Of all the titles and responsibilities given to man, one of the most honored is that of “father.” The word “father” appears 1,672 times in the New King James Version of the Bible.
- When God wanted to use a term to describe His love, care, and guidance for His people, He used the term father (cf. 2 Corinthians 6:17-18, Hebrews 12:5-10).
- Paul compared his work of exhorting, comforting, and charging Christians to a father raising his children (1 Thessalonians 2:11).
- The term father is used to describe mature Christians secure in their faith (1 John 2:13-14).
- Often when we think of the great man of faith Abraham, we think of him as “Father Abraham.”
- It was to fathers God gave the responsibility to bring up children in the training and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).
- When God said who He wanted to watch over and protect His congregations, He said I want fathers (1 Timothy 3:4-5, Titus 1:5-6).
Truly, the title of father is given great honor and responsibility in the Bible.
Unfortunately, the honor and responsibility of fatherhood has been tarnished and diminished by the world. Today, the phrase “Father knows best” is used with scorn and contempt. Fathers on T.V. are usually stubborn, bumbling fools. Often mothers are lifted up as the most important influence in a child’s life, while nothing more is asked or expected of fathers than to provide some financial assistance to their families. Fathers are not expected to know how to care for their children, discipline them, or advise them (many seem to think leaving fathers alone with children is dangerous and irresponsible). Sadly, many fathers have held themselves to the world’s expectations or even lower.
Perhaps because of the influence of the world, perhaps because of discouragement, or perhaps because they simply don’t know how, many fathers are not living up to the honor of their calling. Over one third of American children now live without a father and many more homes have fathers who are physically, emotionally, and/or spiritually absent. Fathers need to understand their importance in a home. Consider a few of the following statistics gathered by The Fatherless Generation website (https://thefatherlessgeneration.wordpress.com/statistics/):
- 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes (US Dept. Of Health/Census) – 5 times the average.
- 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 & Behavior, Vol 14, p. 403-26)
- 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes – 9 times the average. (National Principals Association Report)
Fatherhood today is suffering and its effects are being felt in our country, in our communities, in the church, and of course in our children.
The Knights of Fatherhood exists:
- To call men to the standard of fatherhood presented in the Bible.
- To support and defend the truth of fatherhood.
- To be a place where fathers can be encouraged and uplifted.
- To be a place where fathers can learn to nurture, love, and lead their families better.
