American culture has turned upside down. What an ironically invigorating development.

Validation of cultural upside-downness arrived from unexpected quarters—the Southern Baptist Convention Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission’s recent conference on homosexuality and the future of marriage. (Read about it here, here and here.) 

Editor Marv KnoxAnd a grizzled culture warrior delivered the message.

For more than two decades, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Al Mohler has railed against societal shift. He’s criticized liberal Christians, humanists, atheists and mostly Democratic politicians—all of whom, he believes, have tugged the nation to the left.

But at the SBC’s homosexuality/marriage conference, Mohler took a counter-intuitive turn. He castigated heterosexuals, not gays and lesbians, for the current crisis revolving around the definition of marriage.

Rampant divorce “has done far more harm to marriage than same-sex marriage will ever do,” he said. Heterosexuals demonstrated “how to destroy marriage by making it a tentative, hypothetical union for so long as it may last.”

Moral minority

And with traditional values under revision and the “moral revolution” over, the church now is “a moral minority” in the nation, Mohler conceded.

“We are accustomed to ministry from the top side in the culture, not from the under side,” he announced. “We are accustomed to speaking from a position of strength and respect and credibility. And now we are going to be facing the reality that we are already, in much of America, speaking from a position of loss of credibility.”

Now, maybe we can make a difference.

For generations, conservative Christians enjoyed cultural dominance, particularly in the South and the Southwest. If the churches opposed, it didn’t happen; and if the churches wanted it, it got done. Then, with the rise of the Religious Right in the 1980s, Southern Christians turned to political means to extend their authority across the nation. Their leaders got their pictures on the covers of newsmagazines and demanded audiences with elite politicians.

Hypocrisy led to loss of influence

However, as Mohler intimated, hypocrisy began to erode all that power. For example, with evangelicals divorcing at the same rate as everybody else, they lost authority to address the declining reverence for marriage.

Of course, they didn’t notice the change shifting under their pulpits. When their favored politicians held office, they got invited to important meetings at statehouses and the White House. And when their adversaries held sway, they got invited to go on TV and pontificate on the perils of oppositional politics.

Problem is, others noticed. In many parts of the country, all kinds of people—churched and unchurched alike—identified denominational labels with political parties. People sensed if their political and/or social perspectives did not align with the local religious establishment’s, their worship would not be welcomed.

One of the most poignant aspects of editing the Baptist Standard the past few years has been receiving emails and phone calls from nonconformists who felt cast out of their congregations. Some are homosexuals; others are straight people who made mistakes. Some simply voted the “wrong” way and mentioned it at church. Some felt judged because they expressed sympathy for people who apparently do not deserve sympathy.

Reclaiming the hurting

The harsh treatment these people received at the hands of Bible-toting, Scripture-quoting Christians hardened their hearts. Some are softening, seeking a way back. Many, if not most, protect their broken selves and resolve not to be harmed again.

Jesus did not hurt these people. Christians did. But it’s hard for them to recognize the difference. And when I read and hear their stories, it’s hard to blame them.

So, ministering to our nation from “the under side” of culture may be just what God wants and the church needs. As a cultural force, triumphalistic Christians failed to recognize their power and often abused their privilege. Majoritarian Christians hurt people, undermined their own credibility and damaged Jesus’ reputation.

It’s time for our society to see humble Christianity. Coercion and condemnation failed. Gentleness and love must prevail.

If my people…

Christians often quote 2 Chronicles 7:14 with a condemning spirit: “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” We say it expecting the rest of society to repent.

But God promised forgiveness and healing “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves ….” God requires our humility, prayer and seeking, not the world’s.

We live on the “under side” of culture. Good. Let America witness the winsome, transforming power of humility, love, respect and kindness.

This editorial, ironically, is a week late.

That’s because it’s partly about Ben Bradlee, the greatest newspaper editor of the 20th century. He would’ve thrown a reporter through a Washington Post office window for missing a deadline by a week.

Editor Marv KnoxBradlee died Oct. 21 at age 93. To be fair, of all the coverage about Bradlee and his life and death, the piece that prompted this editorial–written by his famous protégés Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein—ran on the Post’s website Oct. 28, the day before his funeral.

Bradlee took the helm of the mediocre Post in 1965 and served as executive editor until 1991, long after it became known as one of the most respected and influential newspapers in the world. If you recognize his name, it’s probably because he fought colossal battles and resisted indescribable pressure so Woodward and Bernstein could cover the Watergate scandal, which led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation.

Bradlee’s, Woodward’s and Bernstein’s courage and passion for truth changed U.S. history and altered American journalism. Nixon resigned for covering up Watergate. Inspired by Bradlee’s Post, countless editors and reporters strengthened their resolve to report news boldly, thoroughly and fairly.

The Watergate effect

Thanks to the Post, Watergate and the movie All the President’s Men, journalism became an attractive career for idealistic young Americans in the mid- to late 1970s. Back then, the number of journalism students on U.S. campuses reportedly outnumbered the workforce of all the nation’s newspapers.

You can count me among them. Although most have gone on to other careers, I’ve been blessed to earn a living by writing and editing stories 39 years.

It happened because I resonated with Bradlee’s belief in the importance of reporting news freely, without fear or favor. Of course, I’m no Ben Bradlee, but I’ve covered religion news on a smaller, but no less important, scale. The principles that apply to a democracy like the United States or a community like Washington apply to a voluntary group of Christian believers, like the Baptist denomination.

