The absence of fathers in the lives of children has a detrimental effect on children as a review of the literature consistently points to fatherlessness being a key variable in many of the dysfunctional psychological behaviors and poor academic outcomes of children. This research identifies the essential roles of fatherhood based on the biblical example of God the Father and assesses to what extent these biblical roles of fatherhood are understood and exemplified by 21st century Christian fathers. In addition, this paper will examine the existing literature identifying the positive outcomes when fathers are involved and the negative outcomes when fathers are not involved in their children's lives. The seven essential roles portrayed by God the Father are protecting, providing, disciplining, leading, teaching, being a friend, and loving His children. These roles gleaned from biblical texts have considerable support in secular literature. Through the use of a survey instrument called the Roles of Christian Fathers Questionnaire, the researcher gained insights into what modern day fathers believe to be the most important roles, as well as the least important roles, and also discovered some of the key reasons why the fathers (N = 241) who participated in the study believe they are or not proficient in the seven essential roles of fatherhood. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]