Kerby Anderson

Boys are in crisis. That should be obvious, but Dr. Warren Farrell still has to spend his first six chapters documenting it. He was on my radio program to talk about the book, The Boy Crisis, that he wrote with Dr. John Gray.

First, there is the crisis of our sons’ mental health. For example, the increase in the suicide rate among white males led to as many white male deaths as were lost to AIDS. The rate of mass shootings has increased significantly, and they are done by boys. Our daughters live in the same homes, have the same access to guns, video games, and the media. They are not killing. Our sons are.

Second is the crisis of our sons’ economic health. They are entering an economy different from their grandparents that has moved from muscle to mental, or to put it another way, from muscle to microchip. The median annual earnings of boys have dropped significantly.

Third is the crisis of our sons’ education. Over the last fifty years, the percentage of college degrees received by gender completely reversed. Females rose from 39 percent to 61 percent. Males dropped from 61 percent to 39 percent.

Less educated boys are more likely to be unemployed. But this reversal in education also affects marriage. As our sons become less educated, our daughters increasingly desire partners who are more educated.

Finally, there is a crisis of fathering. Boys growing up with less involved or non-involved fathers are more likely to face more social problems. These include dropping out of school, drinking, doing drugs, becoming delinquent, and perhaps even ending up in prison.

Pastors and Christian leaders need to focus attention on this boy crisis. We have church programs and faith-based solutions that build strong marriages and instruct in biblical parenting. The first step is to realize we are facing a boy crisis.