For Baptists, those principles apply not only politically, but also spiritually. We practice pure democracy—every member gets a vote in church decisions; messengers from churches vote on denominational decisions—because of two core doctrines. The priesthood of all believers and the autonomy of the local church lead us to honor each others’ consciences by giving all of us a say in our decisions. Consequently, a free flow of information is vital to Baptists. We can’t come together and make wise decisions unless we have the facts and accurate context.

Since Bradlee’s heyday, newspapers everywhere—from the Post to the Standard—have faced an onslaught of challenges. Technology presents traditional newspaper readers with myriad news options. Newspapers have been political whipping boys for at least two generations. Young adults, raised on multimedia, rarely sit still long enough to read news stories. And every economic downturn knocks props out from the expensive process of newsgathering.

A few years ago, Bradlee reminisced with Woodward and Bernstein. He lamented the “hand-wringing that newspapers would disappear.”

A world without newspapers

“I am really appalled about that,” he said. “I cannot envision a world without newspapers. I cannot envision it. I can envision a world with fewer newspapers. I can envision a world where newspapers are printed differently, distributed differently, but there is going to be a profession of journalism, and their job is going to be to report what they believe the truth to be. And that won’t change.”

So, why am I telling you this?

First, because Bradlee is an American hero, and his passage merits note.

But also because all of us should reflect deeply on the last part of Bradlee’s quote: “… there is going to be a profession of journalism, and their job is going to be to report what they believe the truth to be. And that won’t change.”

Less than a week before Bradlee died, we posted an article announcing the boards of Baptist News Global (formerly ABPnews/Herald) and the Baptist Standard have approved a process for considering whether the two organizations should merge their operations.

Although the outcome is not predetermined, the goal of those discussions is “to secure a free press and robust news coverage for Baptists regionally, nationally and globally.”

Every person affiliated with the Standard—14 board members and seven staff—take seriously the newspaper’s 126-year legacy mandate to provide a free flow of news about and for Texas Baptists. The intent of the talks is not deciding to merge or not merge with our longtime partners at Baptist News Global. The intent is to determine the best way to secure that legacy mandate for generations to come.

Baptists and a free press

We believe Texas Baptists’ best chance for future strength is to ensure their access to news about their common life together. Changes within the denomination and the communications industry led us to consider accomplishing that goal through a possible merger. Changes in technology make that consideration possible.

But an unchanging principle—free Baptists’ dependence upon free-flowing news—is our guiding star, whatever our specific operational model.

To paraphrase Bradlee: “We cannot envision a world without newspapers. … And there is going to be a profession of Baptist journalism, and their job is going to be to report what they believe the truth to be. And that won’t change.”

They won’t show up in the Centers for Disease Control statistics, but a unique group of Texans may be affected by our state’s Ebola crisis. They’re the political candidates trying to unseat incumbents.

“The dominance of the news cycles by the ever-changing updates on the Ebola crisis” have knocked a huge chunk out of the political coverage we normally see during the fall of an election year, the Texas Tribune reported.  

Editor Marv KnoxAnd despite what you might think, the ills of the virus are not distributed evenly. “The wall-to-wall coverage of Ebola hurts challengers more than incumbents, who do not need to rely on the media to get their message out,” Wade Emmert, chairman of the Dallas County Republican Party, explained to the Houston Chronicle in a report picked up by the Tribune.

Distractions and news cycles aside, Texas Baptists have a civic duty to educate themselves about the candidates and issues. And then vote.

When asked about paying taxes, Jesus said, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” (Mark 12:17). By “Caesar,” of course, Jesus meant government. One of the requirements of responsible citizenship is voting. As whole, complete, unified people, our spiritual duty requires us to be solid citizens. So, voting is not only a civic activity, but also a faithful spiritual enterprise.

This is true even when your vote cancels the ballot cast by the church member who sits down the pew from you Sunday after Sunday. Or even the person who sits across the dinner table from you night after night.

No monolithic Christian vote

People who meet Texans—particularly evangelical Christian Texans—might be surprised to learn we sometimes cancel each others’ votes. The way the media plays it, we’re one big, monolithic, lockstep-walking bloc.

This is not true, of course. A “Christian vote” is the phantom of some pundit’s imagination. We don’t always talk like it, but in our hearts, we know Jesus is neither a Republican nor a Democrat.

Some Christians vote one way because of the impulse of their faith, the way they read the Bible and the dictates of their consciences. And some Christians vote the other way because of the impulse of their faith, the way they read the Bible and the dictates of their consciences. We should respect them both, and they should respect each other. (The less-respectable path is taken, sadly, by Christians whose faith does not shape their vote.)

Turn out to cast your ballot

By its very nature, politics creates winners and losers. We’ll know it all on Election Night. Still, however the votes turn out, our state and nation will be stronger if Christians and other people of faith humbly recognize millions of voters are rejoicing or lamenting precisely because they voted the way they believe God wanted them to.

Early voting began in Texas Oct. 20 and will continue through Election Day, Nov. 4. If you need to know the who, what, when, where, why and how of voting, click here.

Through the balance of the campaign and after the election, we can strengthen our communities, state and nation by demonstrating how to disagree agreeably. Contention and partisanship are ripping the fabric of our society. We can stitch it back together by speaking civilly, responding kindly and acting graciously to our fellow citizens. Especially the fellow Christians who cancel our votes.

Houston Mayor Annise Parker might be in the running for the next Nobel Peace Prize for accomplishing the seemingly impossible. Her honor’s administration inadvertently gathered fundamentalist and liberal Christians, Muslims and Jews, and even Baha’is and Baptists in one accord. They’re together. Solid. United.

