Baptist pastors and leaders join clemency plea for Melissa Lucio

Dozens of Texas Baptists—including the executive director of the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas—are among more than 100 faith leaders requesting clemency for Melissa Lucio, who is scheduled to be executed April 27.

Dozens of Texas Baptists—including Jesse Rincones, executive director of the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas—are among more than 100 faith leaders requesting clemency for Melissa Lucio, who is scheduled to be executed April 27. (Screen capture image)

The faith leaders assert false and invalid evidence led to Lucio’s murder conviction in the death of her 2-year-old daughter Mariah. Lucio, 53, is one of six women on Texas’ Death Row and the only Latina woman in Texas history to receive the death sentence.

Lucio’s attorneys on March 22 submitted an application for clemency to Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.

The application urges Lucio’s death sentence either should be commuted to a lesser penalty or that she be given a 120-day reprieve from execution to prove her innocence.

The March 22 application offers new evidence not presented to the jury that convicted Lucio. It includes declarations of seven scientific and forensic experts who concluded false evidence misled the jury into believing the child was killed by physical abuse rather than medical complications after a fall.

The application documents that Lucio—a survivor of sexual and physical abuse—asserted her innocence more than 100 times before affirming statements presented by officers after five hours of “coercive interrogation.”

The application for clemency also includes declarations from five of the jurors who convicted Lucio, stating they now have grave concerns about evidence withheld from them and supporting relief for Lucio.

‘An appalling travesty of justice’

A letter from faith leaders representing multiple denominations is among the supporting documents submitted to Abbott and the board of pardons.

“There are numerous legal and practical reasons why the State of Texas should not carry out this unjust—and unjustified—execution. First and foremost, there is ample forensic and eyewitness evidence that Mariah’s death was an accident that resulted from a head injury she suffered in a fall—not a homicide,” the letter from faith leaders states.

The letter notes Lucio’s “entire life was marked by poverty, addiction and domestic violence,” but jurors never heard how her history of trauma shaped how she reacted during interrogation.

“Allowing Melissa’s execution to proceed despite the overwhelming doubts that shroud her conviction would be an appalling travesty of justice that serves no purpose whatsoever,” the letter from faith leaders states.

“It is not in the best interest of our state, our justice system, or the safety of our people. In accordance with the shared values of our diverse religious and faith traditions and in the name of mercy, we respectfully urge you to commute her death sentence.”

‘Violates both biblical virtues and legal principles’

Jesse Rincones, executive director of Convención and lead pastor of Alliance Church in Lubbock, spoke at a March 22 news conference in favor of the application for clemency.

Jesse Rincones participated in a news conference announcing an application for clemency for Melissa. Lucio, who is scheduled to be executed April 27. (Screen capture image)

Rincones said he strives to guide his congregation “toward compassion, forgiveness and justice.”

“The case of Melissa Lucio implicates all of these virtues,” he asserted.

The Lucio case “violates both biblical virtues and legal principles,” Rincones said.

He pointed out the Hebrew Scriptures set a high bar for punishment, requiring the testimony of two or three witnesses before guilt could be established.

“This case fails in that regard. Seven Fifth Circuit judges recognized that ‘the State presented no physical evidence or witness testimony’ establishing that Melissa abused Mariah or any of her children, let alone killed Mariah,” Rincones said.

Old Testament law allowed capital punishment only in cases where a life was taken intentionally and after appropriate judicial processes were followed, he added.

“As people of faith, we understand the basic biblical principle that mankind is broken by sin. That is why God removes vengeance from our hands,” Rincones said. “Consequently, broken people in a broken system will produce an unjust result.”

In addition to Rincones, other faith leaders who signed the letter to Abbott and the board of pardons include Rick McClatchy, coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Texas; Jon Singletary, dean of the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work at Baylor University; Burt Burleson, chaplain at Baylor University; Robert Creech, professor at Baylor’s Truett Theological Seminary; Charles Foster Johnson, pastor of Bread Fellowship in Fort Worth and executive director of Pastors for Texas Children; and Eder Ibarra, director of missions for Rio Grande Baptist Association.

Pastors include Steve Wells at South Main Baptist Church in Houston, Ricardo Brambila at Primera Iglesia Bautista in Dallas, Michael Copeland of First Baptist Church in China Spring, George Mason of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, Garrett Vickrey of Woodland Baptist Church in San Antonio and Ed Seay of First Baptist Church in Magnolia.

Disclosure: Jesse Rincones serves on the Baptist Standard board of directors. 




Fire destroys historic church building in Ranger

Members of Second Baptist Church in Ranger and a significant number of their neighbors gathered for worship on a parking lot across the street from the fire-gutted remains of their historic church building on March 20.

Authorities believe the fire that consumed the century-old church facility in downtown Ranger was unrelated to the Eastland Complex wildfire, which has burned more than 54,000 acres and left families in several communities homeless.

During the outdoor Sunday worship service in Ranger, Pastor Wade Berry asked God to comfort the family and friends of Barbara Fenley, an Eastland County deputy sheriff who was killed while seeking to rescue people from the fire.

He also asked God’s blessings on the families who had lost homes and livestock to the fire, and he offered thanks for the volunteer firefighters who battled the blaze.

