Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look at an ever-changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street.
Well, apparently, the quarter zip pullover has become a popular choice for young men on both sides of the Atlantic. It's a preppy compromise between a hoodie and a sports coat, and it's swept across social, racial, and cultural spectrums from urban epicenters to college campuses. It's even generated an unusual amount of media coverage and analysis. For example, this from The Guardian: quote. The subtext is that quarter zips, often associated with white middle-class finance bros, signify professionalism, while Nike techs, often associated with black working class men living in cities, represent criminality.
To wear a quarter zip, these videos say, is to complete your transformation from a hoodlum into something more respectable. And this, according to a different article from USA Today, people engaged with the quarter zip's popularity say it goes beyond just trends and clothes. It's a lifestyle that reflects a commitment to sophistication. End quote.
Well, it could be that all of this is more than just a fashion trend. Beginning last year, there were reports of an upsurge in the number of young men that were going to church. And not just any churches. By and large, the young men that are looking for spiritual answers are not choosing seeker-friendly or mainline progressive churches. It's as if they want something.
that will challenge them. Also recently, conversations appeared on social media sites like X between young men, some in their teens, who were diving into the great books of the Western canon. These young men are not just reading Dostoevsky or Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, they're sharing their impressions and engaging in conversation about the books with others. It seems as if a significant number of young men, perhaps sick of the meaninglessness of low expectations and infinite distraction, are now looking for something else. Many simply seem to just want to act like men, having been told for so long that they are what's wrong with the world, that all masculinity is toxic, that the future is female, they're now looking for answers in not all the wrong places.
It's a wonderful vibe shift from the young men of just a half a generation ago who seemed to all be inflicted with Peter Pan syndrome. Committed to never grow up, these young men became captive to low expectations. And so even 30-somethings were able to stay home, play video games, not work. and yet still benefit from the lies that the purveyors of the sexual revolution were telling young women. But, as the preacher of Ecclesiastes wrote, A life with no goal greater than just pleasure is as fulfilling as a wisp of steam.
But some young men, however, who are also rejecting the shallowness of a decade ago, are instead turning to modern forms of Nietzschean nihilism. Instead of looking to the church or ancient wisdom, they're looking for answers in all the wrong places. This at least partially explains the growth of white supremacist graper influences, the persistence of radical Islam to captivate new converts in the West, and new forms of woman-hating misogyny, which is another reason, in addition to just how comfortable and flexible they are, we should celebrate quarter zips. It's a sign that young men are not yet all lost, as many have announced that they are. Instead, there are some, and a growing number, committed to taking themselves, the faith, and good books more seriously.
Yes, it would be strange if the new icon of the cultural rebel went from white T-shirts with cigarettes and rolled-up sleeves to sagging baggy pants to quarterzips, but for young men recovering from Peter Pan syndrome who are done with being the lost boys of the West, A new kind of rebellion is long overdue. To learn more about how to help and lead young men, see the very first lecture in the Lighthouse Voices series, a collaboration between Focus on the Family and the Coulson Center. In it, Dr. Anthony Bradley outlined the crisis of purpose and meaning that so many young men face, as well as the importance of fathers, of religious and social institutions, and of mentors. This is an opportunity for the church to help seekers find what they're truly looking for.
the thing for which God made them. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street with Breakpoint. Today's Breakpoint was co-authored by Dr. Timothy Paget. If you're a fan of Breakpoint, leave us a review wherever you download your podcast.
And for more resources or to share this commentary with others, go to breakpoint.org. In a moment of cultural confusion, many Christians know their faith matters, but aren't sure how to live it out with clarity and courage. That's why formation matters. Through the Colson Fellows Program, believers are being shaped by a Christian worldview and sent back to their families, churches, workplaces, and communities, prepared to live what they believe. Your generosity makes the Colson Fellows program affordable, so more can say yes to life-shaping Christian worldview education.
If you care about spiritual formation that lasts, learn how you can help at colsoncenter.org slash march. That's colsoncenter.org slash march.
