KELLER (RNS) — I am a Baptist minister, church planter and an evangelical Christian.

And I am worried about religious freedom for billions of people around the world.

In nations from Afghanistan to Vietnam, religious people are being threatened, jailed, banned or otherwise restricted from practicing their religion, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Perhaps nowhere in the world is this seen more than in China.

No faith group faces more persecution than Uighur Muslims

Recently, tens of thousands of Uighur Muslims have been put in re-education camps. They’ve seen their places of worship and their way of life being destroyed by a government that sees them as a threat. “We’re a people destroyed,” one Uighur man told The Guardian recently.

The Xinjiang province, where many Uighurs live, is being turned into a “police state,” USCIRF said earlier this year.

“By installing Communist Party cadres in Uighur homes and detaining countless innocent Uighurs in extrajudicial ‘re-education camps,’ the Chinese government has created a culture of fear, suspicion, and mistrust throughout Xinjiang,” USCIRF Chairman Daniel Mark said.

Some of my evangelical friends see this news and are unconcerned. Instead, they ask: “What about Christians in China? Aren’t they being persecuted?”

Yes, Christians in China suffer and have suffered religious persecution for decades in China and other nations. But so have other religious traditions.

In China, right now, no faith group is facing more persecution than the Uighur Muslims.

For a Christian, an evangelical, and especially a Baptist — this is unacceptable.

Religious freedom must be for all people

Religious freedom isn’t just for your own faith. It’s for people of all faiths or it isn’t religious freedom at all. In our globalized, connected world, where all religions are now in all places, religious freedom has never been more critical.

I remember being at a church event once and praying for unreached people groups and the Uighur Muslims of western China were mentioned. I had never heard of them before. I didn’t know that there were Muslims in China. I only knew about the Christians there.

It may sound like a conflict of interest to pray that people come to know Jesus and yet also want them to have the freedom to practice a different faith. But it isn’t.

It is instead a rejection of my faith not to support the religious freedom of a person of another faith even if I believe Jesus is the only way.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of religious freedom just for me and mine. That is dangerous and not just for other people of other faiths but for my tribe of Christians as well.

The Puritans came to America for religious freedom, to escape persecution and freely practice their religion. Sadly, they wanted to be free to practice “their” religion. Anyone else they persecuted.

It took one of their own, Roger Williams, to push that issue. Ultimately, he left the Puritans and became a Baptist who espoused religious freedom for all. In early America that included Jews — which is why Rhode Island — the colony founded by Williams — is home to the nation’s oldest synagogue.

Why Christians should support religious freedom for others

Let me give you three reasons why religious freedom for Muslims, Jews, atheists, Hindus, Buddhists, Yazidis, and the thousands of religions around the world should matter to my fellow Christians.

First, Williams spoke of religious freedom as freedom of conscience. Freedom of religion means choosing what you believe without coercion.

This is why religious freedom is enshrined in the First Amendment. No faith should be enforced by law or sword. I want people to believe in Jesus not because they don’t know there are other ways of seeing God, but because they see Jesus as fundamentally different from anything else. I don’t want them to believe — or say they believe — because someone forced them to.

Second is reciprocity. I can’t be willing to expect to receive from others what I myself am not willing to give to them.  I am part of a group of pastors and imams in Pakistan and the U.S. that work together and watch out for each other.

Some of my fellow Christians disagree with the work I do. They look at some Muslim-majority nations — where the rights of Christians are restricted — and say that the U.S. should restrict the rights of Muslims in this country as payback.  But religious freedom is a conviction, a doctrine, a truth that I practice regardless of what others do because it is a right — not a bargaining chip.

Third is a concern for Christians in other parts of the world. When Christians work in a coalition side by side with other religions for everyone’s religious freedom, it radically speeds up religious freedom and reduces persecution. My interest in promoting and fighting for religious freedom for Muslims and other religious groups makes it easier for me to ask for Christians to be protected.

‘I pray for the Uighurs’

For now, I will pray for the Uighurs. And for all those who are not free to practice what they believe.

This week I head to Uzbekistan with an imam and other members of a delegation to talk about religious freedom. That nation is beginning its journey towards more expansive religious freedom. Leaders there will present their plan, sign documents, and begin executing their plan to promote religious freedom — in a country currently on USCIRF’s list of countries of particular concern.

Their leaders are all on board and taking their first steps. Their efforts may not be perfect but they really are trying. I pray they succeed.