‘Storms will come’

Pastor Wade Berry leads an outdoor worship service on March 20 in a parking lot across the street from the fire-gutted remains of his church’s historic building. (Screen grab from Facebook Live)

Berry preached on the story of Jesus calming a storm as recorded in Luke 8, focusing on two questions raised in the passage. Jesus asked his disciples, “Where is your faith?” The disciples asked concerning Jesus, “Who is this?”

“Storms will come, and it does no good to deny them or minimize the trauma they bring,” Berry said.

However, he told his congregation, storms also offer the opportunity for followers of Jesus to recognize Christ is who he says he is and to have their faith strengthened for life’s challenges.

The sermon was part of a Lenten series Berry has been preaching. He noted he finished writing the message just before he learned about the fire that consumed his church’s building, but it proved to be perfect for the occasion.

“Never let anybody tell you the Holy Spirit can’t work through preparation,” he said.

Berry offered thanks that no members of his congregation lost homes, businesses or livestock to fire—either the downtown Ranger blaze or the Eastland Complex wildfire.

“One lady was watching out her window as fire approached, and she was making plans to move her cattle, but she didn’t have to do it,” he said.

Appreciation for support

Berry—who arrived at Second Baptist in Ranger nine months ago—expressed appreciation for the support and encouragement he and his congregation received from Texas Baptists, Tri-County Baptist Association and neighboring churches.

He particularly noted leaders of the Ranger Ministerial Association helped make possible the March 20 outdoor worship service by helping to clear the parking lot and provide a portable sound system.

Next Sunday, Second Baptist Church will meet for worship in an auditorium at Ranger College.

Once the local fire chief releases the church building, it will need to be assessed, Berry said. After that, he expects the remains of the old burned-out building will have to be demolished.

“That will be a hard day” for members who were baptized and married in the facility and who attended the funerals of loved ones there, he acknowledged.

The church plans to rebuild, but the congregation faces multiple decisions about when, where and how, he said, adding he would appreciate other Christians joining in prayer for Second Baptist.

“Pray that we will have wisdom and guidance about the future,” Berry said. “And pray that this experience will open doors of opportunity for our church to minister to our community.”




Former ETBU coach killed in crash with USW golf teams

Tyler James, former coach at East Texas Baptist University, was among the nine people killed in a March 15 two-vehicle crash northwest of Midland.

Tyler James

James, 26, was in a passenger van with the men’s and women’s golf teams from the University of the Southwest in Hobbs, N.M., who had competed in a tournament in Midland. James was in his first year as head coach of the golf teams at USW.

The team van was traveling northbound on FM 1788 in Andrews County when a pickup truck crossed the center line of the two-lane road and struck the van head on, causing both vehicles to catch on fire.

James and six USW students on the van were killed, along with the driver of the pickup truck and his  passenger. Two other students were transported by helicopter to Lubbock, where they remain hospitalized.

James earned his undergraduate degree from Howard Payne University before moving to ETBU to serve as graduate assistant coach for the Tiger men’s and women’s golf teams and pursue his master’s degree.

After he completed his Master of Science degree in kinesiology at ETBU last year, he became head coach of the men’s and women’s golf programs at USW.

The ETBU community was “shocked” and saddened by news of Tyler’s death and the deaths of the USW students, said President J. Blair Blackburn.

“This news weighs heavy on us because these are people we know,” Blackburn said. “Not only did Coach James serve here at ETBU for two years and graduate with his master’s degree, but we know his team through competition and the bond that links all athletes. We are all connected and need to be there for one another in these times of grief and trial.”

Blackburn noted the campus community already was grieving the March 9 death of A.J. Gibson, who had graduated with his undergraduate degree from ETBU last December. Gibson was pursuing his Master of Business Administration degree at ETBU at the time of his death. He had been a member of the university’s track and field team.

Ryan Erwin, vice president of athletics at ETBU, praised James as one who “shared his faith and shared his story” with student athletes. He noted James’ involvement in Bible studies, discipleship, mission trips and weekly service projects with the ETBU golf teams.

James “believed in cultivating relationships and investing in other people,” said Sydney Harvey, head coach of the Tiger golf teams.

“You could call him day or night with anything you needed, and he would make himself available. Not only because he just genuinely wanted to help, but because he just had such a big heart,” Harvey said.

“If there was one person that you could really use as an example of a servant leader, it was Tyler James. Our Tiger golf team is all about family, faith and discipline, and Tyler fit into that culture perfectly.”

 




ERLC applauds Texas high court ruling on heartbeat ban

AUSTIN (BP)—Southern Baptist and other pro-life advocates commended the latest setback to a legal challenge to Texas’ prohibition on abortion if fetal cardiac activity can be detected.

The Texas Supreme Court ruled unanimously March 11 only private citizens, not the state’s medical licensing officials, may enforce the Texas Heartbeat Act. The opinion effectively halts a legal challenge to the ban by abortion rights advocates and clinics.

It also permits the law to remain in effect while the case returns to the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.

The law, which has been in effect almost every day since Sept. 1, prohibits abortions as early as five to six weeks into pregnancy. Compared to September 2020, the number of abortions in the state declined by 50 percent in the first month the ban was in effect, according to a study by researchers at the University of Texas-Austin.

