With the rise of cancel culture, a Christian author lamented efforts to rewrite America's history by rejecting the memories of those individuals who were instrumental for the building of the nation.
In his article on The Christian Post, Mark Hancock, an author and the CEO of Trail Life USA, said that boys used to be fascinated with the stories of American heroes, such as John Glenn, Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett. Americans would also celebrate the heroic deeds of its founding fathers, including Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, William Clark and Meriwether Lewis.
But Hancock observed that the people today choose to focus on the failures of these men instead of their achievements for the country.
"Today, rather than exalting men for their significant contributions, our culture is dismissing the heroism of fathers and forefathers and choosing instead to emphasize their shortcomings. Statues of men are disappearing as history is rewritten to cater to sanitized non-toxic definitions of masculinity," he said.
NPR revealed that the death of George Floyd ignited the removal of 168 Confederate symbols across the country last year, 94 of which are monuments. This action began in 2015, after Dylann Roof, labeled a White supremacist, massacred nine Black worshippers at a church in Charleston, South Carolina.
Critics contended that removing or replacing these Confederate figures translates to erasing the country's history but a survey reportedly rejected this concept, saying that the moment has come for these symbols to be removed.
Hancock stressed that instead of looking at real-life role models, "boys are disappearing into fantasy" by turning to superheroes.
He then recalled Theodore Roosevelt's statement, underscoring the relevance of a nation's "glorious history," despite its failures.
He also reminded Americans about the hard work and determination of their forefathers just to gain their freedom.
"The words written into the Constitution and the Bill of Rights express the ideals and accomplishments of life as the founders themselves experienced it. These are not documents of intangible ideas, but the results of pragmatism and hard work put into words that express a revolutionary concept of democratic living," he added.
"Where do boys engage with these founding experiences that made our country great? Where can they encounter men who embody this courage, risk, and innovative thinking?" the author continued.
Further, he argued that rewriting the country's history, simply due to its heroes' mistakes, will only lose their legacy.
"As leaders of boys, we should embrace the heroism that built this nation and be dedicated to encouraging godly young men full of character and leadership potential. If we erase our history in an attempt to get rid of the shortcomings of our forefathers, we invariably lose the legacy of their greatness," he said.
He pointed out that even the men of the Bible, such as Abraham, David, Samson, Elijah, Jonah, Noah, Moses and Peter, were flawed themselves and failed many times but were able to achieve great things. These, he said, are the stories that boys need to hear.
In conclusion, the author urged the Americans to remember and be grateful to the builders of their nation and tell their stories to children for them to learn and adopt the "positive defining attributes" of their forefathers "that made [their] nation great."
Hancock was a former youth and associate pastor. He also taught in some colleges, having two Master Degrees in Mental Health Counseling.