Of course, Parker’s prize would go down in history as the “ignoble Nobel.”

Editor Marv KnoxHer administration subpoenaed five pastors who opposed the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance—HERO—which adds sexual orientation and “gender identity” to protections guaranteed in the city’s laws.

Most controversially, the new ordinance originally proposed: “It shall be unlawful for any place of public accommodation or any employee or agent thereof to intentionally deny any person entry to any restroom, shower room, or similar facility that is consistent with and appropriate to that person’s expression of gender identity.” In other words, it would allow people to select restrooms based upon their “gender identity,” not original anatomy. That section was stricken from the final law.

Opponents petitioned the city for a voter referendum on the new anti-discrimination protections. The city rejected their endeavor. Then some opponents sued, claiming the city wrongfully quashed the referendum.

Five pastors subpoenaed

Along the way, the city subpoenaed the five pastors—none of whom are litigants in the suit—demanding they turn over “all speeches, presentations, or sermons related to HERO, the petition, Mayor Annise Parker, homosexuality, or gender identity prepared by, delivered by, revised by, or approved by you or in your possession.”

Pastors, rabbis, imams and people of many faiths howled. As well they should.

Opponents ranged from the left—author Rachel Held Evans and Interfaith Alliance President Welton Gaddy, both supporters of homosexual rights—to the right—Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission head Russell Moore and Alliance Defending Freedom leader Greg Scott. Of course, politicians raised Cain.

Despite the outcry, enforcement of the Houston subpoenas does not seem likely.

To begin with, the mayor and the city attorney backpedaled when the subpoenas stirred up a storm.

A spokesperson for the mayor’s office told the Wall Street Journal: “Mayor Parker agrees with those who are concerned about the city legal department’s subpoenas for pastors’ sermons. The subpoenas were issued by pro bono attorneys helping the city prepare for the trial regarding the petition to repeal the new Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) in January. Neither the mayor nor City Attorney David Feldman were aware the subpoenas had been issued until yesterday,” Oct. 14.

Confict with constitutional precedent

On top of that, the subpoenas conflict with 213 years of established constitutional precedent. They clearly violate the First Amendment’s guarantees of both religious liberty and free speech.

Even the Internal Revenue Service—the government agency that most often weighs in on the nature of political speech among religious groups and nonprofits—follows policies that favor the pastors. While the IRS may revoke tax-exemption if a pastor endorses specific political candidates from the pulpit, it specifically affirms a religious leader’s right to speak to public issues.

So, if the pastors preached on homosexuality or the ordinance, they were well within their rights. (The mayor may not know this, however. Religion Dispatches reported Parker tweeted to the contrary around midnight Oct. 15: “If the 5 pastors used pulpits for politics, their sermons are fair game. Were instructions given on filling out anti-HERO petition?-A.”)

Even if Houston’s city leaders drop the subpoenas, this episode is disturbing for at least two reasons.

First, and foremost, it is an egregious attempt to usurp religious liberty.

If the subpoenaed pastors received a dollar for every time the phrase “government overreach” has been spoken or written regarding this case, they could pay all their legal bills. From the extreme left, right and every point in-between, Americans agree the Houston mayor’s office tried to punish preachers for political views based upon sincerely held religious beliefs.

We instinctively, historically and constitutionally know that’s plain wrong.

Second, and even more grievously, the subpoenas fed the fears of conspiracy theorists and fanned the flames of our ongoing culture wars.

Encourages paranoia

This is the kind of action that convinces conservative U.S. Christians they are persecuted. You can be assured this story will go viral and make the rounds of emails—updated to appear current—for years and years. It will be the new “Madalyn Murray O’Hair is trying to remove religion from the airwaves” rumor for coming decades. Those subpoenas are worth millions of dollars to anti-government activists and political strategists who grow rich and powerful by scaring naïve, well-meaning and otherwise gullible citizens into supporting their divisive causes.

So, for the moment, Americans across the political and theological spectrum are drawn together in agreement the Houston subpoenas are wrong. But in the long run, the fear they spread will push us apart.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: The fourth paragraph was revised Oct. 17 to reflect that one controversial section of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance was stricken from the final law).

Fear would be funny if it weren’t so fraudulent.

It’s ludicrous, all right. Preposterous, even. But make no mistake: Fear misappropriates logic and steals perspective. It robs people of the ability to think clearly. It replaces reason with panicky, overwrought delusion. Far too often, fear is more ferocious than whatever we fear.

Editor Marv KnoxTo illustrate, look no further than responses to the news about Thomas Eric Duncan, who emigrated from Liberia and came down with Ebola in Texas.

As Duncan fought a quarantined battle for his life in a Dallas hospital, my wife’s sisters—both of whom live in Fort Worth, at least 27 miles and 40 minutes away—traveled on vacation in New England. One of them came down with a cold and visited a drugstore to purchase medicine. People in the pharmacy practically panicked because a woman “from Texas” with a cough entered their store.

Meanwhile, back in Dallas, a food-truck operator broke a contract to serve an after-church festival at Wilshire Baptist Church, where Duncan’s fiancé, Louise Troh, is a member. “Neither (Duncan), nor she, nor any member of that family attended anything at Wilshire after his arrival in the United States, and there has been no physical contact of any kind between anyone at Wilshire and any of the family since the outbreak,” Associate Pastor Mark Wingfield reported. No germs, no exposure. But still no service.

So, while people only contract Ebola by coming into contact with bodily fluids of a symptomatic victim, they succumb to fear at the mere notion of harm.

Fear holds the upper hand in society today.

Our default posture

Fear is “a default posture of human beings,” novelist/essayist/professor Marilynne Robinson told  The New York Times Magazine. “Fear is so opportunistic that people can call on it under the slightest provocations . … Fear has, in this moment, a respectability I’ve never seen in my life.”

You know she’s telling the truth.

Whether it’s politicians rounding up votes, advertisers peddling products or religious leaders corralling converts, fear works. If you frighten people, you can shape their thinking. If you shape their thinking, you can control their conduct. And, unfortunately, logic and reason—not to mention truth—have nothing to do with the outcome.

To be sure, suffering and evil exist. They are frightening. The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is horrific. The crimes committed by ISIS in northern Iraq and Syria are atrocious. The specter of economic instability is troublesome. You and I can call roll for a battalion of terrors.

The world may or may not be more frightening than it’s been before. But we know more about it. On top of traditional TV, radio and print journalism, digital communication—the Internet, email and myriad social media—deliver every scary scenario almost as soon as it happens.

Why are we susceptible?

So, fear is comprehensible. But what’s not reasonable is why Christians are so susceptible to its tentacles.

Sure we live in the same world as everyone else. We breathe the same air, drive the same roads, keep our money in the same banks, see the same news, fly the same airlines, and on and on. The world’s milieu is ours.

But we do not stand on the same foundation. As children, we sang a song based on Jesus’ construction parable: “And the house on the rock stood firm.” If Jesus’ parable is true and our faith rests in him, then the foundation of our lives is secure, even in the midst of storms that cause others to quake with fear.

We are not delusional. We do not deny the calamity and evil that provokes fear, but we overcome fear. Nelson Mandela explained it eloquently: “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

God gives us the power to overcome fear. In Christ, we know truths that lead us to triumph over fear:

• The catastrophe, cataclysm and evil that evoke fear do not define us. The substance of our lives, much less our souls, is not composed of circumstances. We are created in God’s image, defined by that divine stamp. Nothing defaces or diminishes it.

• Even in the worst of circumstances, we are not alone. As children, we learned God joined Shadrack, Meshack and Abednigo in the fiery furnace. Later, as we learned to think more abstractly but no less realistically, we found comfort in Psalm 46:  “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear ….” We embraced Romans 8:  “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. … For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (vv. 28, 38-39).

• Our response to the world’s worst terrors is the glory of God’s grace. How we live authenticates our faith. When we courageously face fear, we testify to God’s power and love. When we go about our lives—confidently, purposefully, yet humbly—we demonstrate “the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

Do you ever play the “What If …?” game?

What if nobody abused drugs? What if people quit acting selfishly? What if everybody in your church tithed? What if Americans really set out to eliminate injustice, poverty and hunger? What if every child received a decent education? What if every eligible citizen voted? What if …?

Editor Marv KnoxIt’s a mind-expanding exercise. Try to imagine the reality of an impossible ideal. Everything changes.

Texas Baptists will get a chance to participate in an epic “What If …?” experience in a few days. What if all of us shared our faith experiences with unbelievers on the same day?

That’s the goal for Oct. 14, when the Baptist General Convention of Texas participates in Engage24, a national project designed to encourage Christians to present the gospel of Jesus Christ to other people in one 24-hour period.

David Hardage, the BGCT’s executive director, describes Engage 24 succinctly: “Witness to someone, somewhere, somehow on Oct. 14, 2014.”

A natural way to share your faith

Some Christians figuratively or literally roll their eyes when others roll out a new evangelism emphasis. Sure, some schemes seem contrived. And some seem impersonal. But Engage24 is as natural as talking about anything and as personal as your own life.

Studies show many Americans—and a majority of young people—would welcome a significant spiritual conversation. That means folks all around us are just waiting for someone to talk to them about Jesus.

Now, you may be thinking, “Don’t guilt me into buttonholing a stranger and beating them over the head with the Bible.”

It rarely works, anyway.

Sure, some Christians evangelize people they don’t know. When I worked in the Baptist Mecca, Nashville, my friends and I heard so many evangelistic testimonies, we guessed every cab driver and waiter in town had been saved at least seven times.

Family, neighbors and friends

But the most effective faith-sharing happens between people who know and care about each other, such as family, friends, co-workers and neighbors. And since life is full of ups and downs, the natural connection points for spiritual conversations—joys and sorrows, victories and disappointments—happen all the time. We simply need to look for them.

So, rather than think about Engage24 as just another scheme, think of it as a prompt, an excuse to do what ought to come naturally: Talk about what is ultimate with someone—maybe even someone you love—who will be blessed by the visit.

Christian witnessing is kind of like exercising. The hard part is thinking about it. The great part is actually doing it.

A confession

True confession: I often use my natural introversion as an excuse not to share my faith. “Oh, I can’t do it well; I’m a shy person.” But then I’ll talk about the latest ballgame, an interesting movie or a new restaurant with a complete stranger. Surely, I can find natural beginning points for talking about faith and life and the difference God makes in my own life. And if the conversation is authentic and conducted with a generous spirit, it’s not forced or shallow or bogus.

If you want to know more about Engage24, you can read about it  on the BGCT website.

What are you doing Oct. 14? How about engaging a friend, a loved one or a neighbor with the Good News of Jesus?

WACO—The Western church should empathize with persecuted fellow believers in the Eastern branch of the Christian family tree, religious leaders with ties to Iraq and Syria told a Baylor University audience.