The Texas Heartbeat Act has been criticized because of its unusual means of enforcement, as well as the earliness of the abortion ban. The law authorizes any private citizen to bring a civil lawsuit against someone who performs a prohibited abortion or assists in the performance of such a procedure. It bars government officials from enforcing the ban. Under the law, a court is to award at least $10,000 to a successful plaintiff.

Court also to consider Mississippi law

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to rule in its current term on another state law that prohibits early abortions and provides the justices with the opportunity to reconsider and even reverse the right to abortion established in its 1973 Roe v. Wade opinion and affirmed in the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision.

A ruling in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health case regarding the constitutionality of a Mississippi law that prohibits the abortion of an unborn child whose gestational age is more than 15 weeks is expected by this summer.

Chelsea Sobolik, director of public policy for the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, said the Texas high court issued “the right ruling” regarding “a law that protects the lives of vulnerable preborn babies.”

“And as more laws pass that protect the most vulnerable among us, we are eagerly awaiting a decision in the monumental Dobbs case, that could overturn the disastrous precedents set in Roe and Casey,” she said. “We must work toward a day when the laws of our land promote the dignity and worth of the preborn, and abortion is unthinkable and unnecessary.”

Advocate says Texas law should be replicated

Chelsey Youman, state director and national legislative advisor with Human Coalition Action, applauded the court’s decision and described the Texas Heartbeat Act as “the most successful piece of pro-life legislation in 50 years, and should be replicated everywhere in states that are serious about rescuing preborn lives.”

“Texas is a pioneer for what a post-Roe pro-life culture should look like,” she said in a written statement. “The state appropriated $100 million to supporting alternatives to abortion for expectant mothers, showing that Texas truly cares about both mother and child. We will not rest as we continue to work for a society where all preborn lives are protected and all women are cared for and empowered to choose life.”

The Center for Reproductive Rights, which helped bring the lawsuit on behalf of abortion-rights supporters, lamented the court ruling. President Nancy Northup stated: “With this ruling, the sliver of this case that we were left with is gone. The courts have allowed Texas to nullify a constitutional right.”

The abortion rights advocates bringing suit acknowledge state officials cannot directly enforce the ban, but they argue other Texas laws enable agency executives to enforce it indirectly through actions against licensed health care professionals, Justice Jeffrey Boyd wrote in the opinion for the Texas Supreme Court.

The nine-member court disagreed, however, Boyd said.

The Texas Heartbeat Act “provides that its requirements may be enforced by a private civil action, that no state official may bring or participate as a party in any such action, that such an action is the exclusive means to enforce the requirements, and that these restrictions apply notwithstanding any other law,” Boyd wrote.

“Based on these provisions, we conclude that Texas law does not grant the state-agency executives named as defendants in this case any authority to enforce the Act’s requirements, either directly or indirectly.”

The case is Whole Woman’s Health v. Jackson.

All levels of the federal court system have already issued rulings regarding the Texas Heartbeat Act. A federal court halted enforcement of the law in early October, but the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans stayed that injunction within two days.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in December the legal challenge to the law could advance against medical licensing officials for the state. The high court allowed the state ban to stay in effect when it returned the case to the Fifth Circuit Court. A three-judge panel of the appeals court voted 2-1 in January to send the case to the Texas Supreme Court for its determination of whether any state officials could enforce the ban.

In the Dobbs case, the ERLC, other pro-life organizations and the state of Mississippi have filed briefs in support of the 15-week ban that urged the high court to reverse the Roe and Casey rulings.




Longtime editor Presnall Wood dies at age 89

Presnall H. Wood, who was editor of the Baptist Standard through one the most tumultuous periods in Southern Baptist history, died March 10 in Dallas. He was 89.

presnall wood130
Presnall Wood

Wood was editor of the Baptist Standard from 1977 to 1995, the longest tenure of any editor in the newspaper’s history up to that point. At the time, the Baptist Standard had the largest circulation of any Baptist state newspaper.

He followed in the footsteps of his boyhood pastor at First Baptist Church in Vernon, E.S. James, who was editor of the Baptist Standard from 1954 to 1966.

Wood earned his undergraduate degree from Baylor University. At Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, he earned his doctorate in church history writing his dissertation on the history of the Baptist Standard.

As part of his doctoral research and prior to the publication of his book, Prophets with Pens: A History of the Baptist Standard, Wood “read every page of every Standard ever published” up to that point, said Toby Druin, who served as associate editor throughout Wood’s time as editor and succeeded him in that role.

“He loved the Baptist Standard,” Druin said. “Nobody on the Earth was as familiar with the Standard as Presnall Wood was.”

Druin called Wood “the consummate Christian” and “probably the most level-headed guy I ever knew.”

“It was a pleasure to work for him and to work with him,” he said.

In his next-to-last editorial in the Dec. 6, 1995, edition of the Baptist Standard, Wood reflected on the newspaper’s place in Texas Baptist life.

“The Standard is the reporter of the news, both good and bad; a supporter of Texas Baptists in their churches and institutions; a promoter of righteousness, missions and evangelism; and an interpreter of events and movements which affect the welfare of the people of God,” he wrote. “In fulfilling this role, the Standard is a watchman on the wall to commend and criticize and report controversial as well as commending news.”

