In recent years, men have been heavily criticized in our culture, being blamed for many evils throughout history. Young men are tired of being called problematic or antagonistic, or of being treated like defective women. Thus, they are naturally attracted by voices like Tate’s, who tell them to embrace their masculinity. To be fair, Tate does offer some positive advice, such as the importance of hard work, responsibility, self-control, and having a good circle of friends. However, his good teachings are packaged with a lot of disturbing views. Unfortunately, many young men—Christians included—have been sucked into Tate’s world of excess and misogyny. As we examine how Andrew Tate’s worldview impacts him and, by extension, those he influences, let us remember that Christians must always filter the voices we allow to influence us through the Bible. Meditating on Scripture will help us understand God’s purpose for human beings and his design in creating us male and female.
A Philosophy of Dominance
As a former kickboxing champion, it is understandable how Tate treats life as one giant competition. He thinks that power—whether physical, intellectual, or financial—is the means to gaining the good things in life: a big house, luxurious cars, beautiful women, etc. Tate’s mindset is almost Darwinian in nature, in that the strong rightfully dominate the weak. However, Tate also believes in God. While many people think the existence of great evil and suffering in the world as evidence against a good and righteous God, Tate rightly views evil as evidence for God. He understands that if there are actions that are truly and objectively evil, then there must also be a standard of goodness, which is God. This is a positive aspect of Tate’s worldview. However, the problem is which God he chooses to follow. Tate considered himself a Christian for a time, but he abandoned Christianity when he found it to be ‘too weak’ for his taste, finding Islam to be stronger. In the video below, you can hear Tate’s reasoning for himself. Be warned that it contains strong language:
Tate’s explanation for choosing Islam over Christianity perfectly illustrates how not to choose a worldview. He left Christianity for Islam because he thought Muslims had greater respect for their religion and were willing to fight for it. Tate picked the religion that best fit his pre-existing worldview instead of adjusting his worldview based on the religion that is true. That is the way we are supposed to form our worldviews, by finding the one that matches reality. As mentioned above, Tate’s recognition of the evil in the world is a legitimate reason to believe that some form of theism is true, but he chooses his personal preference over truth when picking which form of theism to pursue.
Manhood and Womanhood
Tate’s view of masculinity and femininity also meshes better with Islam than Christianity. Islam is a very male-priviledged religion, with men having significantly greater rights than women in Muslim-dominant countries. Some of these societies treat women as being their husband’s property. This is strongly contrasted with Christianity, in which men and women are equally human—and thus, equally valuable—having both been created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Tate frequently points to women’s lesser physical strength as evidence of their inferiority to men. The Bible also recognizes women’s physical weakness compared to men. However, in response, husbands are called to honor and respect their wives, not to dominate them (1 Peter 3:7). Men must love their wives sacrificially, the same way that Christ loved the church and gave his life for us (Ephesians 5:25-33). Jesus always treated women with utmost respect in a deeply patriarchal society, and Christianity has been fighting for the rights of girls and women for centuries. Andrew Tate’s attitude and behavior towards women is absolutely antithetical to Christianity.
Contrary to Tate’s macho bravado, godly men are called to be humble and kind, to live in service to others. Their strength is to be in their character and reliance on the Lord. Men are not to be womanizers, but to show self control, committing to one woman for life. Jesus did not secure the salvation of his people by defeating his enemies in battle, but by submitting to the will of the Father and allowing himself to be brutally beaten and crucified in our place. Jesus is the manliest man who ever lived, and he is the ultimate example of and for manhood, not any celebrity, athlete, or social media influencer.
Right Thinking and Right Living
Even though Andrew Tate does offer some good advice on hard work and responsibility, his views and treatment of other people are shameful. He is a prime example of why worldviews matter, both for us and for those we influence. Instead of examining the truth claims of Islam and Christianity, Tate chose Islam because it already fit his view of the world. This is backwards. We must find the worldview that matches reality as it is, not as we want it to be. Our worldview determines how we live. Are people merely things to use or obstacles to overcome? Is our value determined by our strength and usefulness? Or are all people—male and female alike—equally valuable, no matter how weak or strong, useful or inept? The way we view other people will greatly influence how we treat them. While Andrew Tate is certainly not a healthy role model, he is a good example of how ideas and worldview can have serious consequences.
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