Father Absence, IRS Update For Churches, and Conditions For "No Condemnation"

The deficit of male role models for children, good news for churches out of the IRS, a reply to mudslinging pro-choice religious leaders, how to know which version of Romans 8:1 is correct, and more.

Anthony Langer
July 12, 2025

It’s Saturday, July 12, 2025.

Today’s edition covers the deficit of male role models for children, good news for churches out of the IRS, a reply to mudslinging pro-choice religious leaders, how to know which version of Romans 8:1 is correct, and more.

“Prize [wisdom] highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her.” (Proverbs 4:8)

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Of Christian Concern

NOTES ON THE EFFECTS OF FATHER ABSENCE

Photo: Juan Pablo Serrano

The harm of father absence is well known, and the data only continues to mount. A few recent and not-so-recent studies help to paint the picture of the effects a father’s absence can have on children, especially boys.

Fewer Male Role Models

A New York Times (NYT) piece published last Saturday reports that, since the 1990s, “boys have many fewer male role models in their daily lives.” The article explains,

Working with children has long been considered women’s work... [with] a stigma against men doing it. The share of professional men in children’s lives has decreased even more in recent decades.

Over roughly the same period, single-mother households became more common.

Additionally, “Growing up without a father at home, as one in five children do, particularly disadvantages boys, several studies have shown.”

In a chart, the NYT identifies a list of 19 categories of adults in children’s lives. Women dominate all but three: scout leaders, coaches, and religious leaders.

Effects On IQ

Another study, which the article does not mention, was reported by The Daily Telegraph in 2008: “Children who spend time with their fathers have a higher IQ.” The study, as related by a Northern Ireland well-being program called WELL, spanned 40 years from 1965 to 2005, assessing the participants every few years and comparing them based on paternal involvement, as reported by mothers in 1969, “when the children were about 11 years old.” The results: in addition to some other factors,

The father’s role at age 11 also had an effect on IQ, with greater involvement associated with higher IQ….

There was also a significant effect of paternal involvement on their offspring’s social mobility (at age 42 years), with those who received more fatherly involvement more likely to increase social class…

Effects On Behavior

A study released in June looked at families in Virginia and found, “Boys and girls with involved dads in the Commonwealth get better grades, are less likely to have their parents contacted about behavioral or learning problems at school, and are less likely to be depressed.”

On social media, Christian author Nancy Pearcey chimed in on this conversation with a quote from her 2023 book, The Toxic War on Masculinity:

Research has consistently found that the strongest predictor of whether a boy will end up behind bars is whether he was raised by a single parent.

Dad deprivation has greater impact than race, poverty, or education.

In Fatherless America, sociologist David Blankenhorn writes, “Boys raised by traditionally masculine fathers generally do not commit crimes. Fatherless boys commit crimes.”

Pearcey draws this point:

The sheer number of social problems exhibited by fatherless boys gives the lie to the idea that masculinity is toxic. If it were true, why is it that the greatest risk factor for violence and antisocial behavior in boys is growing up without a father’s presence in their lives?

The Impact of Working Away From Home

A common classic image of family life in the West is that of the father heading out to work for the day while the mother takes care of the home and young children, and older children go off to school. Then, everyone returns to the home in time for dinner, having spent the better part of their waking hours separated. When did this pattern develop?

A recent conversation with the AI chatbot Grok suggests that fathers began to be less involved in the home at the time of the Industrial Revolution:

Before the late 18th century, family life in the West was often centered around agrarian or home-based production. Fathers were typically involved in both work and family care, working alongside their families on farms or in small workshops. For example, during the colonial period in America (1492–1763), fathers were seen as disciplinarian heads of the house, ensuring family sustenance and moral guidance, as noted in sources like The Daily Dad.

The father as the head of the household and as disciplinarian is, of course, an imminently biblical concept (e.g., 1 Corinthians 11:3, Ephesians 6:4). A fascinating and perhaps surprising historical tidbit about pre-Industrial Revolution family life that Grok highlighted was the following revelation about “child-rearing manuals”:

Historical studies, such as those from CBMW, indicate that child-rearing manuals from the 18th century were generally addressed to fathers, not mothers, and fathers were awarded custody in divorces until the early 19th century, highlighting their central role in family life.

In an age when technology makes it increasingly possible for many men to work from home, there may be a chance for the pendulum to swing the other way now and for some children to regain the much-needed, pre-Industrial Revolution benefits of greater father involvement.

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Also Noteworthy

IRS Building in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Carol M. Highsmith / Public Domain)

→ “Family” is the most important value to Americans, with 49 percent of respondents in a recent Gallup poll saying it’s among their top three values. Notably, “faith” came in fifth place, with 26 percent of respondents identifying it as one of the three most important values.

→ Nearly 3 in 10 (29.7%) pregnancies in England and Wales end in abortion, according to new government statistics for 2022. That’s almost one in three children.

→ “IRS ends unconstitutional 70-year gag rule, says churches can speak on politics,” reports Christian businessman and influencer Rod D. Martin in a thread explaining the details of the case. “For the first time in 70 years, pastors can now legally endorse candidates from the pulpit—without risking their church’s tax-exempt status.”

