How to Be a Strong Christian Man—in an Increasingly Godless World

We’re going to start off by talking about societal problems. Don’t worry. It’s not going to be all doom and gloom! The challenges in American culture are just so obvious that calling them the elephant in the room doesn’t do it justice—what’s happening around us is more like a T-Rex in the room.

Consider these examples. Nonprofits, the backbone of many community services, ranging from hospital care to supporting at-risk youth, now face a crisis of philanthropy. In fact, less than half of American households give to charity, a 20 year low. Meanwhile, usage of antidepressants has been climbing for decades, including a 6% surge in just the final three months of 2020. Meanwhile, in low-income areas, like inner cities, young people struggle to achieve in school, hurting their chances of building a better life.

These may seem like horrible problems on their own, but they are all symptoms of a bigger problem yet—America’s increasingly Godless civilization. As Christian men, it’s up to us to not stand by. It’s past time we figure out what to do about our challenges. Simply recognizing we have them is step one.

Step two? Further educating ourselves. Here’s some helpful context that should give us pause. Christianity’s decline in America is shocking. According to Pew Research, only 65% of Americans identify as Christians, down 12% in a decade to the lowest levels of all time. More than a quarter of U.S. citizens presently claim to be atheists, agnostics, or worship “nothing in particular,” with Protestant faiths taking the biggest hit over the last few years.

Now, you may ask: Why should others turning from God matter to me, especially if my faith remains strong?

Answer: A systemic loss of faith matters for all the problems it causes. We’ve mentioned some above—here are how they are related. Let’s start with our philanthropic crisis. The authors of a new book on the problem, The Generosity Crisis, explain that an increasingly secular culture hurts nonprofits because Christianity is one of the key drivers of giving—religious Americans are the most generous donators in the world. Likewise, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) recognizes a clear connection between faith and mental health: “Religion gives people something to believe in… and typically offers a group of people to connect with over similar beliefs.” Finally, the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health found attending church provides “a uniquely positive effect in impoverished neighborhoods.”

But enough about society, let’s zoom in on how a Godless America impacts Christian men and their families. It’s a mistake to think maintaining one’s faith is “good enough.” It’s akin to putting your head in the sand, thinking the danger will blow over. Want proof? It’s all around us. America has gone way past Godless and into “Anti-God” territory—especially in our schools.

At least that’s the conclusion of Robert Tayler of the non-profit Advocates for Faith and Freedom, who says, “The disapproval and hostility that Christian students have come to experience in our nation's public schools has become epidemic.” This phenomenon sadly extends to the workplace. No matter how good you are at your job, including being a Tony-nominated actor on Broadway, you might get the axe if your Christian beliefs “offend” a coworker. Meanwhile, sources of temptation have exploded in our secular culture. Searching for practically anything on social media, like information about protests in China, leads people of all ages to a deluge of pornography. Clearly, sin is being wielded as a weapon these days.

So, what can we do about it?

As Christian men, our first step is to redouble our faith. We may think we can’t change the world, but Christ says differently. Matthew Chapter 17 includes the tale of Jesus casting a demon out of a boy after his disciples failed to exorcise the evil spirit.

When they ask Jesus why they failed, the Lord explains faith’s power:

And He said to them, “Because of your meager faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20, New American Standard Bible)

As Jesus explained, our faith can move mountains. But we needn’t move them on our own, a mistake many Christian men make. Instead, we should form bonds of brotherhood with other Christian males to support each other. We’ve done that with Power of 4. Offering spiritual fellowship in a fallen world, together we work through challenges in a meaningful, Christ-centered group.

Back to society’s problems. We believe forming Power of 4 brotherhoods around the nation is the key to steering our communities back to God—and away from the misery secularism has wrought. If you look around, you’ll find many Americans do want a relationship with God. When Damar Hamlin collapsed during a Monday Night Football game, the prayers came fast and heavy from players on the field, fans in the stands, and millions back at home.

Some of these likely fell into the non-religious category on that Pew survey. Yet crisis has a way of returning us to faith. As Christian men, we must take the lead in (re)introducing God to our peers. In practice, we’ve found men struggling with secular problems more than eager to embrace Christ once they see how Power of 4 can turn lives around. Our friends, family, and coworkers, often need this experience to start their journey to Christianity.

You can think of it as a matter of learning practical applications of faith. The problem so many non-religious people have with Christianity is they don’t know how to apply it to daily life. It’s similar to handing an elderly person their first smartphone—they are left befuddled by the device when they just want to make a call. For many men, Christianity presents a similar issue. Yes, attending church and/or reading the Bible are critical components of Christianity, but a brotherhood working together can help a man rekindle his relationship with God by seeing Christianity in action.

By collaborating to bring men closer to God, we can truly move mountains—not to mention, help a Godless society see the value of faith again. To learn what made our brotherhood so successful and how to form your own, get our new book, Power of 4: How Christian Men Create Purposeful Lives By Not Going It Alone.

And as you start your journey to fellowship with other men, please don’t despair at the state of the world. We won’t change our problems overnight, but we can positively impact society daily when Christian men stop going it alone.