In fact, the Baptist Standard during his editorship reported regularly on what critics called the fundamentalist takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention and supporters termed the convention’s conservative resurgence beginning in 1979.

Wood guided the Baptist Standard through a time of “unrest and struggle in the Baptist family” and “helped Texas Baptists navigate troubled denominational waters,” said William M. Pinson Jr, executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas from 1983 to 2000.

Pinson hailed Wood as “a wonderful friend, an encouraging coworker, a devoted Baptist Christian and a terrific editor.”

“His deep knowledge of Baptist beliefs and heritage gave him perspective. His experience as a successful pastor helped him deal with crises in a calm, thoughtful way,” Pinson said.

“Although quietly spoken, he did not hesitate to declare his position on very controversial issues. His deep faith in the lordship of Christ and trust in God’s word provided him courage as he dealt with persons highly critical of him when he took particular stands.

“In the midst of turmoil and divided opinions he endeavored to be fair. Presnall provided the kind of sterling Christian leadership that was so desperately needed in the time of his editorship.”

Presnall Wood

Presnall Hansel Wood was born May 7, 1932, in Vernon to J. Hank Wood and Bertha Brock Wood. He married Joyce Ann Middlebrooks on May 28, 1953, in Vernon.

Before assuming the editorship, Wood was pastor of Park Place Baptist Church in Houston.

Previous pastorates included Crestview Baptist Church in Midland, First Baptist Church in Goldthwaite and several rural congregations in Coryell County.

Upon his retirement, Wood served as director of church relations for Buckner International.

He had a longtime interest in fountain pens and was involved with the Dallas Pen Club.

He is survived by his wife Joyce Ann Wood; son Jeffrey Wood and wife Ellen of Allen; son Jed Wood and wife Sheri of Fort Worth; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Graveside services are scheduled at 10 a.m. on March 16 at Crowell Cemetery in Foard County under the direction of Sullivan Funeral Home in Vernon.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on April 2 in Ellis Chapel at Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas.

Memorial gifts can be made to the endowment fund of the Baptist Standard at P.O. Box 259019, Plano, TX 75025 or at https://baptiststandard.com/donate/ or to Buckner International at 700 N. Pearl St., Suite 1200, Dallas, TX 75201 or at https://www.buckner.org. Messages of condolence may be sent to the family at www.sullivanfuneralhomevernon.com.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The article, first posted on March 12, was edited April 1 to correct a statement in the second paragraph. Presnall Wood served 18 years and five months as editor of the Baptist Standard—the longest tenure of any editor up to that time. Marv Knox later served 18 year and seven months in that position.




Obituary: Paul Wayne Stripling

Paul Wayne Stripling, who served more than six decades as a Texas Baptist pastor and associational director of missions, died March 4 in Mansfield. He was 86. He was born Jan. 21, 1936, in Herrin, Ill., to Ben and Lucille Stripling. The Striplings moved to East Texas in his childhood, and he became a Christian at age 9 while his father was the pastor at First Baptist Church in Gladewater. When he was an undergraduate student at Baylor, Stripling was president of his junior class, president of the Honor Council and a member of Baylor’s Chamber of Commerce. He met Roberta Donnell in 1958 while attending Seventh and James Baptist Church, and they married at the First Baptist Church of Midland in 1960. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree at Baylor University before earning Bachelor of Divinity, Master of Theology and Doctor of Theology degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also received an honorary doctorate degree from Dallas Baptist University. His pastorates included Emmanuel Baptist Church in White Oak, First Baptist Church in Joshua, Baylor Baptist Church in Ennis, First Baptist Church of Golden Acres in Pasadena and Gaston Avenue Baptist Church in Dallas. During his 21 years as executive director of the Waco Regional Baptist Association he cultivated relationships with ministers and congregations in more than 130 Central Texas churches. After he retired, Waco Baptist Regional Association named him executive director emeritus, and the Baptist General Convention of Texas presented its Texas Baptist Legacy Award to him in 2017. Stripling served as a trustee at Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center for 17 years and was an adjunct faculty member at various times at Baylor University, Truett Theological Seminary and the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor. He also was director of the Hand-in-Hand ministry at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home, providing grief counseling to the bereaved. He wrote numerous articles for denominational publication and was the author of several books including From Me To You, based on his daily radio program at KCBI. He also wrote Turning Points in the History of Baptist Associations in Americaand contributed to other publications including Chicken Soup for the Golden Soul. The Striplings traveled extensively, leading groups groups to Israel, Italy and Germany. He also was involved in evangelistic efforts in Brazil and Mexico and taught seminary students in St. Petersburg, Russia. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Roberta Donnell Stripling; daughter Paula Voyles Jewell and her husband Kirk; daughter Mary Nelson and her husband Alan; two sets of twin grandsons; and sister Carolyn Stripling Margraves. A celebration of life service will be held March 11 at 2 p.m. at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home in Waco. Visitation will be on March 10 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. , also at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home. Memorial giftss may be made to the Dr. and Mrs. Paul W. Stripling Ministry Guidance Endowed Scholarship Fund at Baylor University, One Bear Place #97050, Waco, TX 76798.




