It is said of Boswell, the famous biographer of Samuel Johnson, that he often referred to a special day in his childhood when his father took him fishing. His father’s sweet tutelage that day captured the imagination of his young mind. He often reflected upon many of the things his father taught him during that fishing experience. Much later, having heard of the trip so often, it occurred to a researcher to check his father’s journal and discover what he wrote about the fishing trip. Turning to the date, the reader found only one sentence entered: “Gone fishing today with my son; a day wasted.”

 

A father teaches profound lessons in the most mundane activities. No matter how much he abandons his responsibilities, a father will impact the lives of his children.

 

The last word of the Old Testament is the word “curse” (Mal. 4:6, NASB). This curse was the direct result of fathers not turning their hearts towards their children and visa versa. Whenever we see the word “curse”, we envision medieval magicians standing over boiling pots of bat’s wings and eyes of newts. However, the Bible describes a curse much more realistically. It is contrasted with the word “blessing” (Deut. 28). Deuteronomy shows different results of curses, such as; confusion (v20), rebuke (v20), destruction (v20), ruin (v20), disease (v21), draught (v24), defeat (v25), death (v26), various dermatitis (v27), insanity (v28), blindness (v29), confusion (v28), failure (v29), loss of possessions (v30), captivity of your family (v32), helplessness (v32), ridicule (v37), little harvests (v38), infestation (v42), humiliation (v43), slavery (v44), hunger (v48), thirst (v48), nakedness (v48), poverty (v48), cannibalism (v53), hardness of heart (v54), no resting place (v65), fatigue (v65), despair (v65), and dread (v66).

 

However, just because cursing from God was true for ancient Israel, doesn’t mean that it is true for us. It could be unique only to the old covenant. Yet, if perhaps there is a broader application, it might provide one possible explanation for the social evils with which America is dealing. To see if there is a broader application of this verse, a question that might be asked is, “Does fatherlessness have similar consequences to those listed above on society today?”

 

According to David Popenoe of Rutgers University (1993), “Yes.” He writes, “I know a few other bodies of data in which the weight of evidence is so decisively on the side of the issue: on the whole, for children, two-parent families are preferable… If our prevailing view on family structure hinged solely on scholarly evidence, the current debate never would have arisen in the first place.”

  

This pattern is vividly seen in studying the tyrants of history. For instance, Joseph Stalin was born Dec. 21^st, 1879. He was an only child. His mother was very young. She had a reputation for being indulgent with young Joseph. She lived only for her son. His father was an alcoholic. He died in a drunken brawl when he was only 11 years old. So, his mother was forced to support the family.

 

His mother wanted him to be a priest. He went to seminary and had a bad experience with a seminary professor. This drove him to Marxism. He married and they soon conceived a child. The wife died upon giving birth. So, he gave the child to his grandparents. He married a second time, then drove her to suicide. His daughter once said, “My father was a bad and neglectful son, and he was a bad and neglectful father.” As a result of these bleak beginnings, he promoted collectivism to raise children. And, he claughtered millions in order to protect his tyrannical rule.

 

Mao Tse-Tung was born in 1893. He had parents who were peasants. He had a doting mother and a harsh and violent father. He later said in an interview, “I learned to hate my father.” His mother wanted him to become a Buddhist priest. As he grew, he became like the man he hated (his father). He was married 3 times, and had numerous mistresses. He sired numerous children. He was distant and neglectful toward them all. He fathered the Chinese Revolution when he couldn’t father his own children. Twenty to forty million people would have been spared his philosophies if his father w would have turned toward his son. Interestingly, he separated children from their parents, too.

 

Adolf Hitler was born in 1889. His father was illegitimate. His father died when he was 14 years old. He was raised by an over-indulgent mother who lived only for her little son. He did not have a trade and didn’t know how to support himself. He tried to be an artist. His mother supported him while he indulged in his fantasies. He had a vile temper and hated all established authority. He presided over the death of 6 million Jews and millions of others. He committed suicide with his mistress (most people believe). He fostered youth camps to raise children which would bring in the super race.

 

Jim Jones was born to poor parents. His father was sickly (possibly an alcoholic). The family was supported by his mother. At 14 he was without his father, and grew up basically unsupervised. His mother was away at a factory most of the time. He had a second mother named Myrtle Kennedy who discipled him in the Nazarene faith. He quickly learned how to manipulate and use women. His sex life became atrocious. He had two illegitimate children. His son once said, “He was bisexual.” Later he confessed, “I can almost say I hate this man, because he destroyed everything I’ve always stood for.” He was responsible for slaughtering 900 people that trusted him for leadership.

 

Max Jukes was an atheist who lived during the time of Jonathan Edwards. He was an atheist who lived a godless life. He married, and of their descendants 310 died as paupers, 150 were criminals, 7 were murderers, 100 were drunkards, and more than half of the women were prostitutes. His 540 descendants cost the state $1,250,000.000 by 1990 standards.

 

These sketches reveal a haunting similarity between these men, they all lacked a responsible father. Until the 60’s, one of the ways people recognized a good candidate for public office was the way they dealt with their family. It is interesting that President Clinton had a similar upbringing to many of the world’s tyrants. And the 1988 presidential campaigns, when he was accused of infidelity, the press maintained that it was “irrelevant” to the presidency. Though the issue was never resolved, the media chose not to see that a man who would fornicate on his wife (whom he supposedly loved), would probably fornicate on his constituency (which he has never met).

 

How much heartache might have been avoided in history, if the heart of one father would have turned toward their child. This is particularly true when one contrasts these men with Jonathan Edwards. Edwards lived in the 18^th century as a great preacher during the Great Awakening. He authored the most famous sermon ever penned on American soil, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. Being a busy pastor, evangelist, preacher, and eventual college president, did not prevent him from being an excellent husband and father. Consequently, out of his 1,394 known descendants 13 became college presidents, 65 college professors, 3 United State’s Senators, 30 judges, 100 lawyers, 60 physicians, 75 army and navy officers, 100 preachers and missionaries, 60 authors of prominence, one vice-president of the U.S., 80 public officials, and 295 college graduates in many stations.

 

However, this does not suggest that salvation comes by fathering (patria salva). There are some illustrations of exemplary parents who had their children turn out badly. There are also examples of neglectful parents who had great children. The salvation of a son or daughter, as well as a nation, comes only by the grace of God applying the finished work of Christ to the believer (sola Christo). The only hope of a nation as well as a family is allegiance to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Fathering cannot break the power of sin. Fathering cannot write God’s law on the heart. Fathering cannot ensure a lively faith.

 

However, we can be confident from the lessons of history, that if we become skillful fathers, we may be able to be salt to society and prevent unspeakable harms as conduits of God’s saving grace. We are not guaranteed that this will be His appointed means for bringing salvation to our children or the nation. But, we are assured that as we are obedient to Him, He will use us to accomplish His will. 

 

SOURCE:

Popenoe, D. (1993). American Family Decline, 1960-1990: A review and appraisal. Journal of Marriage and Family. pp. 527-555.