I pray for the Uighurs that their persecution will soon end and they will be free to practice their religion without restriction. I pray for my fellow Christians facing persecution in China and around the world. And I pray for all people of other faiths who are denied the right to worship as they choose.

Religious freedom for all religions in all places is coming to the whole world. It’s just a matter of time.

Bob Roberts is pastor of NorthWood Church in Keller, Texas.

This month marks the 17th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. I was only a sophomore in high school in 2001, but 9/11 probably will be the defining moment in my lifetime. I pray nothing worse takes its place. So much of our society has changed as a result of that day, but only recently has my oldest child, a fourth grader, learned about the attacks.

As we approached the anniversary of 9/11, my thoughts went from 9/11 to the other defining events in my life so far. The first real-world events I remember are Operation Desert Storm and the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City. I remember seeing video of explosions lighting up the night sky as the air campaign of Desert Storm began. I also remember the sci-fi look of the F-117 Nighthawk stealth bomber.

I thought about the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City. I remember the way the building looked and the heartbreaking picture of the firefighter holding a lifeless baby pulled from the rubble.

Columbine was also a defining event. I was in junior high in 1999. I remember the news coverage and the images of SWAT team members escorting students from the building with their hands on top of their heads.

Now that I sit here, I think about the first World Trade Center bombing, the bombing at the Atlanta Olympics and the Boston Marathon bombing.

And I wonder: Are there any positive defining moments in my lifetime? Are there any events that stand out and cause me to say, “I’m proud that happened during my lifetime?”

Tragedies don’t have to be the only defining events

Sure, there are proud moments as people came together to help one another in response to these tragedies, but I’m not sure there is a positive defining event.

At least not yet. But I am hopeful.

Maybe it’s naïve, but I believe there is still time. I’m only 32, after all. I don’t believe my lifetime has to be defined solely by bombings, shootings, terrorist attacks and wars. My lifetime can be defined by something more; it can be defined by something positive; it can be defined by something God-inspired.

Jesus said in John 14:12-14 that his followers will be able to do even greater things (greater works) than him because he would accomplish his mission and send the Holy Spirit to live within us. Jesus was one man who taught 12, who later taught thousands, who in turn taught millions and eventually billions. Estimates are there are 2.2 billion Christians in the world.

With 2.2 billion Christians, how is there not a defining God-inspired event in my lifetime?

God is moving in the world. There are stories of how God is moving in China and in the Middle East. Worship movements and Pentecostalism have been on the rise in South America. But there hasn’t been a “Pentecost,” a “Great Awakening” or a “Jesus Movement” in my lifetime.

Why?

Can Pentecost happen again in our time?

Maybe we are the seeds growing in shallow, rocky soil or amidst the choking thorns of worry, riches and the pleasures of life. Maybe constant infighting among Christians, who keep calling out “heretics” for their specks while ignoring their own logs, holds off a Pentecost event. Maybe we are lazy. Maybe we’re more content with our iPhones and Netflix than we are desperate for God. Maybe we are waiting on someone else to do what God is calling us to do.

Maybe these are some reasons we haven’t seen a Pentecost event among all our tragedies.

I am wary of the term “revival” as it’s commonly used now because the term often is equated with a return to an idealized past that never really existed. There can be no return to a reality that never was.

For a Pentecost event to happen, though, we don’t need to look into the past but gaze into the future and have God inspire us to do the greater work Jesus said we would do. We need to be people and churches willing to do God-inspired things.

Maybe when we are, the defining moment of my lifetime will not be one more tragedy but instead will be a God-event.

Ryan Vanderland is senior pastor at First Baptist Church, Electra. He blogs regularly at ryanvanderland.wordpress.com.

Chris Robeson has been the Director of Church Mobilization for the Gregg Baptist Association since March 2018. From deep in the heart of one Texan, he shares his background and thoughts on ministry and the church. To suggest a Baptist General Convention of Texas-affiliated leader to be featured in this column, or to apply to be featured yourself, click here.

Background

Where else have you worked, and what were your positions?

• Northrich Baptist Church, Richardson, Texas (1996–2003)—youth pastor
• The Bridge Church, Murphy, Texas (2003–2008)—church planter
• Coulter Road Baptist Church, Amarillo, Texas (2008–2012)—senior pastor
• Friendly Baptist Church, Tyler, Texas (2013–2015)—senior pastor
• Various churches (2016–2017)—pulpit supply
• First Baptist Church, Linden, Texas (2017–2018)—interim pastor

Where did you grow up?

