It's no secret fathers are a dying breed. Not actually fathering a child but being a father. Men who have been called by God to lead their families and their children according to Scripture.

In Doug Wilson's book Father Hunger, he addresses the call to being a father based on God's Word and His example as the perfect Father.

If you're looking for a how-to on parenting, you should probably consult a different book. What I really appreciated about this book is that it pulled the precepts for being a godly father from Scripture and didn't give step-by-step instructions. I have learned by being a father that since no two children are the same, step-by-step instructions would have to change with each child.

What really stood out to me from this book is how from page 1 Wilson has you hooked drawing on insight from the Bible. You didn't have to read through 2-3 chapters of filler to get to good content. From the first chapter on egalitarianism, he addresses the problem of this fatherless generation and it builds from there.

I don't always agree with Wilson's approach. He's never been accused of being timid or shy. In fact he's quite confident, bold and even a bit sarcastic at times but overall he is honest and diligent about his work. But that's why I like reading and listening to him.

Over all, while this book may not appeal to unbelievers or those who sit on the liberal side of the fence, it is a good,informative read for the diagnosis of a major problem in our culture.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

Just how important is fatherhood anyway? Our culture has no answer as it can't think of one good reason for fatherhood beyond the biological one. For that matter, many fathers can't add any more items to the list. Shall we listen to our culture? I'm not sure what our listless age has to commend to itself to be our guide. God, as the Master Designer, is left out of our thinking and the consequences are horrific. That's where one of the most incredible books on fathers I have ever read comes into play. "Father Hunger" by Douglas Wilson is profound and greatly impacted me. Every page was like the hard steel blades of the plow tilling through the soil of my heart.

What Mr. Wilson was able to accomplish in this volume is rarely done. When the subtitle proclaims "Why God calls men to love and lead their families", the book actually delivers on the "why." Few books can give us the big picture and get especially practical as well. As an avid reader, it's my opinion that most authors can give us only one or the other. Mr. Wilson, with verve, skill, and a pastoral heart actually pulls it off.

With deftness he upholds the essential equality of men and women while showing that the Lord, again the Master Designer, has assigned men and women different roles. That will probably keep this book off the New York Times Bestseller List, but it will have the smile of Heaven for its Biblical faithfulness. God is Father, so do you imagine in His design fathers would have a non-essential role? Ladies, don't panic–Mr. Wilson never gives men power to be selfish brats, just power to love and be unselfish and sacrifice himself for his family. Listen to this incredible statement on men taking responsibility: "... to take on a lifetime of sacrifice and hard work. A man who takes a woman to the altar is going there to die to himself. But that is all right because it is not good for man to be alone."

He looks at our country and where it is today and sees the absent father as the biggest culprit for the mess we are in. From fathers who provide the seed for a child and vanish to the fathers who live at the same address and mostly do their own thing in life, we have a generation of absentee fathers. The Lord designed everyone to need a father. A father's loving hand is needed in the life of every child. He says, "Your actual pursuits are a running scoreboard. They reveal what you actually prize." Are you challenged here? I am.

He shows how feminism, or the dire warnings of overpopulation, or the design of the welfare system, or the plea for gay marriage are all direct attacks on fatherhood. It also a direct attack on what every one of us needs to thrive as God intended. Statistics on everything from crime to education are given. The jury is in and the verdict says that homes without fathers are destroying children today. Without a Dad they will much more likely be a school dropout or be in prison. Also, the worst we see out of men comes from not encouraging them to settle down, accept responsibility, and protect their family. He shows how God is masculine (not male) and how masculinity (defined with care) is needed all around.

There's so much more, but this review is getting ridiculously long. For the practical side, the chapter "Some Father Mechanics" is worth the price of the book alone. I saw my lack all over its pages. Thank you Mr. Wilson. If no one else needed your book, I did.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 .

Three months from yesterday, I'm due to be a father. And Wilson has me pegged when he writes, "it is likely that a number of readers have felt simultaneously encouraged and overwhelmed." (198)

In his book, Father Hunger, Wilson seeks to re-establish the "high calling" of biblical fatherhood by pointing our society's fathers away from the aloof "sitcom-dad" and back towards God the Father.

While this high calling of fatherhood is, at times, overwhelming, the strength of Father Hunger is in recognizing that a father's strength comes from the Father. "Theology undergirds everything," he argues, "how we think of God the Father will drive how we think of all fathers." (189) Therefore, Wilson contends, our culture's incorrect understanding and view of God the Father is the source of not just our familial but also our cultural woes (educational, vocational, financial, political, etc...).