→ The Taliban intervened in an Afghan man’s attempt to marry a 6-year-old, forcing him to wait to take her home until she’s nine. Popular Bible teacher Mike Winger commented, “Mohammed married a girl when she was six and reportedly slept with her when she was nine. When the founder of your religion is a pedophile, it leads to [this].”

→ Christians online, like Allie Beth Stuckey and Robert A. J. Gagnon, have been warning about self-professed Christian and conservative political commentator David French after he recently welcomed a “transgender woman” (a man) to the conservative political magazine The Dispatch, referring to him by his preferred name, Jessica, and preferred pronoun “she.” Renewed alarms have sounded from the likes of journalist Megan Basham after Jordan B. Peterson interviewed French this week. Basham wrote, “Just a reminder, David French works with groups that take hundreds of thousands of dollars from secular left foundations to come into conservative institutions and try to transform them for progressive purposes.” She includes a list of links to reporting on French’s alleged progressivism.

→ Less than half of U.S. Protestant churches practice church discipline, according to a recent Lifeway Research survey. Fifty-four percent (54%) of the over 1,000 pastors interviewed affirmed, “A member has not been formally disciplined since I came as pastor nor prior as far as I know.” That answer was given by 47 percent of Evangelical pastors and 70 percent of Mainline pastors.

Content Catch-Up

Recent notable content of Christian interest.*

My critics’ hands after writing their article

→ Responding to Mudslinging Pro-Abortion Religious Leaders: In two articles this week, I (Anthony Langer) replied to a pro-abortion religious committee that responded to my Courier Journal op-ed with a bad argument followed by a slough of baseless accusations. If you caught my email earlier this week about the first article, don’t miss the second one. (Article #1 | Article #2)

→ Metallicity: A Problem for Secular Cosmology: In a recent article for Biblical Science Institute, Christian apologist and astronomer Dr. Jason Lisle explains how “Metals”—as defined by astronomers—“pose a serious challenge for advocates of the big bang and secular models of galaxy evolution. But they are a feature and natural expectation of biblical creation.” (Article)

→ God in the Texas Flood: In light of the tragic fatal flooding in Texas, Missouri pastor Rich Bitterman answers the question, “Where Was God in the Texas Flood?” (Post). Another online Christian influencer, known as Skeletor, also takes a stab at the question, “Where is God when innocents die?” (Post)

→ Other quick hits:

*Not necessarily an endorsement

The Bible, Briefly

Wait, Romans 8:1 Says WHAT?

An X user recently wondered why many Bible translations have two fewer phrases in Romans 8:1 than others. Let’s break it down.

Many English translations of the Bible (such as NIV, ESV, NASB, etc.) render Romans 8:1 as something like, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” Other translations (such as KJV, NKJV, etc.) include two additional phrases: “who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

So, what gives? Why do many Bibles not include this last part? Are the translators trying to hide part of God’s Word?

External Evidence

No, actually. The issue is that the longer reading does not appear in the earliest New Testament manuscripts, suggesting it was not in the original text.

By way of explanation, the manuscripts generally considered to be the earliest are fragments of New Testament books that were written on papyri. No registered papyrus contains the passage in question or, in fact, any verses from Romans 6:22-8:12. Remember, they are only fragments, with many parts missing. So, we rely on other, often later manuscripts to fill in the gaps.

The earliest manuscripts that have Romans 8:1 are Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus, both from the 4th century A.D. These manuscripts have the shorter reading, translated, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” The earliest manuscripts to include the first additional phrase, “who walk not according to the flesh,” are Codex Alexandrinus (5th century) and Codex Laudianus (8th century). The first manuscripts to add the second additional phrase, “but not according to the Spirit,” are both from the 6th century: “corrected text” versions of Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Bezae.

So, the manuscript evidence has the earlier texts without the last two phrases, lending credibility to the belief that the shorter is the original.

Furthermore, one general principle that scholars use to determine the original text is to prefer a shorter reading unless there is a good reason to do otherwise. Why? Because it is more likely that scribes added things than omitted them. This principle is known as lectio brevior potior (“prefer the shorter reading”).

Internal Evidence

In this case, many scholars believe the reference to the flesh and the Spirit may have been a scribal “harmonization attempt,” borrowing language from Romans 8:4 to make the theology make more sense to them. Unfortunately, in so doing, they may have obscured Paul’s emphasis, which seems to be on Christ’s finished work apart from believers’ efforts. As one online commentary notes,

The longer readings, by adding conditions, suggest that this assurance is contingent on walking according to the Spirit, which could be interpreted as introducing works-based conditions to justification.

Such conditions are not only absent from Paul’s original message but also seem redundant given that Romans 8:4 explicitly addresses the ethical implications of living according to the Spirit. Therefore, the longer variants may represent later scribal attempts to clarify or enforce doctrinal points, rather than reflecting Paul’s original intent.

Read Your Footnotes

So, modern versions are not hiding this teaching but presenting the scholars’ best understanding of what the text initially said. In any case, Bibles often include footnotes that clue the reader in to the variant readings. Read your footnotes!

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Why "18:15"? The name Project 18:15 is based on Proverbs 18:15: “An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.” The aim is for this weekly email—a Christian news briefing, a Bible study, and a Church history lesson rolled into one—to be one way you keep abreast of current events and acquire knowledge you might not acquire elsewhere.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.