Counterfeit masculinity

“If all your children come from one woman, you are not a conqueror,” self-proclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate declared in a February 16, 2025, post on the social media platform X.

Tate is young, wealthy, and physically fit. He owns a fleet of fast cars and multiple luxurious houses, making him the definition of worldly success. He is not ashamed to be a sexist and openly states that women belong in the home and are the property of men.

The 38-year-old former professional kickboxer and reality TV star also claims to be a leader in God’s kingdom, despite being charged with human trafficking, rape, assault, and the prostitution of young women.

But a vital factor in the Andrew Tate equation is that although he was raised in a Christian home, he later declared himself an atheist, then returned to Christianity, before most recently converting to Islam. Therefore, the god he follows is not the God of the Bible, and his values are not founded on a biblical framework.

In a 2024 article titled “Say No to the ‘Taterix,’” Brandt Montgomery wrote, “As a justification for his words and actions, Tate says he acts ‘under the instruction of God to do good things.’ He encourages hard work, discipline, religion, and abstaining from drugs and alcohol. Those are all commendable. Yet, underneath them are dangerous views that render Tate a false prophet in sheep’s clothing.

“That is why Tate cannot be ignored,” Montgomery added.

His appeal

According to Montgomery, Tate is believed to be “brainwashing a generation of impressionable young men.” He has amassed over 10 million followers on X, many of whom say they uphold traditional, conservative ideals.

The rise of Tate as a cultural influencer among young men – especially those from Christian backgrounds – has created an unexpected crisis within conservative circles. Dr. Owen Strachan, senior director of the Dobson Culture Center, examined the complex reasons behind Tate’s appeal to young men.

“Some of the appeal is immediately very bad and fleshly,” Strachan explained to The Stand. “Andrew Tate is brash, and he uses foul language, cultivates a bad-boy image, and all sorts of things that appeal to many young men in their natural (sinful) state.

“He speaks quickly and powerfully,” Strachan added. “He critiques different elements of wokeness and PC [politically correct] culture. However, we must understand that it’s not enough just to be ‘unwoke.’ That does not make a model for godly manhood.”

According to apologist and cultural commentator Dr. Alex McFarland, Tate’s appeal is a response to broader cultural shifts that have left many young men feeling displaced and purposeless. When young men feel put down by progressive gender ideals, they often seek acceptance from the opposite, radical side of the spectrum, often found in the toxic environment of the online “manosphere.”

For example, Montgomery explained how Tate influences his followers – especially those who are underprivileged or socially awkward – to believe “hyper-masculinity, misogyny, and opposition to feminism are the keys to better lives and financial success.”

A Samsonite manhood

Dr. James White of Alpha and Omega Ministries offered a pointed critique of Tate’s character and influence.

“Self-centered, vain, arrogant, prideful, undisciplined, ignorant, violent, disrespectful to God and mankind, abusive to women and proud of it, he is the very epitome of ungodly, un-Christlike rebellion,” wrote White on the Alpha and Omega Ministries website (aomin.org).

Strachan was equally outspoken about the impossibility of reconciling Tate’s message with Christian teaching, asserting that Tate has nothing of value to say to Christians.

“I don’t believe that any Christian ministry or influencer needs to point to Andrew Tate for anything,” he said. “Andrew Tate does not offer what young men need. He offers the way of Samson – exaggerated, cartoonish manhood. That’s Samsonite manhood. We need something way better. We need Christ-shaped men.”

The Christ-shaped man

Strachan argued that the culture does not need to replace Tate and his kind with less problematic influencers; instead, we need to return to the biblical model of manhood – a vision of masculinity that conforms to the example of Jesus.

“We very much do need young men to grow up, mature, not be weak, be strong in Christ,” he said. “We need to help young men gain a vision of godly strength, which is not the same as worldly strength. True [godly] strength is found only when you realize how weak you are and how much you need Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.”

In an article for The Christian Post (christianpost.com), Jenna Ellis, AFA senior public policy advisor, wrote that Christians who platform or endorse Tate and others like him fail to uphold biblical standards. Ellis explained that “biblical masculinity calls for men to embody strength through sacrifice, courage through humility, and leadership through service. Jesus Christ, the ultimate role model for men, demonstrated these qualities perfectly.”

The church’s responsibility

Tate and others like him are influencing young men today. But is this a response to a perceived lack of strong, biblically masculine role models within the church? Strachan said no.

“I think there are role models in the church,” he stated. “There are at least 10 men at any given local Baptist, Presbyterian, Anglican, or nondenominational church who are far better role models for young men than Andrew Tate. Young men don’t need what Tate is selling. They need help. They need guidance. They need coaching.”

Strachan concluded that the deeper need is not for toughness but for godly fatherhood. Many young men, he said, are not looking to be shouted into maturity … but to be shepherded with consistency, presence, and love.

“Young men need to be loved. Not barked at. Not ignored. They need real fathers who lead and shepherd the home with love, courage, clarity, and self-sacrifice,” Strachan explained.

White also warned that Tate’s version of self-worshipping, domineering masculinity leads his followers to spiritual destruction and eternal consequences. White contends that it is the church’s responsibility to tell young men the truth.

“It is a matter of directly teaching them that a life lived like Andrew Tate is a life ruined, a body defiled, a soul destroyed, a future eviscerated, and an eternity of agony as punishment,” White explained.

The real conquerors

Tate’s power and influence over his audience serve as a wake-up call for mature Christians to take seriously their responsibility to guide young men struggling with identity and purpose. It’s time for believers to stop compromising and making excuses. It’s time for the church to call – boldly and loudly – for a return to biblical manhood and authentic discipleship.

Although Tate may claim that sexual conquests and arrogance are essential characteristics of masculinity, Scripture offers a very different vision – one of love, obedience, and faithfulness for those who “overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).

“We’re in the same market Tate is in, in a sense,” said Strachan. “We are trying to go after young men, but we are trying to help them. They will go toward strong voices. But because of sin, they will find bad role models rather than good ones. And so, we must give them good ones.”