Friendship prompted faith leaders to help during hostage crisis

KELLER—A rabbi who was held hostage along with several members of his Colleyville synagogue expressed appreciation for the local clergy—Protestant, Catholic, Muslim and Jewish—who offered support during and after the 11-hour ordeal.

But local religious leaders who gathered at the Global Faith Forum at Northwood Church in Keller made it clear love for their friend “Rabbi Charlie” left them no alternative but to respond during the crisis.

Relationships matter, and they need to be developed across faith barriers before a crisis occurs, speakers told the forum, sponsored by the Multi-Faith Neighbors Network.

Love for one’s neighbor, respect for human life and opposition to injustice are shared values that transcend theological differences, Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker of Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville said.

Charlie Citron-Walker (left), rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel, talks about the hostage situation at his synagogue in Colleyville. (Photo / Ken Camp)

“These universal values are not just meant for study. They are meant to be lived out,” Cytron-Walker said.

Cytron-Walker and three members of his synagogue were held hostage by Malik Faisal Akram, a British national who was demanding the release of a Pakistani Muslim woman who was jailed in nearby Fort Worth for shooting at two U.S. military officers.

One hostage was released after several hours. The remaining hostages escaped when Cytron-Walker, who had received active-shooter training, created a diversion by throwing a chair. The hostage-taking gunman was shot and killed by the FBI. Nobody else was injured.

Friends and neighbors

Good Shepherd Catholic Community in Colleyville served both as a command center where faith leaders helped FBI teams in hostage negotiations and as a place of sanctuary for family members of the hostages.

Father Michael Higgins, priest at Good Shepherd Catholic Community, noted he and Cytron-Walker had lunch two weeks before the Jan. 15 hostage standoff. So, when the crisis occurred, it seemed natural for his parish to open the doors of its facility to help, he said.

“This happened to friends. This happened to neighbors. We know each other,” Higgins said.

Bob Roberts, senior global pastor at Northwood Church in Keller, recalled he and his wife had just sat down to a meal when he learned through a series of text messages about the hostage situation at Congregation Beth Israel.

Working through the Keller police chief, Roberts helped put Colleyville law enforcement in contact with Omar Suleiman, founding president of the Yaqueen Institute for Islamic Research, believing he might be able to assist in negotiations.

Roberts and Suleiman—together with Rabbi Andrew Payley from Temple Shalom in Dallas, Azhar Azeez with Richardson-based Islamic Relief USA and Howard Rosenthal, former president of the synagogue’s board—spent much of the day at Good Shepherd Catholic Community.

They assisted law enforcement, ministered to the family members of hostages and prayed together for the safety of the hostages.

“Showing up and caring” made the difference, Payley said.

“We showed up, and it was powerful,” he said.




Creative evangelist unlocks the mystery of the gospel

ROUND ROCK—Rich Landry, better known as Captain Escape, captivates audiences with illusions, stunts, escapes and humor as he attempts to unlock the mystery of the gospel through his creative evangelistic presentations.

Whether he is on stage or off, Rich Landry—also known as Captain Escape—desires to use his platform to share the gospel. (Courtesy Photo)

Throughout his ministry, Landry has juggled a busy schedule while working full-time during the week for a software company and also performing at children’s ministry events such as camps, conferences, Upward sports award nights and other evangelistic outreach events.

When he isn’t performing stunts or illusions, Landry attends First Baptist Church in Round Rock, where he serves as a deacon and a Sunday school teacher. With the support of others in his church, he felt the Lord leading him to communicate the gospel message creatively through an itinerant ministry.

“I went to my pastor at the time, Gary Brinkley, to talk with him about life,” Landry recalled. “He said it was clear God was calling me to work more intentionally for the Lord. So, together we set about trying different roles at church for me, and that’s when I started teaching sixth graders in Sunday school. From there, I started taking kids to camp in the summer.”

Several years later, in his quest to find various ways to serve the Lord, Landry was inspired by watching Keith Coast, a children’s evangelist and illusionist, perform at a children’s camp.

“I was watching Keith on stage at camp one day with our church’s recreation director, and when I told her, ‘I can do that,’ that’s when my journey to become an ‘evangetainer’ began.

“Based on that conversation, I was immediately hired for an Upward event by that same recreation director. When I told her that I didn’t have an act yet, I was told: ‘You have 7 months. Good luck!’ And thus, Captain Escape was born. My wife and I took a walk that evening, and God gave me the ideas for my first show as we walked that evening. I was able to use that exact show for several years.”

As word began spreading, it wasn’t long before Landry started receiving requests to take his show on the road.

Inspired by testimonies

During his travels, Landry has been impacted by testimonies he has received about his ministry and the creative ways he is able to reach people with the gospel message.

“I remember receiving a Facebook message from someone that I had met at a children’s camp who was a police officer in Sweetwater,” Landry recalled. “He said they had raided a drug house, and sadly there were two kids in the house. Their parents or whoever was their guardian had brought them there with them, and it was a very sad situation.

“As the police arrived to do their job, the kids were scared and crying. Believe it or not, one of the kids had on a Captain Escape shirt that said, ‘Believe there is good in the world,’ and the words, ‘Be the good,’ were in bold print with the verse Galatians 6:9-10 below.

