“We should not have women in combat roles,” said Pete Hegseth in a recent interview. His comments went viral just after President-elect Trump named him the nominee for Secretary of Defense in his administration.
Hegseth’s comments resonate with the Christian worldview. In the Old Testament, men served in the army of Israel, and women did not (Numbers 1:45). Women showed themselves capable of self-defense and even battlefield acts, as in the heroic examples of Jael and Deborah (Judges 4-5). However, the norm in Israel was men putting their lives on the line to defend and protect women.
That aside, the constitution of men is a summons to action. According to studies, men have, on average, 50 to 60 percent more upper body strength than women, 2,000 to 3,000 percent more testosterone, considerably stronger spatial ability, such as estimating and mentally manipulating objects moving in space, and greater compartmentalization focus for intensive physical tasks.
God’s design of men tells us something about His expectations for men. War is terrible, but men are suited for the call in ways that women, in general, are not. Of course, that does not mean women are inferior to men; the Bible teaches no such idea. With that said, the martial capabilities of men summon them to a life of courage and protection.
In the simplest form, men must stand between women (and children) and those who would do them harm. This conviction flies in the face of pagan gender ideology. As I detail in my book The War on Men, no less a cultural authority than the American Psychological Association declared “risk” and “violence” as key elements of “toxic masculinity.”
But a new day is dawning. Many now understand that, in normal terms, it is good for men to be physically capable of protecting others. In preparation for this role, the formation of a man’s godly character ordinarily begins in the home. Masculine protection is not merely to be taught on a whiteboard but modeled by a father. Neither is it about the body, first and foremost. Though the body matters, masculine protection is a spiritual commitment grounded in a man’s walk with Christ.
A godly protector is the type of man who loves to wrestle with his boys, sweep his daughters up for a hug, and listen tenderly to his wife when she is battling anxiety. Like his Savior, Jesus Christ, he loves and strives to bless the people entrusted to him.
In our time, we need to call men back to this standard. In doing so, we will not only protect the innocent, whether near or abroad. We will help to rebuild the foundations of our culture and society.