The Church is the perfect alternative to Andrew Tate
The Church is the perfect alternative to Andrew Tate
People interested by Tate's message will not take you seriously and will not listen to you if you dismiss every single thing he says.
Andrew Tate is a hedonistic moral degenerate who is a poor role model for young men. It is good to warn men away from his philosophy. We saw this recently when he encouraged white men to impregnate multiple women per year. (Tate's X post contains bad language.) Tate loves to claim "brotherhood" with Christians, yet opposes and even mocks and ridicules a Creation ordinance given in Genesis and reinforced by the Lord Jesus Christ in His earthly ministry: That marriage is the union of one man and one woman.
Before I continue, let me state the obvious. Tate has a white mother and a black father, so you know he is not genuine when he is playing to the "great replacement" theory popular with white supremacists. Tate is a biracial man who bedded a bunch of white women. He would be the first person the white supremacists would hang from a tree if they got the chance, and he knows it. He is trolling for clicks and controversy. It is a grift, people. A total grift.
If we are going to be successful in reducing Tate's influence, we have to offer an alternative, and we have to resist the temptation to claim every single thing he does and says is terrible. Taking the second point first, our culture suffers from father hunger. When Tate tells young men to work hard, be disciplined, exercise to get in physical shape, and be willing to work long hours, that is a message that resonates with men who have been left behind. It is a message that men used to get from their fathers. This is a message that, sadly, young men are not hearing from many churches.
Does Tate personally embody these virtues? Many of Tate's critics do not want to hear this, but it does not matter. Saying things like that gains him followers and makes people vulnerable to believing some of the more toxic things he says. People interested by Tate's message will not take you seriously and will not listen to you if you dismiss every single thing he says. Instead, recognize where his message is correct and helpful, while also explaining why many other things he says are bad and counterproductive.
Then, you must have an alternative message. It is not enough to tell people to turn away from Tate. You have to have a replacement. This is where the Church needs to step up: Teach young men the importance of masculine virtues such as hard work and discipline, as well as fidelity to one woman, the gift of fruitfulness, sobriety, temperance and courage. Against such things there is no law. This will strengthen young men in your church, will be a benefit to their eventual wives and children, and will help the church grow.
Much of what Tate says is toxic, but some of what he says is good advice for men - married and single, young and old. It is far better to hear that message from the Church than from a hedonistic moral degenerate. Disaffected men, especially young men, are a ripe mission field for the Church. We should not be surrendering them to the pagan "manosphere." We should seek them out, as our Shepherd seeks His lost sheep.
Previously: