Act Like Men Series

Just a few years ago (January 15, 2019), Gillette launched an ad as part of a campaign to address a range of male misbehaviors. The two-minute spot, entitled “We Believe,” addresses bullying and sexual harassment, leveraging Gillette’s longtime slogan in encouraging men to be the best they can be. Take a look. (Show video: We Believe—the Best Men Can Be, www.youtube.com/watch?v=koPmuEyP3a0&t=104s).

The film starts by asking, “Is this the best a man can get?” Then it depicts men involved in sexual harassment, toxic aggression, and bullying. People excuse such activity, saying, “Boys will be boys.”

“But something finally changed,” the narrator intones, “and there will be no going back, because we believe in the best in men to say the right thing, to act in the right way.” Then the ad depicts men, intervening to stop the bullying and sexual harassment. They take a stand for what is right, as the narrator reminds men, “The boys watching today will be the men of tomorrow.” The video closes with these words flashed across the screen: “The best a man can get. It’s only by challenging ourselves to do more that we can get closer to our best” (We Believe—the Best Men Can Be, www.youtube.com/watch?v= koPmuEyP3a0&t=104s).

Many commentators praised the ad; but in less than a week, the ad’s YouTube link also had over a million dislikes. There is a lot of confusion these days about masculinity. But I like what David French said in the National Review:

“We do our sons no favors when we tell them that they don’t have to answer that voice inside them that tells them to be strong, to be brave, and to lead… When it comes to the crisis besetting our young men, ‘traditional masculinity’ [rightly understood] isn’t the problem; it can be part of the cure” (David French, “Grown Men Are the Solution, Not the Problem,” National Review, January 7, 2019).

Amen! When a man acts like a man, he becomes part of the cure to a confused world in chaos.

The question is: What does it mean to “act like a man?” How can a man behave in order to display the way God made him? And what is it about a man that allows him to be part of the cure to our society’s ills? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to 1 Corinthians 16, 1 Corinthians 16, where the Bible describes what it means to “act like men.”

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love (ESV).

There are four commands here that describe the middle command, “Act like men.” What does that mean? Well, first it means…

STAY AWAKE.

Watch out for the dangers and opportunities around you. Keep your eyes open. Stay alert to what’s going on.

To begin, watch out for the dangers. Like a night watchman, stay awake to those who might want to break in and steal your children’s minds and all that you value.

Steve Green, who sang six years with Bill and Gloria Gaither, talks about getting to know some of the work crews in the large auditoriums where their concerts were held. The Gaithers prefer concerts-in-the-round, which means extra work for the "riggers," who walk the four-inch rafter beams—often a hundred feet above the concrete floor—to hang sound speakers and spotlights. For such work, understandably, they are very well paid.

Green say, “The fellows I talked to weren't bothered by the sight of looking down a hundred feet. What they didn't like, they said, were jobs in buildings that had false ceilings—acoustical tile slung just a couple of feet below the rafters. They were still high in the air, and if they slipped, their weight would smash right through the flimsy tile. But their minds seemed to play tricks on them, lulling them into carelessness” (Leadership, Vol. 6, no.1; www.PreachingToday.com).

Avoid being lulled into carelessness. Know what your children are learning in school or what they’re watching on their electronic devices. Keep an eye out for the destructive forces that ruin people’s lives. That’s your job as a man—to protect your family, so watch out for the dangers.

But not only that, watch out for the opportunities. Stay alert to those game-changing occasions.

Paul “Bear” Bryant is one of the greatest college football coaches of all time. Bryant's record in 38 years at Maryland, Kentucky, Texas A&M, and Alabama included 323 wins. He also took 29 teams to bowl games and led 15 of his teams to conference championships. In the 1960s and 1970s, no school won more games than Alabama (193-32-5). As one of his colleagues said, “He wasn't just a coach; he was the coach.”

John Croyle, an All-American defensive end on the 1973 national championship team, played for the Bear, who impacted him deeply. John described one of Coach Bryant's pregame speeches.