Had a chance to see the new Superman movie Man of Steel and it was awesome, I really enjoyed it! If the word “epic” has lost its meaning in the throes of recent summers, Man of Steel redefines it. I loved the original superman movies and still do, but this reboot by Zack Snyder (Director of 300) left me wanting more. I haven’t seen a good Superman move since the Christopher Reeves series.

But with all the recent superhero movies, I walked out with some deeper questions.

Is Superman relevant today?

Why is the demand for superhero movies on the rise?

Superman, Spiderman, Batman, Ironman and the list goes on. For me personally, Superman has always trumped the rest of them as I am a big Superman fan. Of course the Superman comic book hero is not real but he can inspire us; and that fact alone may be the secret of his years of success.

Ok, back to the questions. It seems that all superhero movies have a very consistent theme, do you know what it is?

These guys are fatherless!!!

These superheroes were raised by someone other than their original parents. Superman was raised by adoptive parents, only to have his human father die in his arms. Spiderman was raised by his Aunt and Uncle, only to watch his Uncle die in his arms. Batman was raised by his butler Alfred, etc. Perhaps deep inside they are all hoping to still hear those words that all men want to hear from the dads, “I’m proud of you, son.”

What if I told you that there is a “Superman” in real life. What if I told you he’s called a Dad.

Not just any dad. I am talking about a dad who hopefully stays married to his wife (I blew this one) and raises his children to follow God and to be responsible – a dad who is a Godly role model and leader in the home. Not sure about you, but to me, that is a Superman.

There was a time in the American story where that description was the norm. But in our current upside-down culture, fathers are MIA. We are in danger of becoming a fatherless society and I believe that this is the cause of many of the social ills in this country today.

In the 1960’s, less than 6 million children lived in single-parent families. Today, that number is 22 million and spiraling out of control.

Lets take a look at the landscape (and this is a short list):

• 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes – 5 times the average. [US Dept. Of Health/Census]
• 90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes – 32 times the average. [US D.H.H.S., Bureau of the Census]
• 85% of all children who show behavior disorders come from fatherless homes – 20 times the average. [Center for Disease Control]
• 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes – 9 times the average. [National Principals Association Report on the State of High Schools]
• 43% of US children live without their father [US Department of Census]
• 80% of rapists motivated with displaced anger come from fatherless homes. [Criminal Justice & Behaviour, Vol 14, pp. 403-26, 1978]
• 71% of pregnant teenagers lack a father. [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services press release, Friday, March 26, 1999]
• 75% of adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers come from fatherless homes. [Rainbows f for all God’s Children]
• 70% of juveniles in state operated institutions have no father. [US Department of Justice, Special Report, Sept. 1988]
• 85% of youths in prisons grew up in a fatherless home. [Fulton County Georgia jail populations, Texas Department of Corrections, 1992]

Lois Lane: What’s the S stand for?
Superman: It’s not an S. On my world it means hope.

Being a Dad, brings hope. Lets face it, Dad’s who are leaders in the home, fully present and engaged in the lives of their families are the real superheroes!

All you dad’s out there…are you reflecting Jesus to your kids? Are you willing to stand up for them? Are you willing to give it all for your family?

Now is the time to man up, because our kids need us more than ever. Our kids need a man of God in their lives, a role model, a mentor, someone to say “I’m proud of you”, someone to have their back, someone to fight for their hearts, someone to affirm them and someone to show them the love of Christ. Not just anyone…they need their dad!

I almost blew it, but God gave me another chance. So whats it gonna be?

Men, are you ready to man up and be a superhero at home?