  Father’s Day 2019
is in the rearview mirror
now, but given the declining
status of families in
America these days and
the significance that God
attached to fatherhood,
maybe one more look
would be worthwhile. It’s
certainly worth remembering
that fatherhood is a
product of God’s creative
genius. It wasn’t developed
by a bunch of godless,
narcissistic liberals
and progressives sporting
Harvard degrees in sociology.
When God said, "And you, fathers, do not
provoke your children to
wrath, but bring them up in
the training and admonition
of the Lord” Eph. 6:4
(NKJV), He had more in
view than fun times in the
back yard. God was drawing
a blueprint for a
nation where baseball
games, prayer meetings,
concerts, and nights out at
the movies could take
place without fear of
being shot by some crazed
lunatic who feels compelled
to kill those he disagrees
with.
God closed out
the Old Testament with a
promise and a warning. A
prophet would be coming
with a special mission,
and if that mission failed a
curse would follow. He
said:
Behold, I will send you
Elijah the prophet Before the
coming of the great and
dreadful day of the LORD.
And he will turn The hearts
of the fathers to the children,
And the hearts of the children
to their fathers, Lest I
come and strike the earth
with a curse. Malachi 4:5-6
(NKJV)
The collapse of traditional family units
and the values associated
with them has left in its
vacuum a moral, ethical,
and spiritual petri dish
breeding toxic social bacteria.
The anarchy playing
out on our streets and in
our homes and schools is,
to a great extent, the product
of kids being raised
without fathers—and
especially without strong,
loving, spiritually mature
fathers. We don’t have to
wonder whether the curse
God warned about will
come, current conditions
make it clear that it’s
already upon us.
- 90% of all homeless
and runaway children
are from fatherless
homes – 32 times the
average.
- 85% of all children
who show behavior
disorders come from
fatherless homes – 20
times the average. (Center
for Disease Control)
- 80% of rapists
with anger problems
come from fatherless
homes –14 times the average.
(Justice and Behavior,
Vol 14, p. 403-26)
- 71% of all high
school dropouts come
from fatherless homes – 9
times the average.
(National Principals
Association Report)
- 70% of youths in
state-operated institutions
come from fatherless
homes – 9 times the
average. (U.S. Dept. of
Justice)
- 85% of all youths
in prison come from
fatherless homes – 20
times the average. (Fulton
Co. Georgia, Texas Dept.
of Correction)
- 63% of youth suicides
are from fatherless
homes – 5 times the average.
(US Dept. Of
Health/Census)
- Daughters of single
parents without a
father involved are 53%
more likely to marry as
teenagers
- 711% more likely
to have children as
teenagers
- 164% more likely
to have a pre-marital birth
- 92% more likely to get divorced
We hear a lot
about "inflammatory
rhetoric” these days, and
someone is always calling
on everyone else to tone
down the incendiary language.
I agree with much
of that but have a related
suggestion. Maybe it’s not
that we’re using our
words to strike matches,
maybe it’s that we’re
using them to inflame the
wrong kinds of passions.
Heat can either be
a source of positive energy
or a devastating and destructive
force. What if we
ignited something on Father’s
Day besides charcoal?
- What if we used
our words and influence to
help spark efforts to push
back against the curse of fatherlessness
in ways that
matter?
- What if we turned
up the positive heat by
ending support for antifamily
politicians and
started speaking out
against their destructive
policies?
- What if we
stopped sending our kids
to morally-bankrupt, anti-
Christian colleges and universities
and stopped
pretending that the success
of the school’s football
team somehow makes up
for the anti-Christian, anti-
American bias polluting
the hearts and minds of our
students in the classrooms?
- What if we got
fired up enough to stop
watching propaganda machines
posing as mainstream
journalism?
- What if we
stopped supporting profane
‘entertainers’ who
take our money and use
the platform we give them
to undermine and attack
everything we believe?
And . . .
- What if we got
fired up enough to devote
some of our money, influence,
and energy toward
keeping another kid from
becoming somebody’s sex
slave?
God asked a profound question.
He said, A son honors
his father, And a servant his
master. If then I am the Father,
Where is My honor?
And if I am a Master, Where
is My reverence? Malachi
1:6a (NKJV)
Honoring our
spiritual Father should not
be relegated to one special
day a year, or even one day
a week. Instead of just
lighting a grill in honor of
fatherhood once a year,
maybe we could reignite a
passion in our hearts for
the One who made that relationship
possible.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
In addition to being
an active writer, speaker,
teacher, and blogger, Ron
Gallagher serves in a variety
of roles as a ministry consultant
for local churches.
His Biblical insights are
coupled with down-to-earth
humor, satire, and relevant
stories aimed at promoting "Right Side Up Thinking ~
in an Upside Down World.” Ron strives to apply God’s
truth in a way that stimulates
the mind, encourages
the heart, and challenges the
cultural norm. Check out his
blog, "Gallagher’s Pen” at
www.gallagherspen.com
NEW BOOK . . .Ron’s new book, Right
Side Up Thinking in an
Upside Down World ~ Looking at the
World through the Lens
of Biblical Truth, is now
available on Amazon and
through Lighthouse Bible
Studies. Learn more at http://bit.ly/2IDsNpB |