Mar Awa Royel, California bishop of the Assyrian Church of the East, prepares to speak in a Baylor University chapel service. He also participated in a panel discussion on the crisis facing the Christian church in Syria and Iraq. (PHOTO/ Valeria Brenes/Baylor Marketing & Communications)“We are all members of the same body. We ought to suffer with those who suffer,” said Mar Awa Royel, bishop of the Assyrian Church of the East. Royel, who serves the diocese of California, recently returned from a trip to northern Iraq with a delegation of church leaders.

Royel joined Jalil Dawood, pastor of the Arabic Church in Dallas, and Abdul-Massih Saadi, assistant professor of Arabic and Syriac at Baylor, in a panel discussion sponsored by the university’s department of religion, its office of spiritual life and the Institute for Faith and Learning.

“Ours is an apostolic faith. Persecution is a part of who we are as the ancient Christian church of the east,” Royel said.

Christians in Iraq and Syria are enduring hardship and persecution comparable to what first-century Christians experienced, he said, noting between 120,000 and 150,000 Christians were forced from their ancestral homes in Mosul and the surrounding plains.

“They left their homes with only the garments on their backs,” he said.

Dawood, who was born in Baghdad and grew up in Iraq, likewise described the suffering Christians in northern Iraq endured at the hands of Islamic State jihadists.

In Iraqi city of Mosul, the Islamic State marked Christians’ homes with the Arabic letter “N” for Nassarah, designating them as followers of Jesus of Nazareth.“Overnight, they were invaded and told to convert, pay a tax or get killed,” he said.

International news agencies reported fighters with the Islamic State—also known as ISIS or ISIL—told Christians in the region unless they converted to Islam, they would be required to pay jizya, a “protection tax” imposed on Christians under Islamist rule. They marked Christians’ home with the letter “N” for Nassarah, designating them as followers of Jesus of Nazareth, and confiscated their property.

“They were waiting for help—waiting for America to accept them as refugees, waiting for Europe, waiting for Australia. And it was not happening,” Dawood said. “The situation is expanding. Christians are hurting—people who left everything for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Likewise, Christians in Syria are suffering at the hands of Islamist extremists, reported Saadi, whose father immigrated from war-torn Turkey to the safety of Syria decades ago.

“Those of my generation lived and were educated in Syria. Nobody questioned our safety,” he said.

But two years ago, his sister was forced to flee their hometown of Aleppo—first to Lebanon and eventually to Holland.

Abdul-Massih Saadi, assistant professor of Arabic and Syriac at Baylor University, participated in a panel discussion at Baylor on the crisis facing the Christian church in Syria and Iraq. Saadi spent 12 years translating the New Testament from Syriac Aramaic into two versions—Modern Standard Arabic and Mardini, a colloquial Arabic dialect. (PHOTO/Courtesy of Terry Goodrich/Baylor University)“She left behind all her earthly possessions,” he said. “My brother refuses to leave. He says as long as even one Christian family is there, he will not leave the area.”

Western Christians should not underestimate the threat the Islamic State and other jihadists pose in the Middle East, Saadi insisted.

“They cannot be dismissed as a band of terrorists,” he said, noting the jihadists do not see terms such as “terrorist” or “fundamentalist” as pejorative. “They believe they are commanded by God to terrorize the enemy.”

ISIS fighters believe “war is the ideal place to be closer to God,” and radical Islamist clerics reassure them their zeal will be rewarded in the afterlife, he said.

In contrast, Christian leaders in Syria and Iraq preach a different message, he said: “Be patient. Endure suffering. Don’t lose hope.”

In response to a question about Christian groups represented in Iraq and Syria, the panelists painted a complex picture—Assyrian Church of the East, Syriac Orthodox, Chaldean Catholic Church and Armenian Catholic Church among others, along with Protestant Christians.

“But when the Islamic State looks at us, they do not look at us as divided. They look at us as one, and they oppose us as one,” said Dawood, an evangelical who earned his master of divinity degree from Dallas Theological Seminary.

All three panelists urged Christians in the West to speak on behalf of the persecuted Christians of the East, advocate for them politically and pray for them regularly.

“Pray also for those who are perpetrators of persecution,” Royel added. “Pray that the light of Christ’s love and grace will shine on these dark people. They definitely need it.”

The panelists’ call to prayer echoed similar appeals from other religious leaders.

An Assyrian Christian church in Irbil, Iraq, struggles to care for an influx of refugees from towns that fell under Islamic State control. (Voice of America Image)“A modern book of martyrs is being written,” Southern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd told the SBC Executive Committee. Floyd urged prayer for Christians in Iraq and Syria, calling the situation there “a once-in-a-thousand-year destruction of the Christian church.”

Leaders of the Supreme Council of the Evangelical Community in Syria and Lebanon called the situation in their region a “state of emergency,” warning Christian minorities there face the danger of eradication.

However, the leader of a faith-based nonprofit agency in Iraq noted Christians there continue to minister under difficult circumstances. House church leaders are delivering aid to displaced people—including Arabs, Yezidi and Turkmen, said Jeremy Courtney, a graduate of Howard Payne University and Baylor’s Truett Theological Seminary. He founded the Preemptive Love Coalition, which until recently primarily focused on providing life-saving heart surgeries for Iraqi children.

The Preemptive Love Coalition is seeking churches in the United States to help churches across Iraq provide emergency aid to their countrymen, many of whom are not Christian, Courtney added. For more information, visiting the organization’s website or email Jeremy@preemptivelove.org.

More and more U.S. Christians—particularly evangelicals—think they’re losing influence and feel embattled. They also say they want politicians to help rectify the situation. But maybe they should try to win their culture wars by lovingly influencing their neighbors and telling the politicians to butt out of religion.