I was raised in Pasadena, Texas.

How did you come to faith in Christ?

As a child, my parents brought me and my siblings to church and to Sunday school on a regular basis. We stopped attending church during my fourth-grade year. During my sophomore year, I was invited to a youth service by some friends at school, and my twin brother and I both heard the gospel and prayed to receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

Where were you educated, and what degrees did you receive?

• Howard Payne University—BA with a practical theology major and English minor
• Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary—M.Div.
• Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary—D.Min. student for expository preaching

Ministry/Profession

Why do you feel called to your particular vocation?

My primary calling is to the gospel of Jesus Christ. As a result of this specific focus, I have followed the Lord’s direction for ministry leadership that allows me to exercise the gift of evangelism and to help equip others to share the gospel with lost people.

It is a joy to serve as a director of church mobilization alongside pastors and churches having served as a senior pastor. I believe this gives me a unique perspective as a practitioner to better serve the Gregg Baptist Association.

Please tell us about your association, where it’s located, the key focus of its work and ministry, etc.

The Gregg Baptist Association is located in the Longview area of East Texas. It is comprised of over 50 churches that are working in partnership together to advance the gospel through church planting and revitalization.

What do you like best about leading your association? Why?

I thoroughly enjoy the partnership side of the associational work. By working together as partnering churches, we can always accomplish more for the kingdom of God.

How do you expect your association and/or its mission to change in the next 10 to 20 years?

The Gregg Baptist Association will become a network of Baptist churches working in partnership to advance the gospel through church planting and revitalization initiatives.

Name the three most significant challenges and/or influences facing your association.

• Transition and change of vision and values in order to be a viable ministry to member churches in the coming years
• The member churches need to see and believe in the mission and vision of associational work.
• Member churches will need to continue to give sacrificially to underwrite the ministry.

What one aspect of your job gives you the greatest joy or fulfillment?

Encouraging pastors and leaders as they serve the Lord in their ministries.

About Baptists

What are the key issues, opportunities and/or challenges facing Baptist churches?

I believe the issues and opportunities remain the same as they always have for us as Baptists. We must remain focused on advancing the kingdom of God as our first priority through the gospel of Jesus Christ and the faithful proclamation of God’s Word.

What are the key issues facing Baptists as a people or denomination?

We need to continue to work tirelessly to walk together in unity by choosing to agree upon what matters most: the gospel of Christ Jesus.

We need to discern how we can better equip and resource men and women for bi-vocational ministry.

About Chris

Who were/are your mentors, and how did/do they influence you?

• Gary Williams—Discipleship leader as a youth: taught me the importance of personal prayer and Bible study method and the identity of being a servant
• Dana Mathewson—Youth pastor at First Baptist Pasadena: taught me what it means to worship God in spirit and truth and to have a passion for evangelism
• John Avant—College pastor and mentor: taught me about revival and spiritual awakening
• Manley Beasley Jr.—Manley was my first pastor that I served under as a youth pastor. Manley taught me about faith and how to trust God. He continues to be a valued mentor and encourager.

Other than the Bible, name some of your favorite books or authors, and explain why?

• Because We Love Him by Clyde Crandford: This book is a proven resource for discipleship.
• Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert Coleman
• Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby
• Living Out of the Overflow by Richard Blackaby

What is your favorite Bible verse or passage? Why?

Colossians 1:28 because it is the verse that God has used to guide me in ministry.

Who is your favorite Bible character, other than Jesus? Why?

The apostle Paul because of his life and service to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Name something about you that would surprise people who know you well.

I’m a secret agent. Oops!

I couldn’t make up this stuff, even if I tried. Just when I thought I had seen gambling operators pull every trick in the book, a commercial poker club in Austin sued another commercial poker club in San Antonio. The plaintiff, Austin Card Room, essentially told the defendant, San Antonio-based FSS Venture, “You’re not doing it right.”

One thing is certain. The lawsuit stopped the Texas Attorney General’s office from addressing the legality or illegality of commercial poker clubs. The Attorney General’s office doesn’t issue opinions on matters that are subjects of pending litigation—a policy that’s been in place seven decades.

