In recent decades Americans have migrated from television programs like "Father Knows Best" and "Leave it to Beaver," in which fathers were greatly respected, to sitcoms where the father is the target of ridicule as a bumbling, incompetent, out-of-touch, dysfunctional member of the modern family. It has been humorously suggested that the norm of sitcoms goes something like this: Mom is smarter than Dad. The kids are smarter than mom. The dog is smarter than the kids. The cat is smarter than the dog. And the mouse is smarter than the cat. This may provide entertainment and laughs but what kind of toll has loss of fatherhood taken on the family, which is the basic building block of a nation? What is a father? What does he do? Why is he important to the family? Traditionally, fathers have fulfilled four major roles: progenitor, protector, provider and patriarch. PROGENITOR God created us male and female with the instruction to, "Be fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 1:28). He designed man and woman to need each other to fulfill this responsibility (1 Corinthians 11:11-23). The father begets the child; the mother bears it. However, modern science has made it possible to have children without a father. Sperm banks, and perhaps eventually cloning, threaten to redefine the procreation process. So fathers are no longer needed in this traditional sense. PROTECTOR In earlier times it was man (protector of wife and children) against the elements. Men stereotypically have greater strength and stamina than women (1 Peter 3:7). This is by God's design. He equipped the man for his role as family protector. But modern technology has eliminated or reduced many of the former dangers, making life safer and more comfortable. Protection comes from a wide variety of sources as varied as insurance to air bags or policemen to pepper spray. What has happened to fathers? Their protection is not needed in the same way as in earlier times. Will we continue to understand and appreciate fathers as protectors? PROVIDER The responsibility to work and earn a living to provide for one's family is fundamental to God's way of life (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12, 1 Timothy 5:8). For generations the typical scenario involved the husband/father working to provide a living for his family. The wife/mother kept the household going, which often entails harder and longer hours than does outside employment. Then someone discovered that if both husband and wife sought employment, the family would have more income. But this became a Frankenstein monster as the two income family became the norm. This meant that mom and dad both had to work to make ends meet, often to the neglect of the children who became known as "latchkey kids." Since women, in many cases, began working only to supplement the family income, they were willing to work for less money. So now it is often easier for mom to find a job than for dad, with many fathers becoming "house dads" while mom works outside the home to provide for the family out of economic necessity. We are left to wonder, what has happened to fathers? PATRIARCH The Bible offers a patriarchal model for families, with the husband and father as the head of the household (1 Corinthians 11:2), assisted by the mother as a competent domestic manager (1 Timothy 5:14, Titus 2:5). A wise father respects, appreciates and honors a mother's wise and competent daily administration of the home (Proverbs 31:10-31). The family unit forms the basis of God's plan as well as humanity's relationship with Him as our Father. Unfortunately, even this basic family structure is widely challenged and often rejected today. Some children today live with two parents of the same sex. What kind of impact does all this have on the family? Statistical studies indicate that "children who live absent from their biological fathers, on average, are more likely to be poor, experience educational, health, emotional and psychological problems, be victims of child abuse, and engage in criminal behavior than their peers who live with their married, biological mother and father" (theparentingchat.com). The crisis of fatherhood is a major factor in the demise of civilizations and happy, stable families. You owe it to yourself and to your family to find out what the Bible teaches about how to have a happy, successful family.