“He said because of the shirt, he was able to instantly connect with the children by saying, ‘I know Captain Escape, too.’ It still gives me goosebumps thinking about this, and I think that if everything I have done in this life was for that moment then my life was well spent.”

Bringing encouragement

Whether he is on stage or off, Landry desires to use his platform to share the gospel.

“My favorite part is helping others and being helped by others,” Landry noted. “I will admit that speaking and entertaining to rooms with hundreds of people can be intimidating, and it can fill one with doubt about their own ability.

“However, every single time I doubt, God sends a small child to tell me what a great job I did that day, which is why I want to be like the children and encourage everyone I can each day. One of the ways I try to bring encouragement to people is by sharing an encouraging word and Bible verse each day on Captain Escape’s Twitter.

“I’ve learned that life is hard, but God is still good. We all need a little help, and I want to be God’s helper every day. I want to live every day for God and do all I can do to be a light for others to see him in me.

“God has taught me so much through the years, but one theme stands very clear—we are to love God, love others and tell the world about him. We do that by loving and encouraging others in their walk with God. I don’t live to be Captain Escape. I live to do God’s will. Some days, I struggle more than I would like to, but every day I get up and live for him again.”




BUA reports good news to BGCT Executive Board

DALLAS—Less than five years after Texas Baptists’ Executive Board committed $1.5 million to keep Baptist University of the Américas afloat, BUA President Abe Jaquez reported the school entered its 75th year of operation debt-free.

At the same meeting, the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board learned Texas Baptists surpassed their $3.5 million giving goal to the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions, and the board approved up to $400,000 to purchase property for a Baptist Student Ministry building adjacent to a historically Black university.

In September 2017, the BGCT Executive Board approved a $1 million loan, a $250,000 gift and a $250,000 challenge grant for BUA. At the time, BUA had $260,000 in outstanding letters of credit, $268,000 outstanding for building maintenance contracts and $180,000 in past-due accounts payable and payroll taxes.

BUA President Abe Jaquez looks at plans for the repurposed campus buildings. (Photo by Ken Camp)

On Dec. 15, BUA in San Antonio closed on the sale of property it had occupied the past six years. Bexar County paid the full $6.5 million asking price for the building on Burlite Boulevard, allowing BUA to move debt-free into facilities it already owned on 60 acres across the freeway.

“God is faithful,” Jaquez told the board, his voice choked with emotion.

BUA has moved all its academic facilities and administrative offices into two repurposed buildings formerly used for student housing. The new academic space includes upgraded technology, including 85-inch interactive smart boards in each classroom.

Currently, BUA leaders are in the early stages of developing a new strategic plan for the school and developing a master plan for the campus.

Jaquez pledged to the Executive Board as long as he is president of BUA, the school will not go back into debt.

As a “token” of appreciation and an expression of the school’s desire “not just to be a taker, but to be a giver,” Jaquez presented BGCT Executive Director David Hardage a check for $3,000.

Jaquez emphasized the school’s mission to develop “cross-cultural Christian leaders”—particularly for Hispanic churches. Seven out of 10 pastors of Hispanic Texas Baptist churches received their education at BUA, he reported.

Meeting MHD goal, investing in BSM

At the same meeting, Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas Executive Director Tamiko Jones reported contributions to the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas surpassed the giving goal for the first time since 1999.

In recent years, many of the ministries supported by the missions offering could not be fully funded, since the goal was not met. This year, 78 ministries received their full allocations, she noted.

John-Travis Smith, associate executive director of Texas Baptist Men, reported TBM disaster relief volunteers served 61,379 hours last year. They provided more than 107,000 meals, distributed close to 70,000 bottles of water and gave away 685 Bibles.

At the recommendation of the collegiate ministries committee, the BGCT Executive Board authorized up to $400,000 to purchase property adjacent to Texas Southern University as the location for a BSM building.

The BSM at Texas Southern University, a historically Black university in Houston, has operated in leased space, but the lease is slated to expire soon.

Other business

In other business, the board voted to allocate $375,000 in earnings from the J.K. Wadley Endowment Fund, providing $150,000 for BSM campus missionary interns, $150,000 for BSM building maintenance, $50,000 for western heritage church ministries and $25,000 for the MinistrySafe child protection program.

The board also filled vacancies on board and councils by electing:

  • Seth Pitman from First Baptist Church in Throckmorton to the Committee to Nominate Executive Board Directors.
  • Susan Rogers from First Baptist Church in Garland to the Committee to Nominate Boards of Affiliated Ministries.
  • Larry Post from First Baptist Church in Sugar Land and Stacy Leonard from First Baptist Church in Garland to the Institutions Audit Council.



White evangelicals challenged to tell the truth about race

WACO—Efforts to restrict teaching about the dangers of racism are “fundamentally anti-Christian,” researcher and author Robert P. Jones told a conference on racial healing.

More than three dozen states have introduced legislation or taken other steps to restrict public schools from teaching what politicians broadly refer to as “critical race theory.” Actually, the term refers to an academic field of study usually introduced in the second year of law school, Jones noted.

