The Fall comes suddenly, but the cracks appear long before. As Shannon Sharpe steps away from ESPN amid serious rape allegations – a $50 million lawsuit from a former girlfriend and accusations from a second woman named Michele Evans – we are witnessing yet another powerful cautionary tale about the devastating consequences of choosing momentary pleasure over principled living.
Make no mistake – Sharpe deserves his day in court. But regardless of the legal outcome, his situation reveals a deeper spiritual crisis plaguing our communities: the abandonment of biblical manhood and the embracing of a destructive cultural script that has devastated families- especially in Black America.
The Hollow Promise of Cultural Manhood
Our young men are being sold a dangerous myth – that the number of sexual conquests, sports accolades, and financial achievements is what measures manhood. They are called the “3Bs”: Billfold (money), Ball (sports), and Bodies (sexual conquest). This is the currency of our fallen culture, and it is a currency that will always bankrupt those who trade in it.
The Scriptures warn us plainly: “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36). When men like Sharpe – regardless of guilt or innocence in this specific case – build their identities around fame, physicality, and female attention, they construct their manhood on shifting sand.
The Wreckage Is Real: A 56-Year-Old Man Facing His Reckoning
The allegations against Sharpe are disturbing – accusations from multiple women spanning years, claims of predatory behavior toward significantly younger women (one accuser reportedly met him when she was just 19), and the potential destruction of a career built over decades. His temporary departure from his TV duties came after he initially continued with scheduled appearances on ESPN’s First Take last week, only to announce on Thursday that he would step aside while maintaining the allegations are “false and disruptive.” Whether proven true or false, the scandal itself displays the inevitable consequences when men reject God’s design for sexuality.
Let’s be clear: None of this had to happen. The path to avoiding such destruction isn’t complicated – it’s simply countercultural. It requires rejecting the lies our culture spews about manhood and embracing the biblical framework that has sustained families and communities for generations.
A Better Path Forward: The 3Ps of Biblical Manhood
Young men – especially those blessed with athletic gifts and the platform they provide – need to reclaim the “3Ps” of true manhood:
1. Prophet – Not in the sense of foretelling the future, but in being a truth-teller who speaks God’s wisdom into your home, community, and culture. A man who stands firm on biblical principles even when they contradict cultural trends. As Ezekiel was called to be a watchman for Israel (Ezekiel 3:17), Godly men are called to speak truth with courage: “For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the LORD Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth” (Malachi 2:7).
2. Protector – Providing physical, emotional, and spiritual security for those under your care. Protection means establishing proper boundaries, not exploiting vulnerability. Scripture commands “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). This sacrificial love places the well-being of others above self-gratification. As 1 Timothy 5:8 warns, “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
3. Provider – Not just financially, but spiritually and emotionally investing in the well-being of your family and community. Providing stability through commitment, not chaos through conquest. Proverbs 13:22 tell us “A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children,” speaking not merely of material wealth but of spiritual legacy. And Joshua’s declaration should be the anthem of every man seeking to lead his household: “But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15).
The Marriage Imperative
Scripture tells us plainly: “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral” (Hebrews 13:4).
The institution of marriage isn’t just a social construct – it’s a divine design for channeling male energy toward productive purposes. It’s the training ground for character development and the foundation for stable families. The breakdown of marriage in Black America hasn’t liberated us; it has devastated us.
When successful black men like Sharpe model commitment to sexual conquest rather than covenant relationship, they perpetuate cycles of fatherlessness and family instability that have ravaged our communities for generations. The accusations now involving secret recordings of encounters and multiple legal battles paint a picture of chaos that could have been avoided through commitment to biblical principles
A Call to Better Manhood
Young brothers with athletic gifts – hear me clearly. Your talent may open doors to wealth and fame, but it cannot exempt you from God’s moral law. The same principles that govern every man govern you. The temporary thrill of conquest will never satisfy the soul’s longing for meaning and legacy.
The path forward is clear:
- Reject the cultural script that measures manhood by sexual conquest
- Embrace the biblical model of manhood found in Christ
- Commit to sexual integrity before and within marriage
- Build your identity on character, not performance
- Surround yourself with godly mentors who will speak truth into your life
In a culture that celebrates men who conquer women, we need men who commit to women. In communities devastated by absent fathers, we need men who demonstrate faithful presence. In a society that confuses freedom with license, we need men who understand that true liberty comes through righteous living.
The message isn’t popular, but it’s powerful: Don’t trade eternal principles for temporary pleasures. The price is too high, the pain too deep, and the path too destructive.
Our young men deserve better examples. Our communities need better men. And God’s design demands better obedience.
The choice is yours. Choose wisely.