Editor Marv KnoxTwo new polls document Americans’ attitudes about the place of religion in society. The results may be alarming, but they’re not shocking.

Seventy-two percent of the nation’s adults think “religion is losing influence in American life,” according to a Pew Research Center survey. That’s an increase of 5 percentage points since 2010 and the highest level in more than a decade.

The degree to which Americans think religion’s loss of influence is bad varies by race/ethnicity and faith. Not surprisingly, white evangelicals bemoan it most, with 80 percent citing the declining influence as a negative development. White mainline Protestants followed, at 79 percent, with white Catholics next at 77 percent. Seventy-two percent of black Protestants see the trend negatively, as do 59 percent of Hispanic Catholics.

Interestingly, 70 percent of the religiously unaffiliated think the declining trend is detrimental.

The Pew Center survey also asked Americans which groups face “significant discrimination” in society. The national results ranked gays and lesbians at the top, with 65 percent agreeing homosexuals are discriminated against. Atheists came in second, at 59 percent, and white evangelicals trailed far behind, at 31 percent.

Evangelicals as ‘victims’

But that’s not how white evangelicals see it. Fifty percent of that group think of themselves as victims. That 19 percentage-point gap in social perception is “directly related to the current political climate, with all the voices of Republicans in the 2012 presidential campaign claiming there’s a ‘war on religion,’” Notre Dame political science professor David Campbell told Religion News Service.

And a poll conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute shows white evangelicals, above all Americans, worry about that so-called “war on religion.”

The PRRI survey asked which is most concerning: Government interfering with Americans’ ability to “freely practice their religion” or “religious groups trying to pass laws that force their beliefs on others.”

Among all Americans, the results tied. Forty-six percent of respondents said they agree with each viewpoint, according to an RNS report.

But when examined by groups, Americans are divided.

Two-thirds (66 percent) of white evangelicals said they are significantly more worried about government interference. But 61 percent of “nones”—who claim no faith group—and 51 percent of Catholics expressed fear of religious domination.

Evangelicals feel they are on “the losing side of the culture wars, such as gay marriage, and they see that their share (of society) is shrinking and aging, adding to their sense of being embattled,” PRRI head Robert Jones told RNS. “They can no longer say confidently they speak for all people of faith.”

Greater involvement in politics

Now, increasing numbers of Americans desire greater involvement of religion in politics. The Pew Center study showed:

• Almost half (49 percent) of Americans want churches and other houses of worship to “express their views on day-to-day social and political issues.”

• Six in 10 (59 percent) want members of Congress who have strong religious beliefs.

• About one-third (32 percent) affirm clergy endorsing political candidates from the pulpit. That’s up from 24 percent just four years ago.

In the survey results, white evangelicals demonstrate the strongest support for mixing politics and religion. They showed the highest affirmation (42 percent) for church endorsement of political candidates and (83 percent) for more members of Congress with strong religious beliefs.

Here’s an irony: Of all society, the group who trust politicians the least—white evangelicals—want politicians to be more overtly religious. Has it occurred to them maybe the pols might mess up religion, too? Have they considered the possibility a majority of Americans might elect politicians whose sincere religious beliefs are worlds apart from their own?

What to do now

What we think about the trend line for religious influence on culture really is beside the point. The subsiding sway faith holds over society at large seems demonstrable. The important point is what to do now.

Religion would not have lost so much influence if religious leaders had not squandered their influence and so many religious people had not placed their faith in politicians instead of Jesus.

For decades, many of America’s loudest religious leaders focused so passionately on fighting selected sins, they seemed to forget about telling people about God’s transformative grace. It’s no wonder people came to believe the church—and, by extension, God—is against them. Why would they ever consider loving our Lord if all they hear leads them to believe God hates them? I can’t recall a Christian leader who said, “Hate the sin and love the sinner” who acted like he actually loved sinners.

Selective preaching also devalued religion in American life. The most prominent pulpits made sure to preach against sexual sins. But they remained silent about greed, corruption in high places, injustice, societal division, misogyny and the like. Sometimes, it seemed as if their Bibles contained extra pages of the Law and carefully selected passages of the epistles, but not much from Jesus, and certainly not Amos and Isaiah.

Then, to make matters worse, too many religious leaders panicked and cast their lot with politicians. They got played for their votes but received nothing in return. And then, when scandal and sanctimony coincided, Jesus got the black eyes.

Love and respect

So, what to do about the declining influence of religion in America?

Win it back, one loved soul at a time. If we want to gain greater influence in society, we need to be the kind of people others admire, respect and want to emulate. They won’t come to that conclusion by being upbraided and chastised. They won’t reach that decision by being doctrinally reprimanded.

They’ll move closer to Jesus and begin to appreciate his church when they are heard. When their needs are met. When they sense respect. When they feel loved.

Only then. Not before.

Can you recall a time when one of your natural gifts proved to be a glaring, embarrassing weakness? (An aside: If I ever set out to write the next “great American novel,” I want to explore that theme. Over and over, individuals’ strengths morph into their undoing. Fascinating.)

Editor Marv KnoxThis has happened to me far too often. One episode particularly haunts. Near the end of my sister’s life, her husband—my brother-in-law—and I got crossways. We differed on an important issue, and we disagreed substantially.

At its root, this was our problem: I thought he was illogical, and he thought I was a jerk. To remedy the situation, I proved we both were correct. I picked his position to pieces. Smithereens. Point by point, I systematically and analytically demonstrated the flaws in his thinking. For my effort, I drove us further apart.

This happened while Martha’s health deteriorated. We argued over an approach to her care. We both loved her dearly, and we agreed on what needed to be done to help her, but we didn’t agree on how to get it done. Because of my passion to force him to concede my point, I refused to acknowledge his underlying concern, and I put my beloved sister in an awkward position.

I failed to listen.

Unfortunately, I’m not unique. We live in a contentious culture. Arguments and adversarial relationships predominate. We’re polarized politically, socially, racially, economically, religiously. Far too often, we’re too busy shouting at each other to listen to each other.

What might happen if Christians employed listening as a tool to strengthen our society and expand God’s kingdom? For generations, Christians—particularly evangelicals—memorized the Romans Road, the Four Spiritual Laws and other techniques for talking people into following Jesus. We’ve fallen further and further behind. To complicate the problem, so much church rhetoric has been abrasive and anti-everything, unbelievers have closed their ears to Christian cacophony.

So, what if we listened?

What if we quit worrying about making our points, winning theological jousts or doctrinal sparring contests and just set out to hear and understand? What if we stopped trying to defend ourselves or win arguments at home, in the office, at school, among friends, or even in church and simply listened?

Taylor Sandlin, pastor of Southland Baptist Church in San Angelo, has been preaching through the New Testament epistle of James. On a recent Sunday morning, he challenged Southland members to “sow seeds of peace.” One of his peacemaking seeds involved listening.

“Find someone who thinks differently about you on any subject, … and simply tell them, ‘I would like to hear how you came to believe about that,’” Sandlin urged. “And here’s what I want you to do: Do not tell them how you came to believe how you believe. Simply spend time seeking to understand, not making yourself understood.”

Listening yields understanding

That’s sound, practical, loving advice. Launch or deepen relationships by actively listening. Listening yields understanding. Understanding produces empathy. Empathy strengthens human bonds, which in turn lead to reconciliation and renewal.

Of course, active listening is not easy. It’s more than being silent. It’s refraining from arguing—quietly or out-loud. It’s following along, keeping track of details shared and points made. It’s seeking to comprehend not only what is said, but what is not said, as well as what it all means.

Active listening is counter-intuitive. The human impulse pushes us to make ourselves understood, not to understand others. We want to be known. More than that, we want others to agree with us, to say we are correct. But active listening prioritizes, and it means placing a higher value on comprehending than being comprehended.

By the way, this is a great principle for prayer. Imagine how our lives would be different if we prioritized silence before God—intense listening to God—over reciting our litany of wants and desires.

Listening also strengthens marriages and improves parenting. It makes us better workers and colleagues. And it deepens and lengthens friendship.

A spirit of humility

Even when we disagree, listening reflects a spirit of humility. It tells the other person in the conversation: “You know, there’s an excellent chance you might be right. And I might be wrong.”

In a noisy, argumentative, contentious world, Christians can make a difference by changing our reputation. Rather than being known for shouting our beliefs and/or our disapproval, we can be seen as those who sit quietly and listen carefully.

Listening may not lead to world peace. But it can create peaceful places where care, empathy and respect can take root and grow.

Does your mind ever wander while your pastor is preaching? (If you’re the pastor, don’t answer that.)

Most people in the pew would acknowledge, yes, they sometimes get distracted as they try to listen to the sermon. Some Christians claim the devil makes them do it. Others admit American attention spans just aren’t what they used to be.

Editor Marv KnoxMore and more, pastors seem to make a sincere effort to help listeners keep up. The technologically savvy flash Scripture references, sermon points, film clips, charts and illustrations, and/or pictures on video screens. Others print sermon outlines in the worship guide. And a few still practice the age-old preacher tactic—they tell you what they’re going to tell you, they tell you, and then they tell you what they just told you—a process that often produces looooong sermons.

No matter how your pastor tries to keep your attention, chances are, your mind’s eventually going to wander. We’ll leave debate over whether it’s a sin to the theologians. (That said, let me add Jesus seemed awfully fond of parables about sheep, maybe the most wander-prone animal on four legs.)

If you want to stay with your pastor, then ask questions throughout the sermon. Not out loud, of course. But in your mind.

That may sound counter-intuitive. Aren’t we supposed to listen attentively and follow along, point by point? Questions could lead us astray.

Possibly. But if you ask the right questions, you’re actually more likely to synchronize your thinking with the sermon—and maybe even expand beyond what your pastor has time to tell you.

So, the next time you’re sitting in the sermon, ask four “What?” questions:

• So what?

Think about why the preacher chose this specific Scripture for a sermon on this particular day. Ask yourself why this passage matters—not just down through the ages, but in the here and now. Question why these verses could or should be meaningful in the life of your church, for you, for individuals and groups in your congregation, and for your community.

• What’s in-between?

This question requires you to pay attention to the sermon and use your imagination at the same time. Ask yourself about connections: Why did the pastor choose that illustration to go with that verse? Why is the pastor making these three or four points with this passage? What’s the relationship between a story that’s thousands of years old and what’s happening now? How is the preacher connecting the dots of this text and the sermon?

• What else?

This may be the most dangerous question, because it pushes you to the outer limits of the sermon. But it’s OK to ask: What, if anything, is being left out of this sermon? Given the material in the Scripture passage and the sermon, is the preacher leaving anything out? If you were preaching this sermon, what points would you add? Or leave out? Or phrase differently?

• What’s next?

At or near the end of the sermon, ask yourself: What’s next? What do I do with this sermon? Chances are, your pastor made some practical applications. Often, they’re the last point or points. Every sermon ought to call us to action. What do we do with God’s word delivered to us? How will I be different this week than last, just because I heard and heeded this sermon? How will this Scripture text make a difference in my life on Tuesday afternoon, or with my spouse or children or co-workers? What am I compelled to do because now I know what I didn’t know when I walked into this room?

