Pastor Offers Biblical Alternative to Andrew Tate’s Masculine Theology: Why the Church Must Raise Godly Men Again
The popularity of Andrew Tate and the broader “manosphere” movement has exposed something many churches and families have ignored for decades: boys are desperately searching for examples of masculinity.
Netflix’s recent documentary Inside the Manosphere has sparked renewed discussion about what young men are learning online and why millions are being drawn to voices that promise strength, confidence, wealth, and purpose. While many critics simply condemn the movement, some Christian leaders believe the real issue runs much deeper.
The problem isn’t that young men want masculinity.
The problem is that too few have been shown what biblical masculinity actually looks like.
Author and pastor Richard Phillips has offered an alternative through his book Authentic Masculinity, arguing that the answer isn’t feminized men or hyper-aggressive men, but godly men formed by Scripture and discipleship.
Boys Are Looking for Fathers
One reason influencers like Andrew Tate resonate with so many young men is because they speak confidently about strength, discipline, responsibility, and purpose.
Those are not wrong desires.
God created men to lead, protect, provide, and exercise dominion under His authority.
But when those desires are disconnected from humility, sacrifice, and love, masculinity becomes distorted.
Modern culture often swings between two extremes.
One extreme tells men to become passive and apologetic.
The other promotes dominance, pride, materialism, and sexual conquest.
Neither reflects biblical manhood.
True masculinity is found in Jesus Christ.
Christ was strong without being harsh.
Confident without being arrogant.
Authoritative without being abusive.
Courageous without being selfish.
He came not to be served, but to serve.
Mark 10:45 says:
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
The greatest man who ever lived demonstrated that true leadership involves sacrifice.
Parents Must Raise Boys Into Men
Many young men today have never seen biblical masculinity modeled in their homes.
Parents cannot outsource discipleship to schools, sports programs, or youth groups.
Standards must exist.
Boundaries must matter.
Consequences must mean something.
Proverbs 22:6 teaches:
“Train up a child according to his way, even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Boys do not naturally drift toward maturity.
They must be taught.
Disrespect should be addressed early.
Parents must teach their sons that women are daughters of God, not objects for entertainment.
Pornography must be confronted honestly because it trains boys to consume people rather than love them.
Job declared:
“I have made a covenant with my eyes; How then could I gaze at a virgin?” (Job 31:1)
Self-control must be learned.
Proverbs 25:28 warns:
“Like a city that is broken into and without walls is a man without self-control.”
Young men need fathers who are willing to say no.
Who discipline with love.
Who model integrity.
Who demonstrate what repentance looks like.
And who show that strength and humility are not enemies.
The Church Must Fill the Vacuum
Perhaps the greatest failure has occurred inside the church.
Many churches have assumed boys simply become men on their own.
They do not.
God designed discipleship to happen through relationships.
Titus 2 describes older believers teaching younger believers.
Paul mentored Timothy.
Elijah mentored Elisha.
Jesus discipled the Twelve.
Biblical masculinity is caught as much as it is taught.
Young men need older men who know them personally.
They need men who challenge them.
Correct them.
Encourage them.
And model faithful Christian living.
The church should be able to say:
“We know what godly men look like, and we know how to help boys become one.”
Unfortunately, many churches have reduced men’s ministry to annual breakfasts and occasional retreats.
What is needed is intentional discipleship.
Week after week.
Month after month.
Year after year.
Character takes time to develop.
Faithfulness is learned over decades.
As Proverbs 27:17 says:
“Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
The next generation doesn’t need celebrities.
They need fathers.
Grandfathers.
Pastors.
Coaches.
Teachers.
And faithful men who are willing to invest in them.
Jesus Christ Is the Model of Biblical Manhood
The answer to the crisis facing young men isn’t found in influencers.
It is found in Christ.
Jesus possessed strength with restraint.
Authority with compassion.
Boldness with humility.
Leadership with sacrifice.
Philippians 2:3-8 teaches believers:
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or vain glory, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves…”
Christ humbled Himself.
He served.
He obeyed His Father.
And He gave His life for His people.
That is true masculinity.
Not domination.
Not arrogance.
Not selfish ambition.
But sacrificial leadership under God’s authority.
Raising Noble Men Again
As a husband married for more than three decades, I’ve become convinced that boys become men largely by observing men.
They need fathers who pray.
Husbands who love their wives.
Church leaders who are faithful.
Men who work hard.
Men who repent when they fail.
Men who honor God above success.
Someone will disciple the next generation.
Algorithms are trying.
Social media is trying.
Influencers are trying.
The question is whether fathers and churches will reclaim their God-given responsibility.
The answer isn’t another internet argument.
The answer is the recovery of biblical discipleship.
Young men need to know that strength and gentleness belong together.
Confidence and humility belong together.
Authority and sacrifice belong together.
And above all, they need to know the King of Kings.
Because true masculinity is ultimately found not in becoming like Andrew Tate—
But in becoming like Jesus Christ.
And noble men are still formed the same way they always have been:
Through faithful fathers.
Through godly churches.
Through older men discipling younger men.
And through the transforming power of the Gospel.