Before they jumped behind enemy lines in Normandy, captured the town of Carentan, jumped into Holland during the failed Operation Market Garden, or defied the 5th Panzer Army at the Battle of the Bulge, the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment ran. “3 miles up, 3 miles down” was the motto as they ascended and descended Currahee Mountain almost daily for 4 months. This was part of their rigorous training before the regiment would be shipped off to Europe to fight in an 11-month-long campaign against the German war machine.
The training they received under the shadow of Currahee was so arduous that out of 5,800 men, only 1,948 graduated. Soldiers described it as physically and mentally excruciating. However, they also admitted that, due to its difficult nature, it weeded out the unfit, built their physical and mental endurance beyond that of a typical soldier, and gave them confidence in the men they would fight alongside, which, in turn, led to a deep sense of camaraderie.
As the war raged on and replacements who had never experienced Currahee arrived, the few men left from the original 1,948 were referred to as the “Currahee men.” Currahee was not the totality of their training, but the mountain was the summation of everything they had experienced, and soldiers often remarked that nothing prepared them for war as well as Currahee did.
Where Have All the Good Men Gone?
Just like the 506th was thrust into war, the Church today faces wars of her own. The threats of feminism, progressivism, Marxism, Islam, and others loom from outside while false teachers constantly threaten from within. For many years, the Church also had her own “Currahee men” who were willing to fight for her.
The Reformers are an obvious example, but I also think of men in more recent times, such as those who fought for the conservative resurgence in the SBC from the 1970s to the 1990s. Men like Voddie Baucham, who were sounding the alarm against critical theory before most had even heard the term. Most memorable in my mind is John MacArthur standing up to the tyrannical state of California when they demanded churches close down because of COVID in 2020. I’ll never forget MacArthur’s response when asked about possibly being imprisoned for continuing to gather the church every Lord’s Day: “If they want to tuck me in jail, I’m open for a jail ministry.”
Unfortunately, we have lost many of those Currahee men. Some have died. Others have disqualified themselves from ministry. But more troubling still is the absence of men rising up to replace them. In many ways, you look around and wonder where the leaders are. Just like the 506th suffered from a lack of Currahee men by the end of the war, so too the Church seems to be suffering the same issue. We lack Currahee men.
The Sins of Our Fathers
The purpose of this piece is not simply to speak of the faithful men of the past while exasperatedly saying, “those were the good ol’ days.” Nor is it to romanticize the past as if many of those men were not also partiallyresponsible for the issue I am addressing. Rather, I want to encourage the Church to reprioritize training up young men. Too many churches today content themselves with dumbed-down, individualistic, effeminate, entertainment-driven, carnival shows that do little to spur a man on to wonder in awe at the inexhaustible knowledge, wisdom, and love of God, nor spur him on to greatness in the faith.
The Church, in many ways, has spurned men, teaching them to be content with songs about Jesus being his boyfriend and “You need to step up” Father’s Day sermons while simultaneously refusing to teach them how to step up. The closest many get is a twisted form of servant leadership in which the man must serve his wife by becoming a wife and fulfilling her role for her. This does not make a Currahee man. In fact, it ought to be clear at this point that the reason boys today rarely take the leap into manhood, and fewer still become exceptional men, is because much of the Church has forgotten what a man is. Somewhere along the way, we were convinced that men and women are equal in all regards, with few exceptions.
Thus, men have been taught to think like women, act like women, and emote like women. Many in the church so prioritized compassion and sensitivity that they neglected distinctly masculine virtues such as strength, virtue, decisiveness, and risk-taking as if they were negative traits. They have actively discouraged the design of young men and then have the audacity to complain when the Church cannot reap the rewards that come from having strong men. The tragic irony of it all is that many of those who fought the battles of old were the very same who failed to impart the characteristics necessary for the newer generations to follow suit.
It’s Called “Basic Training” for a Reason
For young men, many do need to be told to step up, but they also need to be taught how to step up. They need the Church to teach them how, but the Church must recover basic male and female distinctions if they ever hope to raise any men up. Men and women are equal in dignity and worth, but they are not interchangeable. As long as she denies this scriptural reality, the Church will not elevate women, but rather, infantilize men.
If the Church wants to defeat her current enemies, then we must forsake the milquetoast approach to worship. We must disavow emotive anti-intellectualism. These things don’t train men for war. Men need to be held accountable, surely, but they also need to be encouraged to act like men, to be strong, and stand firm in the faith. This only comes when men are taught to harness their strength in ways that align with Scripture rather than restraining it or neglecting it altogether.
If someone wants to be a Currahee man, he needs to experience basic training first. This entails a few things: First, the Christian man must endeavor to read his Bible and pray every day. Psalm 1 says the blessed man “delights in the Law of the Lord and meditates on it day and night.” No one is more responsible for his own understanding and love for God than that man is. This is his Currahee mountain. Let him never go a day without saying, “3 miles up, 3 miles down.”
Second, he must find himself a local church that is uncompromising and willing to teach the deep truth of Scripture. Not the “God is big” truth, but the “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God” truth.
Third, that man must take it upon himself to be involved in that church. It is not enough to merely show up on Sunday, sit quietly in the back, and slip out during the closing prayer. He must know, love, and serve the Church because that will lead to many opportunities for sanctification. Churches are messy because they are filled with messy people, and messy work is sanctifying work.
Fourth, let that man prioritize preparing to start a family. Just like churches are messy, so too are families, and for the same reason. The difference is that the man is the head of his family. All responsibility ultimately falls on him. This forces men to think differently about their money, time, and affections. It forces him to work consistently, take risks, and be decisive. Marriage and rearing children have a funny way of turning scared, selfish boys into brave, selfless men.
There are many more things that could be added to this list, and perhaps, for many, it is a disappointingly basic list—but that is the point of basic training. It’s basic. Becoming a man of integrity and worth doesn’t require secret knowledge. It requires discipline and consistency.
There’s nothing spectacular or life-changing about running up and down a mountain one time. However, running up and down that mountain every day can turn a boy into a soldier.
“Nuts!”
The Church faces a defining moment in her storied history. She faces a moment similar to the 506th during the Battle of the Bulge. Enemies that surround like armies, false teachers like winter that chills to the bone, shallow teaching like food supplies running low, and worst of all, a shortage of Currahee men. We need men and churches who are unashamed of the natural distinctions between men and women.
We need men of integrity who will not flinch in the face of danger to step up. We need Currahee men so that when the demand to surrender comes from our enemies, our response will echo the defiant 506th when faced with the same ultimatum from the 5th Panzer Army: “Nuts!”
