Wanted: Real Men

Where have all the real men gone? Where are the men who will take a stand for something? Or will be responsible for their own actions? Protect their family? Be the hero?

If you're like me, you know that such men are hard to find. That's in large part because most men today are a shadow of the men that God designed them to be. Men have been emasculated for years by radical feminism. Our country is paying the price for real men not being around to step up and lead. Families are suffering because real men aren't there to lead them. Churches are becoming weaker because real men haven't stepped up to take charge.

Thankfully, there is hope for men. Author and talk show host Kevin McCullough not only has identified the problem but provides practical solutions in his new book The Kind of Man Every Man Should Be: Taking a Stand for True Masculinity.

The rise of what we now commonly think of as feminism in the 1960s was actually a drastic departure from the classic definition of feminism as it had been commonly understood. As Mr. McCullough argues, the goal of classic feminism was equality between sexes. The goal of radical feminism is sameness.

Taken to its logical conclusion, radical feminism has caused a blurring of the gender roles between men and women. As a result, men are left unsure of who they should be and what their proper role in society actually is. The radical feminists have stripped away men's identity in their effort to achieve sameness between the sexes.

But God did not design men and women to be the same. He did design them to be equal in worth in His kingdom. At the same time, he provided distinctive roles for each sex. Our culture has worked hard to try to remove those distinctions. The result is mass confusion especially among men.

Mr. McCullough, however, doesn't simply make cultural observations in laying out the problems that men face. To his credit, he shares openly how he has been directly affected by his own struggle to understand what it means to be a man of God. His honesty about his own failings is both startling and refreshingly honest. By being willing to open up and offer a glimpse into his own past he brings a sense of authenticity to the problem.

Having thoroughly documented the problem, he then progresses to offering practical solutions. He very neatly encapsulates each idea in a simple slogan that is easy to remember (e.g. "Believe With Certainty", "Act With Clarity", "Fight With Tenacity", to name a few). These action steps help the reader understand how they can practically apply the principles outlined in the book. As with the first half of the book, he again relies in large part on personal experiences to illustrate his points.

When I first received this book, I was anxious to dive right in. I found myself wanting to immediately apply everything I was learning from the book. Little did I know it at the time but the opportunity would arise to put things I was learning into practice immediately. In that respect, this was a timely book for me as I didn't realize until I was done how much I needed to read it.

While this book is primarily written for men, it's also a great book for women. By reading this book, women can get a better idea of what God desires for men to be. It allows women to encourage the men that are in their lives. For a single woman, it gives a great portrait of what they should be looking for in a man.

I highly recommend this book especially to men everywhere. If you are a father and you're raising a son, this is a book you will want to read with him. It's the kind of book that you will want to read with a highlighter in hand ready to mark up the pages. It's also the kind of book that can be read over and over again and still having something fresh for you to learn.

The Kind of Man Every Man Should Be: Taking a Stand For True Masculinity is one of the most important books I've read in a long time. Mr. McCullough should be congratulated for having the courage to write this book. It's a message that men (and women) everywhere need to hear. I'm thankful for this book and can't wait to dive into it again. It has changed my life and I'm sure it could change yours, too.

Click here to listen to my interview with Kevin McCullough.