I’ve been a pastor for 40 years. Young men are struggling and I think I know why

Young men face a formation crisis, not toxic masculinity, as traditional mentorship and community structures have disintegrated, leaving them struggling without guidance.

But when discussing how and why young men seem to have lost their way, we tend to over-focus on the problem and over-simplify the solution.  Men need loving, mature, stable relationships with people who care about them and can guide them well.  Russ Ewell is executive minister of the Bay Area Christian Church. A minister for more than 40 years, Russ’s teaching is rooted in providing hope for those turned off by tradition, and infused with vision for building the transformative church for which the 21st century public hungers.

One in four of American young men report feeling lonesome. Many of them have either been excluded from or dropped out of their generation’s dating scene.

Their educational attainment and motivation continue to fall further and further behind those of their female peers. Suicide rates among men — and especially young men — are growing at alarming rates. They’re also worryingly prone to political and religious radicalization.