Pastor Jack Hibbs: ‘There’s a war on men,’ boys need to see ‘biblical masculinity’
Despite society labeling masculinity "toxic" in what many call a "war on men," California Pastor Jack Hibbs told his congregation that what Christian men need to reflect, especially for their sons, is "biblical masculinity."
Hibbs, who leads Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, recently preached the second part of a sermon series titled "The War of 2024," in which he examines the issues Christians will metaphorically fight over with the culture this year.
"There's a war on men," Hibbs said during the sermon, saying that "one of the biggest battles raging in our culture" involves Satan directly attacking men.
"The lie that is advancing today against men is something of this nature: men cannot be strong. That's rude, ugly and toxic," Hibbs lamented. "If you're the man, you can't be the leader anymore. Men can't lead."
"Men are not allowed to be strong; men are not allowed to be the leader, and men cannot have an opinion anymore, not allowed. Whatever we say, it's the wrong thing. It's sexist; it's chauvinistic; it's racist."
At one point, Hibbs directed his congregation to watch a PragerU video featuring conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey recommending that, to combat toxic male traits, men should be more masculine, not less.
"When you try to make men more like women, you don't get less 'toxic masculinity,' you get more," she said. "Why? Because bad men don't become good when they stop being men; they become good when they stop being bad."
"Aggression, violence, and unbridled ambition can't be eliminated from the male psyche; they can only be harnessed. And when they are harnessed, they are tools for good, not for harm."
Stuckey further suggested that "the same masculine traits that bring destruction also defeat tyranny," "the traits that foster greed also build economies," and "the traits that drive men to take foolish risks also drive men to take heroic risks."
"The growing problem in today's society isn't that men are too masculine; it's that they're not masculine enough. When men embrace their masculinity in a way that is healthy and productive, they are leaders, warriors and heroes," she added.
Returning to his sermon, Hibbs said, "Kids must see biblical masculinity and biblical femininity while they're growing up," adding, "God created the family for a reason, and that's why Satan hates it. Children are the target in all the areas of life."
Hibbs told the parents in attendance that if they have a 4-year-old boy who "accidentally puts on his mom's high heels," they should say to him, "Put your dad's boots on" instead.
Hibbs added, "If you've got a little girl that's walking around wearing her dad's boots," she should instead be encouraged to try on her mother's high heels and walk around in them.
"God says to the parent, 'train up the child in the way that they should go,'" said Hibbs, quoting from Proverbs 22:6. "You have a boy or do you have a girl? Then, in that direction, place these tools or these items or these things in their hands."
"Groom them in the direction that they should go based upon God's Word because the enemy of your children is out to groom them their way. Someone's going to win this battle, ... and God would have it to be us."