The Principled Patriarch
The Age of Biblical Manhood Fades
It is unreasonable to expect women to respect men when most men are clueless about what a man is. No wonder our ladies fill 76% of the church, political & workforce leadership. While it would be easy to blame the feminist movement, I don’t. I put full responsibility on the men for neglecting their Biblical role in cultural and church-related doctrines and methods of advancing the Gospel.
One would think that the women of our culture today have learned to demand their rights to be treated fairly due to men not treating them fairly. Well, this is simply not true. Women who function in independence do so because they observed men not treating their authority figures with all dignity. Men who do not show courtesy and manners to their authorities are modeling a lifestyle of disrespect and independence. Men bear the responsibility of showing their followers honor by honoring others. When a man honors his “up-line” first, he will find it relatively easy to honor his “downline.”
Men, how can we expect women to honor us if we do not honor our authorities? Worse yet, honor the women God has put into our lives.
I understand the term “Patriarch” is offensive to the generalized public. I get it. However, it is a Biblical descriptive. Not only that, it communicates one of the more powerful doctrines in the Word of God - leadership & respect.
How many men do you know that demonstrate Biblical Patriarchy?
As a pastor and behavioral analyst, I know few. True Patriarchs are called to be living examples of traditional Biblical values that teach others to glorify God the Father. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor can a leader who functions in his God-given abilities. He is a light to all citizens who need to find their way.
The world around us is lost and requires true dynamic leaders to show them the way. Patriarchs train patriarchs. This training starts on the home front. The whole goal and purpose of leading the home are for the community – training the next generation to be “lights unto the world.” God designs people to follow – each seeking to find a leader to believe in and follow. If the Biblical patriarch had the mentality of “being fruitful and multiplying the earth,” we would change a dark world within several generations. But, since the average male has the mindset of “taking care of themselves,” and the generalized woman has the morbid belief of aborting children, we fall short of God’s purpose of Biblical manhood & womanhood.
Our role as men & women should spill over into the communities that we serve. All the ways and actions we appropriate within our homes should be how we manage the community and work world.
If a man desires a leadership position within the church, community, or nation, he desires a good thing. A man who lives with his wife in an understanding way, has his children under control, and manages his household with a servant-style leadership, is well prepared and qualified to lead in society. The home is the starting place and training ground for public leadership. Many men today have this backward – accepting leadership positions outside the home before their homes become a Biblical model of proof of their ability to lead. The end results? Daily newsfeeds show how our male leaders are defaulting to immorality and corporate corruption.
Yes, it’s true. Women are prone to step up when they see men failing. A man cannot be trusted as a qualified leader (light unto the world) in the community unless he has proven his leadership within the home. The family is like a training institution for the man’s leadership. When he has passed the test of having his household in order, he will be a prime example of being a light unto the world. When a man attempts to lead in the community without having his family in order, he is sure to have a “train wreck.” Thus, a wife, or a woman in general, will slip into the male leadership role and get the job done.
The wisdom of this kind of direction and counsel has rarely been questioned until equalitarianism became the norm for family, church, and community. Once a Godly patriarch disregards the societal pressures of Christian feminism, they will be able to embrace the Truth of God’s order of male leadership.
Men, who hide behind the “light of woman,” or women's spiritual leadership, resist the light of God’s ordained order. This results in the confusion and emasculation of men. Men, who function as true lights of the world, live and operate by the life and light of God the Father. God will only shine His light through His order of creation. He will not bypass His order to please His creation.
In our society today, women open their doors, defend themselves and demand to be treated equally. Who is to blame for this? It is that of man! The need for a man to practice male manners is more critical today than at any other time in history. Because women are so accustomed to caring for themselves, men have habitually taken the backseat to be gentlemen.
Honor looks like respect, courtesy, and manners. When a man honors authority, he will offer his services by allowing leaders to go first, helping them carry their load, serving them, and doing what they can to make their job easier. This is what most men expect from their women. If the patriarch is not doing like-minded service for their leaders –how can they expect their women to do differently? God may require women to service their disobedient male leaders, but it is not the ideal way. Respect, courtesy, and submission require modeling such a role. Leaders who expect honor without personally practicing honor - border on abuse of authority. Christ, Himself, didn’t even demand such honor. He modeled it first and then requested honor and respect from His Bridal members - born-again believers.
Being a gentleman or an honorable woman is a perfect way of honoring God. When a man respects the guidelines of society, church, and God, he reveals God's order. A man interested in honoring God is recognizing the ordained roles God has assigned to His earthly structure. Men should care for all women in the same way they are commanded to care for their wives. Women should respect all men in the same way they are mandated to respect their husbands. This does not mean that men or women should act out their marital roles with individuals outside their homes. It does mean they should show everyone the same honor and respect. Although, it should be noted that women should maintain God’s “chain of command” even within society. In like manner, men should treat all women with the same dignity they tend to show their wives. A word of caution to men, do not allow your willingness to be a gentleman to breed a familiarity of passion or attachment (intimacy) that belongs to his wife, if not married, to Christ Himself.
Due to my burden of restoring the Biblical roles of men & women, my publisher has released my new workbook, “The Principled Patriarch.” It is a 30-lesson study on what the Word of God says about the topic. If you, or others you know, are interested in this world-changing study, I implore you to get your hands on this workbook.