By President Wayne D. Lewis, Jr.
On my birthday, my father often reminds me that I was born the same night as Lionel, the fictional son of George and Louise Jefferson on the hit 1970s and 1980s sitcom, The Jefferson’s. I always thought that coincidence was amusing, particularly since I was such a fan of the show as a child. George Jefferson’s antics as a father, husband, neighbor, and businessman were comedic gold to me. In hindsight, George Jefferson was likely one of the first tv dads to in some way shape the way I saw fatherhood. He would not be the last.
The fictional Heathcliff Huxtable was the loving and affable father of the well-to-do Huxtable family in the 1980s and 1990s hit, The Cosby Show1. More than just Thursday night laughs, each episode provided sketches of loving and responsible fatherhood in an upper middle class African American family. I wanted to be a Cliff Huxtable kind of dad—a responsible provider and protector who loved and adored his family, and whose family loved and adored him back.
While these tv vignettes of fatherhood were without a doubt impactful on my evolving conceptualization of manhood and fatherhood, thankfully, I had much more to go on. My father was the most significant model of fatherhood in my formative years. Much more than what I could see in a tv episode, I was blessed to see and experience fatherhood daily. I had the added blessing of having grandfathers and uncles who also played prominent roles in modeling manhood and fatherhood for me.
Fatherhood certainly includes the moments sitcom episodes are built around, but truth be told, the questions and challenges that made for good Cosby Show episodes tend to be the easier part of fatherhood. Much more than the advice I give when my daughter is working through a difficult situation or how I respond when she has broken something she shouldn’t have been touching, fatherhood is about the daily, really important but not exciting enough for tv things. Fatherhood is day-after-day, your kid knowing he can count on you to be there. Fatherhood is your kid knowing that even when she has made a big mistake and might have consequences to face, your love and affection is unfailing, and you will walk through it with her every step of the way.
Kids certainly want to travel to exciting places and be treated with surprises like toys and ice cream. But what ends up being much more important is being a consistent protector and provider, wiping tears, giving hugs, providing encouragement in the face of a disappointment or setback, and for Christian men, modeling Christian fatherhood. Whether a girl or a boy, children need to see Christian manhood modeled up close and personal. I understand that as my daughter watches me, she is getting a behind the scenes look at Christian manhood, and collecting data on marriage, fatherhood, friendships, and Christian living when no one else is watching. I know the way I live, the way I care for her and her mother, and the way I pray with and for them will be much more impactful on her life and her understanding of and relationship with men than any message I ever preach.
As Houghton’s president, I carry my passion for Christian manhood and fatherhood into my work. Personally, I strive to be one of the Christian men in our university community who models Christian fatherhood; not just the tv vignettes or fatherhood, but the behind the scenes, day-to-day, not-very-exciting stuff. At Houghton, we are blessed to have many men in our Houghton community who do just that, and who continually make themselves accessible to students to be dad-like figures while students are away from home.
I want Houghton to be known as a place that celebrates and takes the formation of Christian young men seriously. God formed us in His image, men and women, with purpose and intentionality. God’s purpose is for men and women, fathers and mothers, to complement each other, playing crucial and complementary roles in families and communities My prayer and intent is that Houghton will continue to play an important role in the spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional formation of young men who will boldly model Christian manhood and fearlessly love, provide, and protect as fathers and father figures in their homes and communities. ★
- Please note that I am referring to the fictional character, not the actor/comedian himself. ↩︎