That stupid fool I saw parked at the motel has just shown up in the left front pew of our wonderful church.   You know, the he’s the one that just filed bankruptcy, barely avoided jail on fraud charges, and has all the child abuse accusations to deal with.  I will bet that I can get him to stand up and admit that he is guilty, guilty, guilty!  Welcome to our Father’s Day celebration here at our good ole’ church.  Would the fathers of our church please stand.  Told you!  We will get to admit his guilt in just a moment!  

What is wrong with our ministers that requires them, every Father’s Day, to issue a blistering indictment of fathers.  I am annually amazed that the same sermon gets preached, by the same well paid, well educated group of ministers. Don’t they realize the damage they do with their well meaning but, misguided reenforcement of the media stereo types of fathers and fatherhood.   Are these misguided annual attempts to correct all male moral problems indicative of our ministers opinion of all Fathers?  Do ministers not have enough respect for good Christian fathers to allow them one Sunday of Christian respect, thanks, encouragement, and support.  The encouragement to strive to become a good Christian father?

I can’t find any time in the history of our nation that would suggest that we need strong families, strong mothers, and strong Christian fathers.  The very community leaders that we would expect to lead the demand for good parents apparently can‘t or won’t describe the characteristics of a good father. The words used in the pulpits usually paint a highly negative view of men.  Where is the incentive for young men to become good fathers?

Let me change the tone of this note and state, being a good father today has to be one of the most difficult jobs on earth.  There is no support in modern media to describe or support a man as a good father.   Churches and schools do little to educate young men to meet the challenges of fatherhood.  There is little effort made to describe the qualities of a loving, compassionate, male family leader that would be described as a Christian father.

There was a time when entertainment and public media was required to follow minimal standards of moral behavior.  Families and parents were displayed in positive terms.  Father Knows Best.  Not so today.  Such roles are viewed as archaic.   A good father is an exception in today’s media.  We have many very good fathers, mothers andparents that are dedicated to raising their children to be moral, responsible, individuals.  They are attempting to raise children that must survive in an increasingly immoral world.   A world that permits just about anything in the media, requires at least two attorneys and a jury to determine legal from illegal but, can’t tell right from wrong.  

What my generation was taught was immoral is now dismissed to prevent offending someone.  It is a tough time to be a parent and yet, many of the religious leaders of our community can’t or, won’t, describe and celebrate a good father or mother.  

May I offer my sincere thanks to all good fathers for being there for their children.  I would like to express, my appreciation to each of you for being willing to work to prepare your children for adult life.  It is understood that you put your family first and I want to express the hope that, on Fathers Day, you received, and will continue to receive, the well deserved appreciation for accepting the roll of father a loving Dad.  Thanks for the knee to ride, the pat on the back and parts south, for your words of wisdom. Thanks for your willingness to make the difficult decisions that will be celebrated years from now.  Thanks for the love you give your family.

Foot note: My word processing system did not like the use of the gender specific word Father or Fathers.  It suggest the use of a politically correct “Parents” instead.  

Ed Tyler lives in Pell City. He may be reached at ed@edtylerinc.com