“It’s become a Rorschach test, shorthand for anything white people don’t like related to race,” said Jones, founding CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute.

Avoiding white ‘discomfort’

Most of the legislation mirrors a Florida bill that prohibits lessons about race that could make white students feel “discomfort,” he said, characterizing the notion as “just nuts.”

“It’s based on the fundamentally anti-Christian idea that white people should be comfortable at other people’s expense,” said Jones, who holds a Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a doctorate in religion from Emory University.

“In the Baptist tradition, you don’t get saved without conviction of sin, and that is not a comfortable process.”

Jones presented the closing keynote address at a conference offered both online and at Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary titled, “Do you want to be healed? Racism in the White Church.”

Racism woven ‘into the fabric’

Racist ideas are “incorporated into the fabric of American Christianity” to the degree that it is difficult for many white Christian Americans to disentangle “being white from being Christian,” said Jones, author of White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity.

Historically, “political secession had its dress rehearsal in Baptist and Methodist churches” that separated into northern and southern branches over issues related to slavery, he said.

Speaking as a white Christian raised and educated in Southern Baptist churches and institutions, Jones asserted racism continues to be part of the “DNA” of conservative white Christianity.

“We have not thought about what we already have lost,” he said. “This history is at our core.”

The desire to allow slaveholders to serve as missionaries is central to “the origin story” of the Southern Baptist Convention, he said.

However, he also pointed to PRRI research showing underlying racism is not unique to white evangelicals in the South. It also is prevalent among Roman Catholics in the Northeast and mainline Protestants in the Midwest.

Analyzing survey responses to a broad range of questions, the dominant expression of white Christianity in any region is “the carrier” of the disease of white supremacist ideas in that area, he said.

‘Hyper-individualistic’ approach

Looking at the issue theologically, Jones blames a “hyper-individualistic” approach to religion—focusing on a personal relationship between “me and white Jesus” without regard to Christian teaching about community and society.

In particular, he asserted, this version of Christianity emphasizes personal morality without regard to how sin permeates institutions and systems. So, it may see racism as a personal sin that demands a change in behavior but denies the existence of institutional racism.

Examining the same data through the lens of sociology, he observed, “Race and religion are intertwined with partisanship.” He pointed particularly to how white Christian nationalism has embraced “ethnic and religious identity politics.”

Jones recommended white Christians talk about reparation and healing rather than racial reconciliation.

The idea of reconciliation suggests both parties—African American and white—share equal responsibility for the problem of racism and that the problem can be solved by improving interpersonal relationships, he observed.

Instead, he suggested white Christians take the lead in repairing the damage caused by unjust systems they created and worked hard to perpetuate.

Jones offered two key actions for white Christians to take: “Tell the truth—the whole truth—about our history, with no two-stepping around it. And love our neighbors—all our neighbors.




Authors discover connection between gender and race

WACO—The authors of a pair of bestselling books on gender and evangelicals told a conference on racial healing they discovered how much their subject matter intersects with racial justice issues.

Kristen Du Mez, author of Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation, and Beth Allison Barr, author of The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women became Gospel Truth, addressed an online audience and an in-person conference at Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary.

“I thought I was writing a book about gender but soon realized I was writing about race,” Du Mez, a historian at Calvin College, told participants at a conference titled, “Do we want to be healed? Racism in the White Church.”

‘Gender is always connected to race’

As a graduate student, Du Mez recalled being told repeatedly, “Gender is always connected to race.” At the time, she questioned whether it was true, but not any longer.

Before she began the research that led to her book, Du Mez accepted evangelicals’ self-definition as Christians who hold to the Bebbington Quadrilateral—a commitment to biblical authority, the necessity of conversion, the centrality of the cross and an activist approach toward evangelism.

“A majority of Black Christian pastors could check all those boxes but do not identify as evangelicals,” she said.

As she continued her research, she concluded a series of networks—often centered more on social and cultural issues rather than theology—distinguish the boundaries of evangelicalism.

In working on Jesus and John Wayne, Du Mez examined books on Christian masculinity. While they seldom directly addressed race, the heroes they held up as worthy of emulation were all white men—often men who demonstrated their strength by subduing nonwhite populations.

“Race is not always visible, except it is if you’re not white,” she said.

In those rare instances where racial issues were discussed—such as in the Promise Keepers movement—leaders emphasized racial reconciliation and mutual forgiveness, not racial justice, she noted. Leaders of the movement defined racism in personal terms but did not address its systemic and institutional dimensions, she observed.

She also realized marketers recognize the culture of evangelicalism as overwhelmingly white.

“When we look at how markets are imagined, evangelicals are imagined as white,” she said.

‘White is not normative’

Barr likewise grew to realize African American Christians and white evangelicals who each claim allegiance to biblical authority have not placed equal emphasis on the same passages of Scripture.

“The ways we use the Bible are different, and they say more about culture than the Bible,” she said. “We choose small portions of the Bible to focus on.”

Barr, a historian at Baylor University, understood the rise of fundamentalism and later evangelicalism were “historically hard to separate” both from opposition to the women’s suffrage movement and from support for Jim Crow laws that oppressed Black Americans.

