By ADAM CRUM
Aug. 14, 2026 – Being a man is a good thing. That should not be controversial. Yet our culture increasingly treats masculinity as something suspicious, even something to restrain, apologize for or redefine out of existence.
That is a mistake.
The answer to destructive men is not fewer strong men. It is better men: men whose strength is governed by character, whose confidence is matched by humility and who understand that manhood is not about demanding authority. It is about accepting responsibility. The Bible speaks repeatedly about manhood. Scripture calls men to be courageous, disciplined, faithful, hardworking and self-controlled. It tells husbands to love their wives sacrificially, fathers to teach their children and men to provide for those entrusted to their care.
Paul’s instruction is direct: “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”
That last sentence matters. Biblical masculinity is not brutality or domination. It is strength directed by love.
Healthy masculinity is courage in the face of danger, discipline when no one is watching and a willingness to sacrifice for others. Nowhere is that strength more important than in fatherhood.
A father’s presence tells a child: You are loved. You are protected. You are worth my time. I will be here tomorrow. As a husband and father of two young daughters, I know fatherhood is not measured by what I say about my family. It is measured by whether I am present, patient and dependable. My daughters watch how I treat their mother, how I respond when frustrated and whether I keep my promises.
They are learning from me what they should expect from the men in their lives. That is an enormous responsibility.
Boys need strong fathers, too. They need men who teach them that their strength, energy and ambition are not defects. Those qualities are gifts that can become tremendous forces for good when joined with discipline, faith and purpose.
Boys need to hear that being a man is good, and that becoming a good man is a worthy goal. They need examples of men who work, protect, provide and serve.
None of this diminishes women. Strong men do not fear strong women. They honor them and work beside them. Recognizing the importance of fathers is also not an attack on single mothers. Across Alaska, countless mothers are doing heroic work while carrying burdens they were never meant to carry alone. Their courage should be honored. But honoring them does not require us to pretend fathers are optional.
Government cannot replace a father. A program cannot tuck a child into bed, demonstrate integrity through daily example or provide the security of a dad who keeps showing up. Public policy can support families, but it cannot manufacture the love, accountability and stability of a healthy home. When men abandon responsibility, women and children pay first. Eventually, entire communities pay through addiction, crime, homelessness, school failure and generations of young people searching for identity and belonging.
This very thing has come to fruition around the subject of girls sports. Real men protect women and girls, and that means having the courage to say that boys do not belong in girls’ sports. Or locker rooms. Period. End of discussion.Alaska especially needs dependable men. Our communities rely on men who run toward danger, work through brutal weather, coach a team, mentor a young person, care for aging parents and quietly hold their families together.
Those men rarely ask for recognition. They simply show up. We need a culture that calls men upward. We should challenge men to marry, remain faithful, raise their children and serve their communities. We should give boys opportunities to build, compete, lead and serve. We should strengthen mentorship, expand career and technical education and create an economy where young Alaskans can stay, build homes and raise families.
Men must also hold one another accountable. If you have children, be present. If you made a promise, keep it. If a young man lacks direction, mentor him. If a friend is abandoning his responsibilities, tell him the truth.
Masculinity is not the problem. Masculinity without character is the problem. God created men and women with equal dignity and distinct gifts. We should not be ashamed to say that being a woman is good, being a man is good and children benefit from the love and example of both a mother and a father.
Alaska’s future will be secured by strong men who love God, remain faithful to their families, serve their communities and accept responsibility. Our children deserve those men. Our state needs them.
Adam Crum is a lifelong Alaskan, proud husband and father, businessman, former Commissioner of Revenue and Commissioner of Health and Social Services, and Republican candidate for Governor in 2026. Learn more at AdamCrum.com.
2 thoughts on “Adam Crum: Alaska needs strong fathers”
Great write up. Thank you Mr. Crum.
Alaska men won’t know how to be Strong Fathers when he doesn’t know nor understand the Word of God.
To be absent of the Word of God is to be a narcissist and weak. Because sometimes being a better mother, father, husband, wife means stepping outside of yourself and your way and doing what is best for your spouse, child, and family.
AKWives are going to have to have to step behind her husband and is she okay to do that?
I’ll believe Crum really cares about this important topic when he isn’t campaigning. Why doesn’t he start a men’s group that can start in the church congregation but can’t stay there because churches are run by women to which they have influence in how a men’s group follows how women groups are led by a group of men who meet once a week to talk about feelings but doesn’t make any sense to how men are wired. Because Real men’s groups led by Men not women through her husband is what Alaska men need.