When Roger Krone, CEO of Scouting America said, “Our number one job is to get kids into this program,” he was likely speaking candidly about the pressures facing his organization. Membership has plummeted, finances have been strained, partnerships have faltered, cultural and political crosswinds are real, and government relationships are at a breaking point.
“Getting kids into the program” matters, but if recruitment becomes the highest priority, something deeper suffers, because the primary responsibility of any character-forming institution is not recruitment. It is formation. And formation requires something recruitment alone cannot provide: moral steadiness.
Recent pressure from Washington over diversity initiatives tests the mettle of resolve in Scouting America — change who you are, or risk funding. It’s a similar place from where they found themselves in 2013 when they began a radical departure from their timeless values and membership standards. It is not an enviable place to be an organization known for abandoning convictions.
Scouting America has announced that they have elected to concede to some of the Pentagon’s demands… sort of. They announced they are discontinuing their new DEI-centric merit badge, Citizenship in Society, which was a badge required for Eagle, while simultaneously reassuring their leaders that nothing is changing and that the content in that badge has been worked into the program elsewhere.
Krone also recently said, “Our emphasis on duty to God, duty to country, and service to others is strengthened by this partnership. Scouting’s values have not changed, and they will not change.” And yet, in recent years, the organization has redefined its mission so thoroughly that it opened membership to girls and changed its name—twice. When an institution built on forming boys into men removes the word “boy” from its name to better reflect its purpose, it is fair to ask what, exactly, has remained unchanged?
Now, as cultural and political pressure is coming from a different angle, Scouting America is, once again, aiming to appease. But what happens in a few years when a new administration is installed? Will they bring the Citizenship in Society badge back? If they believed this badge was essential for Eagle Scouts, what does it say to scouts when they just roll it back and say it’s not necessary after all?
The Scout Oath begins with the words, “On my honor.” Honor assumes a stable definition of right and wrong. It assumes there are truths sturdy enough to pledge oneself to. It assumes that when a man gives his word, the standard behind that word does not shift with polling data, election cycles, or cultural winds.
In a recent statement regarding their response to the Pentagon’s demands, Krone appealed to Scouting America’s commitment to timeless values: “For more than a century, Scouting America has endured because we are resilient, principled and unwavering in our mission…We remain committed to the principles enshrined in our Scout Oath and Scout Law.” But it’s hard to square the organization’s recent changes with timeless principles like “trustworthy,” “loyal,” and “brave.”
Character requires roots. It requires clarity, it requires adults willing to say, without apology, “This is true yesterday, today, and tomorrow.”
While institutions must respond to changing circumstances, first principles can never be negotiated. Definitions of identity, responsibility, or virtue should not evolve with external pressure. When that happens, something essential erodes. That’s not trustworthy. That’s not loyal. It certainly isn’t brave.
Boys are perceptive. They can sense when standards are anchored in conviction and when they are altered for convenience. Young men today are starving for clarity. In a culture where even basic definitions are debated, they are quietly asking: Is there anything unchanging? Is there something I can build my life on?
Character cannot be crowdsourced from cultural consensus.
The consistent shifts in the organization formerly known as “Boy Scouts of America” serve as a sobering reminder of a dividing line between principle and progressivism.
Our focus is different. Our number one job is not to “get kids into the program.” Our number one job is to grow godly men. We’re laser focused on a crystal clear mission: “to guide generations of courageous young men to honor God, lead with integrity, serve others, and experience outdoor adventure.” That mission is not subject to funding debates, political cycles, or cultural trends. It is anchored in enduring truth.
Phrases like “timeless values” and “on my honor” must remain more than nostalgic. They ensure that truth exists, that virtue has substance, and that a young man’s word binds him to something greater than himself.
The lesson of this cultural moment is larger than any one organization. When recruitment becomes the highest good, standards inevitably bend to accommodate it. But when conviction comes first, credibility is steeled.
If we want to raise men of honor—men who stand firm when the winds rise, who lead their families with courage, who serve their communities with integrity—then we must model that same steadfastness before them. Boys learn conviction by watching it lived.
A generation of men grounded in unchanging truth will only be formed by fathers, mentors, and leaders who plant their feet, lift their voices, and say with clarity: this is right, this is good, this is true.
Our sons deserve nothing less. If we hope to see another 250 years of strong families, courageous leadership, and communities shaped by integrity, we must build on a standard that doesn’t bend. We must raise men who understand that honor binds them to truth, and truth does not change.
Find a Troop near you or Learn how to bring Trail Life to your community at TrailLifeUSA.com
