May 23, 2022
COMBATING THE BOY CRISIS
THE BOY CRISIS
Dr. Anthony Bradley is a college professor who’s extremely concerned about the health and well-being of young men today and believes we are in – “A boy crisis”
His concern is not for their diets, exercise schedules, or annual physicals. He is concerned about their male spirits and minds. From his extensive research, things are not going well with our boys and young men today. “The boys have zero self-confidence today.” He explained this is true, not just in America, but across the Western world.
In the United Kingdom, 75% of all suicides are to males. Males in America die by suicide at 3.5 times the rate of women. Young men are disappearing from both college and the workforce at alarming rates. Their female peers are excelling in both arenas. Deaths from drug overdose are climbing among males as well.
Bradley explains in Focus on the Family/The Colson Center’s first Lighthouse Voices Lecture Series in February 2022, “So if young men are experiencing extremely high rates of anxiety and depression, and suicide; and if they are dropping out of the labor force and are not attending college, and if they are dying from addiction, and so on, we may need to accept the fact that what we have been doing for men and boys is not working. In fact, I am willing to use the C-word and call it a crisis.”
WHY IS THERE A BOY CRISIS?
Dr. Bradley captures the reason for this boy crisis bluntly, “Men and boys are lost!” He adds, “They don’t know why the country needs them. They don’t know why they are here.” The male problem today is a crisis of hopelessness. They lack a sense of purpose. “There is no clear path for young men to know what they are needed for exactly!” Bradley adds, “Young men sitting home and watching video games is not laziness. Its resignation. It’s not intentional irresponsibility, but an expression of active hopelessness.”
“Young men are not hearing the truth that we need you! Your contributions are the basis of the future of our Church in the community!”
Too often, Dr. Bradley emphasized, our “boys have been told they are the problem, rather than the solution to the problem.” How many of our sons believe this about themselves? Far too many and we must realize this is the boy crisis.
WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?
The solution is NOT more programs, events, and educational resource for young men, but is more basic and simpler than this.
It is individual life-to-life, active connection with other men who are older and wiser.
Bradley encourages older men to actively step into the lives of younger boys and men. “We need the regular guy in his local community to go get the young from his parent’s basement, put him in his car, drive somewhere and you guys go do something together. Build something. Inspire them! Teach them something. Help them see that we need them.”
Older men must deliberately connect with younger men and boys and start the process of initiation into the vital fraternity of male-hood by learning to serve and help others. To be strong and to have purpose. Our boys must be invited and called up into authentic, purpose-driven male-hood by older men who believe in them and have life-wisdom to share from their own mistakes.
With its strategic outposts throughout every community across the globe, the Church can become the ideal environment for mentors to help combat this boy crisis.
