During a recent appearance on his wife's podcast, the former president – who during the interview shared he probably would have struggled raising a son – argued that no matter how good a dad is, boys need exposure to other men to gain some "perspective" on their dad. He then shared that one of the most valuable things he learned as a guy came from a homosexual professor he had in college at a time when "gay folks" weren't as "open" as today:
Obama: "[He] became one of my favorite professors and was a great guy and would call me out when I started saying stuff that was ignorant. You need that [kind of correction] to show empathy and kindness – and by the way, you need that person in your friend group so that if you then have a boy who is gay or nonbinary or what have you, they have somebody that they can go 'Okay, I'm not alone in this.'"
AFN sought reaction from David Closson, director of the Center for Biblical Worldview at the Family Research Council based in Washington, DC. He both agrees and disagrees with different points Obama made.
"I agree with President Obama when he says that boys need strong mentors," says Closson. "Scripture affirms that older men should guide younger men – that's Titus chapter 2, verses 6 through 8. And I agree with the former president that young men today are growing up without fathers or positive role models in many places."
But from a biblical perspective, Closson explains, mentorship is not just about success or social mobility. Real mentorship, he argues, is about character, identity, and godliness.
"I think … we need to be clear [about Christian mentoring]. It always must align with God's design for sexuality, manhood, and discipleship," says Closson. "And so, when I heard the former president's comments, my first response … as a Christian [was] to reject the notion that someone needs to have a specific sexual identity in order to be a good mentor for young men."
Closson continues on that thought: "As Christians we're called to love; we're called to serve all people, and that includes those who identify as gay. But God's Word is clear: homosexual behavior is sinful. We can't celebrate or promote that identity as normative, especially when it comes to shaping young men."
Closson says the idea of placing young men under the mentorship of someone whose lifestyle is openly contrary to biblical morality is "spiritually dangerous."
Obama made these comments on his wife's podcast on July 16, 2025.
