities into righteousness.

Real men must come out of the shadows to restore the Christian principles and values this great nation was founded upon, but it starts in the family. New generations can only fully understand the unconditional love of our Heavenly Father when they experience that same example with their earthly fathers. American families desperately need fathers to return to their rightful duties as spiritual leaders. This Father’s Day, earn your place as head of the family and lead your loved ones into communion with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Men, it’s up to us to save our families, churches, communities, and country by being the biblically masculine fathers God ordained us to be. Let’s get back in the fight to defend and serve our families with the same unconditional love our Heavenly Father has given us. Loving your family and knowing you led them to salvation is the best Father’s Day gift.

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13).

Pete Riehm is a conservative activist and columnist in south Alabama. Email him at peteriehm@bellsouth.net or read all his columns at http://www.renewamerica.com/.