Hope in Imitation:

Wilson writes with a pointed hope which finds its foundation in the good news of Christ. "Our comfort is that the author of this great disaster story wrote Himself into the very center of that disaster, that He might carry the weight of it Himself." (58)

Because "the way children really follow a father is by means of imitation" (186), we, as fathers, are to imitate God the father so our children (whether physical or spiritual) might see what He has done on our behalf (cf. 1 Cor 11:1; 1 Peter 1:16):

The hands of fathers are there for provision (which means openhanded giving), and also to protect. For the former we may read through the gospel of John again and see what the Father has done with His hands–He gives and gives again. For the latter, we can look at the hands of Christ and see the nail prints still. (197-198)

Experienced Writing:

Wilson's years of experience are clearly evidenced in his masterful writing. Having mastered the tools of logic and illustration, Wilson simultaneously simplifies and expands one's understanding of otherwise difficult-to-grasp concepts. Here he explains how treating men and women differently (as is done in a complementarian gender roles) does not diminish the value of either:

When two things are the same we tend to treat them the same. But if we treat two things the same, it does not follow that they are the same. If we found two hammers on the workbench, we wouldn't have any trouble picking up either one of them to do the job–because we intend to treat them exactly the same. But it does not follow from this that if we should treat something the same (in a legal setting) they must, therefore, be the same. A man might be called up to take care of all his tools, treating them all with the same kind of respect. But treating a hammer with respect and a screwdriver with respect means treating them differently–you don't twist screws with a hammer, and you don't try to drive nails with the handle of a screwdriver. (6)

Concluding Thoughts:

While there are days I am overwhelmed by the practical implications of what it means to be a father, the encouragement of Father Hunger is in its dependence upon scripture and God as the only perfect father. My responsibility, then, is to seek Him first–and make sure my children (and my wife) see me doing so.

I fully expect this book to become well-worn by the time I reach empty-nester status. I highly recommend it to future or present fathers of both physical and spiritual children (read: all men).

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I received this book as part of Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze blog reviewer program.

"Most of our families are starving for fathers, even if Dad is around, and there's a huge cost to our children and our society because of it," says Douglas Wilson, author of Father Hunger: Why God Calls Men to Love and Lead their Families. He addresses some fundamental questions. What is fatherhood? Where did it come from? What does it mean? What is it for? Who cares?

True fatherhood begins with worship and finds its meaning in our heavenly Father according to Wilson, and this belief is the basis of the entire book.

As one can expect from Douglas Wilson, Father Hunger is full of illuminating concepts. Not only are men assigned to the father role of provider and protector, but fatherhood is basic to all human relationships. Fathers are much more important than they believe themselves to be, and this book goes a long ways towards showing them just how crucial they are. Atheism, education, economics, poverty, crime, politics, feminism, and America's weight problem are all related to fathers. Missing fathers. Distant fathers. Mistaken fathers. Uncertain fathers. All contribute to the father ache that is a "jagged hole in this generation's soul."

God our Father is central to life, faith, fatherhood, and society. Understanding what He says about Himself (as in a tip-of-the- iceberg analysis of the book of John), worshipping Him, and living for Him are fundamental to curing our culture's father hunger. This is true for men who are fathers as well as for those who miss their fathers. It is also the key to preventing more father hunger.

There's a lot here for fathers to learn. There's a lot for mothers, pastors, politicians, sons, and daughters to learn, too. And it all centers around God our Father who 'calls men to love and lead their families.'

Do note that Wilson doesn't leave fathers in despair over their high calling and dismal failures. He encourages them to find wisdom and understanding from God. He reminds them that God is generous, that we must all focus on 'being before doing', and that 'a father should be a father in the presence of God first' before he sets out to change his family.

This is one of the most important books I've reviewed in the past year. If read, remembered, and applied, it would lead to dramatic and life-giving change in individuals, families, and society. I highly recommend Father Hunger to all Christian families. Non-Christians could benefit, too, but they would need to change some of their fundamental beliefs.

Douglas Wilson has a message many don't want to hear today: men and women are different, and each make important and unique contributions to society. Father Hunger is about the importance of men; particularly, masculine men. Men are a society's providers and protectors, and godly men will lead and exercise authority through gladly assuming sacrificial responsibility. When a culture destroys these aspects of malehood, men will ultimately destroy that culture.

Proper masculinity has to be taught to men. Boys and young men need positive male role models to look up to because being self-controlled and responsible is neither easy nor intuitive. When these youngsters are not taught how to constructively contribute to society, they opt for destructive behavior. Sadly, such destructive behavior has been politically encouraged in the West as a means of making people easier to control. Men are encouraged to be sexually lax, to beget but not care for children, to shirk their responsibilities and let the state take care of matters, etc. However, hope is not lost.

Christian men can make a difference in society by modelling godly manhood to others. This is done by fulfilling their God-given roles, by honoring and obeying God, by discipling children, by working for free markets, and by reclaiming the doctrine of vocation, etc. It is only by turning back to God and His ways that society can be healed and become free and prosperous again. The alternative is the totalitarian nightmare that looms on the horizon.

Father Hunger does a great job of outlining "Why God Calls Men to Love and Lead Their Families," as its subtitle states. I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking to understand the "whats" and "whys" of responsible manhood. What I would like to see Mr. Wilson do now is follow this book with one that answers the "how," giving men without godly examples some more detailed practical steps to take to grow in masculinity and their high calling of fatherhood. Many men around me have expressed the desire to have some "how-to" instructions, and Mr. Wilson may be just the man to help them.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.