Perusing through my feeds, I came across a story about four young men who demonstrated authentic manhood. Four skateboarders (Arnaud Nimenya, Carsyn Wright, James Hielema and Starlyn Rivas-Perez) displayed courage and bravery when they stepped into a horrific situation where a man was sexually assaulting a woman. They not only stopped the attack by scaring him off…they pursued him and held him down until police arrived to arrest him.

I remember earlier this year, another horrific story of rape, where Stanford University varsity swimmer Brock Turner was convicted for sexually assaulting a woman on campus behind a dumpster. The impact letter of the victim (known as 23-year-old “Emily Doe”) is gut wrenching, but she highlights two men from Sweden who demonstrated authentic manhood. They noticed what was going on,they intervened and tackled Brock…ending the assault.

No self-respecting man would stand by and let anyone mistreat a woman…he would take swift action to defend her.

Let me be clear, authentic men DO NOT rape (or harm in any way) women, they PROTECT them!

As boys take their journey into manhood, it’s so critical that they have a man with a solid moral compass to sherpa them along the way. Young men will be confronted on every front to make life choices that will define them. It’s such an awesome testament when a man chooses integrity and abstains from doing wrong when the temptation is great and opportunity is abundant.

When a man has an intersection with evil, the easiest thing for him to do is to do nothing. As an authentic man, you are the warrior who has been charged with the duty of pushing back against the evil that seeks to prey on your wife, daughters, and yes your sons. Guys…if you don’t rise up and confront evil, who will?

Men, do you actively talk to your sons about peer pressure realities such as; dating, sex, pornography, alcohol, and the crazy stuff culture is throwing at them? Do you actively demonstrate to your daughters how a young man is to take care of them, what they should expect from a guy, and how to deal with sexual overtures? Do you intentionally meet with their dates and make it clear that you expect him to keep his hands off your daughter?

Let’s huddle up gents so we can bring it all back in. For every male who wants to violate and dispose of a woman like a worthless rag doll, there is a man who will cherish her for the treasure she is, recognizing her as a daughter of the most High King. As men, it’s our job to protect women regardless of what they’re wearing or how much they had to drink. Authentic men are warriors who protect, not rape. Authentic men are warriors with battlefield vision to assess dangers that are coming so he can always be prepared, because he is never off duty.

I know this article won’t just end the awful rape culture that exists in humanity, but I hope it’s a punch in the eye to fathers out there that they have an important role in the upbringing of their sons. So let there be controversy, let there be discussion and let people everywhere never forget what is happening to our women by these predators!

Again, authentic men DO NOT rape women and BETTER men don’t stay quiet.

Guys, our Heavenly Father designed us with a moral code to confront evil wherever it rears its ugly head. To stand for truth and embrace the standards of authentic manhood. When men don’t embrace these beliefs they become neutered by culture’s narrative and won’t step forward to protect. In the absence of authentic men pushing back against evil, the culture will continue its downward spiral becoming increasingly shameless.

Do not be overcome by evil…step up and overcome evil with good. Arnaud Nimenya, Carsyn Wright, James Hielema, Starlyn Rivas-Perez and the two men from Sweden; in a culture that sadly encourages casual sex, demeaning women and rape culture, we salute you for stepping up and showing us that there are still good authentic men out there!