For four centuries, Baptists have claimed we are “people of the book.” We profess to love and follow the Bible. We typically place our pulpits at the center of the front of our worship centers, because the Bible is central to our worship and our practice. So, engage the sermon as intently as the preacher takes it on.

Ask, “What?” And listen—to your preacher and for God’s answer.

When a fight breaks out at 35,000 feet, people—particularly pilots—pay attention. That’s what caused three U.S. flights to make unscheduled landings in little more than a week. Experts predict that’s only the tip of the vertical stabilizer. Expect more.

All three emergency groundings occurred when disputes over reclining seats escalated into outright fights. To ensure the safety of passengers and crew, the pilots put their planes on the ground, removed the combatants and flew on.

Editor Marv KnoxIndustry analysts say the frequency of in-flight fracases has increased because planes are getting more and more cramped.

“Seats are getting closer together,” Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, reported in the Dallas Morning News. “We have to de-escalate conflict all the time.”

That conflict breaks out over legroom, overhead bin space and, seasonally, where to put bulky coats.

It really is more crowded

Crowded conditions don’t exist solely in passengers’ minds. According to the Morning News, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines both moved seats on some planes one inch closer in order to add six seats. American Airlines is adding 10 seats to its 737-800s, Delta Airlines is adding four seats to its 737-900s, and JetBlue is taking away an inch of economy legroom so it can add lie-flat beds to first class.

Treating people like sardines apparently is paying off. USA Today reports airlines recorded record profits this summer. Among them? Passenger-packers American, JetBlue, Southwest and United.

So, what’s this got to do with us? Thanks for asking.

Sky-high rage provides one illustration we live in an increasingly fractious world. Even if you haven’t experienced it on an airplane, chances are you’ve seen it at work, in community meetings, at the grocery store or ballgames, on Facebook. And, sadly, at church.

Kindness is a counter-cultural characteristic

More and more, kindness is a counter-cultural characteristic.

Grace stands out in a world where planes land due to in-flight fights, public meetings erupt into shouting matches, and people are plain ol’ rude, selfish and mean. Contrasted with churlish, vindictive behavior, kindness provides the perfect Christian calling card.

When you’re faced with pettiness, mannerlessness and insensitivity, resist the impulse to fight back. Allow grace, cheerfulness and kindness to bring Christ’s love to bear in a harsh situation.

In his brilliant essay on Christian living, the Apostle Paul advised: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. … Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:29, 31-32).

Try ‘transformational initiatives’

The late Baptist ethicist Glen Stassen called actions like this “transforming initiatives.” He pointed to Jesus’ admonition to turn the other cheek, give up your coat or walk a second mile as examples. A transforming initiative is an act of grace so outrageous, it alters the equation of how we relate to others. It is an act of kindness so unexpected, it changes the aggressor’s demeanor and makes reconciliation possible.

In an increasingly touchy, fractious world, acts of kindness—transforming initiatives—may provide one of our best opportunities for living out the gospel. That’s good news, even for a seat-hog.

And if you must fly, remember: Hate the seat but not the sitter.

Thanks for those cans of corn, bags of rice and beans, other nonperishable foods, and even tubes of toothpaste and packages of toilet paper.

They make survival possible for every seventh person in the United States.

That’s right, 14 percent of Americans—46 million people—depend upon food pantries and meal programs to feed themselves and their families, according to a new study released by Feeding America, a network of 200 food banks.

Editor Marv KnoxIn the Lone Star State, the odds are even worse. More than 18 percent of Texans are food-insecure, meaning they do not have reliable access to affordable, nutritious food, according to the Texas Hunger Initiative, based at the Baylor University School of Social Work and supported by the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission. That means almost one in five Texans, or more than 4.8 million people, may not know the source of their next meal.

“People in America have to make trade-offs,” Bob Aiken, CEO of Feeding America, told Religion News Service. “They have to pick between buying food for their children or paying for utilities, rent and medicine. …

“Hunger exists in literally every county in America. It’s an urban problem, it’s a suburban problem, and it’s a rural problem.”

Hunger is pervasive and pandemic

That’s what makes supporting your local food banks and church feeding pantries so important. Hunger is pervasive and pandemic.

The Feeding America survey found that, among people who go to food banks:

• 26 percent are black, 20 percent are Hispanic, 43 percent are white and 11 percent are other.

• 33 percent of households have at least one family member with diabetes.

• 65 percent of households have a child under 18 or someone 60 or older.

• And 25 percent of military families depend upon food banks.

According to the Texas Hunger Initiative:

• Our state’s child food insecurity rate is 27.6 percent, including more than 1.8 million children.

• 17.9 percent of Texans—4.8 million people—live in poverty.

School has started, and the 2014 general elections are only two months away. In this political season, Americans—Texans included—will disagree sharply on candidates and public policy. The season is bound to be rancorous.

Follow Jesus

But we all can agree Christians should be feeding people, alleviating hunger. Jesus said when we turn our backs on the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and the imprisoned, we reject him. But when we feed, welcome, clothe, heal and visit them, we do the same to him.

So, let us be on the side of Jesus by being on the side of the hungry.

Make sure your church supports your local food bank. And if your community does not have a pantry that provides food for the poor, start one.

Then be sure to give sacrificially and volunteer faithfully to ensure its success.

If you need help, contact the Texas Hunger Initiative.