As she conducted her own research on how evangelicals often interpreted Scripture in ways that led to the subjugation of women, she said, “I had to acknowledge that my experience is not the same as a Black woman’s.”

“Race is always a factor, and white is not normative,” Barr said. “When we talk about our experience, we have to be careful about making it normative.”

‘Leaving safe space’

Barr and Du Mez expected their books to trigger debate and controversy.

“Anybody who talks about race is leaving safe space,” Du Mez acknowledged.

However, both were surprised at the level of vitriol and personal attacks—often from professing Christians—on social media.

“It’s shocking that Christians can treat other Christians like that,” Barr said.

Neither Barr nor Du Mez holds out much hope for wholesale changes in denominations. However, they have been encouraged by the reaction of individual readers in white evangelical churches, including congregations aligned with the Presbyterian Churches in America and the Southern Baptist Convention.

Still, when it comes to talking about race, “even convening a conversation [about racism]… takes an act of courage these days,” Du Mez said.




Racial healing requires dismantling oppressive systems

WACO—Healing racist systems within the church requires everyone—oppressed and oppressors alike—to recognize they are wounded by racism, a speaker told a hybrid conference offered online and at Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary.

Catherine Meeks, executive director of The Absalom Jones Episcopal Center for Racial Healing, remotely delivered the keynote address on the opening day of the conference, “Do you want to be healed? Racism in the White Church.” (Photo by Ken Camp)

“Racism has wounded every soul in this country in one way or another,” said Catherine Meeks, executive director of The Absalom Jones Episcopal Center for Racial Healing.

From Atlanta, Ga., Meeks remotely delivered the keynote address on the opening day of the conference, “Do you want to be healed? Racism in the White Church.”

Short-term interracial projects, one-shot seminars and occasional pulpit exchanges cannot cure what ails American churches, she insisted.

“That is an illusion,” Meeks said. Instead, Christians must “destabilize the systems that marginalize, denigrate and dehumanize people,” she said. “Replace it with something that looks more like what God has in mind.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has offered busy American Christians the rare opportunity to “stand still” and practice introspection, examining the “systems and narratives we have constructed,” Meeks said.

“Racism is like a chronic illness that has to be dealt with every day, every minute,” she added.

‘Find a brave space’

Becoming vulnerable, asking hard questions and discussing sensitive subjects with a person of another race demands courage, she acknowledged.

“Let’s get out of our safe space boxes. Let’s find a brave space where the truth can be told,” she urged.

Responsibility for dismantling oppressive systems begins with white Christians because their forebears created them and maintained them to protect the privilege they enjoyed, she asserted. Tinkering around the edges is not enough, she added.

“It can’t be cleaned up. It has to be healed,” she said.

Greg Garrett, professor of English at Baylor and program organizer, emphasized the same point in explaining why a conference on racism specifically focused on the white church.

“White people created this system, and only white people can dismantle it,” he said.

Sean Palmer, teaching pastor at Ecclesia Community in Houston and author of Unarmed Empire: In Search of Beloved Community, likewise described the pernicious effects of racism.

“Racism always leads to injustice, cover-ups and murder,” he said.

‘Everyday experience’ of Black Americans

Palmer used a personal experience to illustrate how African Americans face suspicion and live with a fear unfamiliar to white Americans.

Palmer recalled an occasion in February 2020 when his home security alarm sounded in the night. He was awakened by a phone call from the security company, who were checking to see if it was a real emergency.

Because he was sound asleep, Palmer was unable to answer the phone before the security company representative hung up. After he determined there was no home intruder, he tried unsuccessfully to call the company. So, he knew the police would arrive at his home soon.

“This was a few weeks after Atatiana Jefferson was killed in her home by police,” he recalled.

When the police came to Palmer’s front door, he answered it and identified himself, making sure the officer could see he was not holding a gun. At the officer’s request, he presented a photo ID.

At that point, the police officer asked him, “Are there any warrants for your arrest?”

Palmer assured the officer he was the homeowner, not a lawbreaker. At that point, his wife—who is white—entered the room. Looking past Palmer, the officer asked the woman, “Ma’am, are you all right?”

Once the policeman was satisfied Palmer’s wife was not in danger, he told her she could go back to bed, but he continued to question Palmer.

After receiving reassurance by radio there were no outstanding warrants for Palmer’s arrest, the officer finally returned his driver’s license, telling him before leaving, “You know, I could cite you for having an unregistered alarm.”

“That is the everyday experience of men and women of color in America,” Palmer said.

‘Lay down rights … become the other’

He cited research by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, author of The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion. Political and religious liberals tend to make moral judgments on the basis of fairness and whether harm occurs, according to Haidt. Conservatives—both political and religious—tend to view moral issues through the lenses of respecting authority, maintaining purity and protecting the in-group, he asserted.

Christians can bridge differences by exercising their “charity muscle” by learning to speak in love and play well with others, Palmer insisted. That means surrendering status and identifying with the marginalized, he explained.

“Healing and redemption come when people lay down their rights, privileges and positions and become the other,” he said.

The Feb. 17-19 conference—jointly sponsored by Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary, The Absalom Jones Episcopal Center for Racial Healing and the Public Religion Research Institute—is the first of three planned over the next three years, made possible in part by a grant from the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation.