There is little question today about our culture being deeply divided. Anti-Christian ideologies in the form of secularism, feminism, critical race theory, and more have worked to isolate people into groups which are then pitted against one another. Furthermore, these ideologies are all working to destroy God’s institutions of marriage and family, primarily by blaming white, politically conservative Christian males for all the alleged evils in the world. It is of little wonder that these men find themselves increasingly isolated and angry at the culture. To that end, some ostensibly Christian groups are seeking to recruit these young men into their ranks to push back in the culture war. While that may seem admirable on the surface, the issue for the church is what manner these men should be trained up and put to work.

In his first letter to Timothy, Paul lays out the biblical qualifications for elders. While the question at hand is not one of eldership, Paul does state that aspiring to the office of overseer is a noble task (see 1 Tim. 3:1). In other words, men should seek to model themselves in such a way that they would meet the qualities that are found in Scripture for an elder. Such growth and maturity are noble qualities to be sought after. Included in those qualifications is the command that such a man “must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil” (3:6). While youth in and of itself is not the problem (see 1 Tim. 4:12), the youthful zeal that is often found in young men is not sufficient to be an elder; there must be a growth in one’s maturity, wisdom, and humility. The danger of youthful zeal is that it can, and often does, lead to pride and arrogance. And in that pride, young men can do great damage to themselves and those around them.

Youthful zeal may seem a much-desired possession. Many young men filled with energy and bravado have accomplished great feats throughout history. The problem is not so much the zeal itself but that, apart from maturity and wisdom, one can end up being like a monkey with a machine gun. The monkey has great power and energy, but zero concept of the weapon it holds in its hands. He has little to no understanding of the danger. He does not know how to aim, and he does not even understand what target he should shoot at. Even if aimed in the right direction, while the monkey may successfully take out the enemy, he is just as likely to hurt himself and those who equipped him with the deadly instrument. Zeal without that wisdom and maturity can be a tool that seeks to satisfy whatever whims come to mind to an angry young man. It can be a means of self-service cloaked in religiosity.

A good example of this can be found in King Rehoboam’s counselors (see 1 Kings 12:6-11). The king sought the counsel of the older men, those who had served his father before him, who encouraged him to show grace and mercy to his people. Not satisfied with their advice, he turned to the young counselors who charged him to act as a vengeful tyrant in order to keep the people in line. Rehoboam heeded their wicked counsel and the result was the nation of Israel being split in two. The youthful zeal of the young counselors seemed right in their own eyes, but it lacked godly wisdom that Solomon’s counselors had developed in their years of serving the wiser king. They thought themselves smarter and more capable, but they brought about division and destruction because they rejected maturity and godliness.

Such is the place in which the church currently finds itself. Today, we stand amid a culture war where the dominant thoughts of our day seek to destroy the very foundations that once made our nation great. Godless ideologies have targeted every institution established by God to tear them down and rebuild the culture in its own image. Many young men, and women, in the church or who walk adjacent to the church in their ideologies want to push back and restore things as they once were. However, much like Rehoboam’s counselors, they can be prone to being motivated by pride and anger rather than the holiness of God. The church must not encourage this kind of unchecked zeal, rather it must teach them to temper their emotions through humility, meekness, and holiness.

In his teaching on the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus confronted his listeners about their anxieties over their daily provisions (see Matt. 6:25-34). They spent untold hours consumed in worry over things such as clothing and food, things which Jesus assured them God would provide. He commanded them, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you “(6:33). It is not that his hearers should not desire to be clothed and fed, but that they should make their primary concern serving God’s kingdom in righteousness. Pursuing that which pleases God, living in holiness, and proclaiming the gospel (which ensured the spread of his kingdom) was to be the occupying concern for their lives. God would provide for all their needs, they need not be anxious about the days, months, or years to come. That fell solely on God’s sovereign decree and rule. And he taught this during a time when the Roman Empire ruled over the nations with an iron fist.

In the same manner, the church must teach the young angry men whom we encounter during the culture war that their greatest need is to humble themselves before Christ and seek his salvation. We must call them to walk in righteousness, growing in wisdom and meekness, serving and worshipping God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength. And, as they grow, entrusting them to serve within the church in whatever way God equips them. With such growth in maturity, they know to temper their emotions and to engage the culture at large, not just to stamp out the wicked ways of the world just to enforce their whims upon the nation, but to evangelize the lost, making disciples in a broken world. Rather than turning loose a bunch of wild monkeys with dangerous weapons, we are training and equipping spiritual soldiers to serve God via his wisdom and power. The church cannot be satisfied merely to recruit angry young men and do little else. It must humble itself to trust that God’s ways are higher than ours and to equip these men to serve accordingly.

Note: This article was also published at X.com.