Incidentally, some organizations representing Texas poker houses were invited to file briefs with the Attorney General addressing their legality or illegality, but those organizations did not do so. No great surprise there. The Texas Constitution prohibits most gambling, with just a few limited exceptions—the Texas Lottery, charity bingo, charity raffles and pari-mutuel betting on horse and greyhound races.

Texas law provides a limited defense to prosecution for “kitchen-table poker”—social poker games that occur in a private place. Texas Penal Code Section 47.01 defines a “private place” as a place to which the public does not have access. Texas commercial poker clubs claim this exception, unlawfully in our view, by holding themselves out as “private clubs.” But in reality, these commercial operations are anything but private. Any adult with identification and money can join. What’s private about that? One poker club—not a party in the lawsuit—operates from a commercial building on Interstate 35 in Austin. It’s hard to think of a more public location anywhere in the state.

Another element required to claim an exemption from prosecution is that no one associated with the game may receive any economic benefit, except each player’s own personal winnings. In commercial poker, the house usually receives a cut—generally called a “rake”—of the proceeds at the end of each hand or game. To attempt to get around this, some Texas commercial poker houses do not take a rake at the end of the game but find ways to charge participants before or during the game. These include membership fees and hourly or half-hourly “seat charges.” The legal term “economic benefit” is more than broad enough to cover all fees the poker houses charge, and many law enforcement officials recognize it.

Unfortunately, some municipalities, including Abilene and Webster, have sent the poker houses “cease and desist” letters asking them to close their doors voluntarily. Polite requests seldom have resulted in voluntary closure. The typical response is for the poker houses to stall by going to court to try to invalidate the “cease and desist” letter or simply to ignore it. Either way, delayed closure allows the establishments to continue operating until the cases are resolved.

There is no legal requirement to send a “cease and desist” letter. It is merely a courtesy. In cities including Dallas and Plano, law enforcement has not wasted time with “cease and desist” letters. Instead, they have conducted raids. That sends a strong message, resulting in far fewer of these establishments than in localities where polite-but-mostly-ineffective “cease and desist” letters have been the principal law enforcement tool.

We note from the court-filed pleadings that Austin Card Room alleges a violation of the Texas Penal Code against the San Antonio-based card room, and the San Antonio group in reply pleads “unclean hands” and “illegality” among  its defenses against the Austin group.  We agree with both parties on those pleading points.

With that in mind, Texans Against Gambling has a respectful suggestion for local law enforcement: Skip the mostly useless “cease and desist” letters, and just raid the joints. That approach has worked in Dallas and Plano. It can work in the rest of the state.

Rodger Weems is state chair of Texans Against Gambling, a volunteer advocacy organization also known as Stop Predatory Gambling Texas.

RE: Is football good?

Pastor Zac Harrel has an excellent discussion about football, focusing on the injuries many players are suffering while engaged in the game. I read that high school football players in America sustain 60,000 concussions each year.

The article could have been titled “Is football god”?

Here in Alabama, a football coach is being paid $ 9-plus million a year. To put this in perspective, the church I attend has an annual budget of almost $1 million, and morning attendance is around 400. If we and nine more churches the same size disbanded and pooled the offerings, we would almost have enough to hire a football coach.

Does the game teach boys to be men? The little school from which I graduated in Woden, Texas, didn’t have a football program as we barely had enough boys to fill a basketball team. I am thankful for that.

In 1986, my wife and I visited the office of U.S. Rep. Richard Shelby in Washington, D.C. as Shelby was running for the Senate. In answer to my question about his military service, he pulled up his pants leg and showed me the “football scar” that kept him from the draft. On the other hand, I served 27 years, with two years in combat, without the “benefit” of football.

Discussing football is sort of like discussing whether Donald Trump should be president. Everyone knows he isn’t qualified in any way, but those who really care are afraid to speak out because members of his cult will be all over them.

If you are spending more money on football than you are giving to your church or other valid charity, football is your god.

Carl Hess
Ozark, Ala.

(RNS)—An old question has recently found new energy among Christians.

“What does the gospel have to do with justice, particularly social justice?”

Justice has been a frequent topic these days—in the face of a stream of cellphone videos capturing instances of police brutality, conflict over the presence and future of Confederate monuments and racially charged responses to the nation’s changing demographics.

Christians, both as people of faith and citizens of this country, have pondered what to do in this current social climate. They have called for Christians to join or start movements for change as an explicit expression of discipleship and obedience to the prayer that God’s will would be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

And they have called for the church to make amends for the racial divisions of the past and present.

Others take a different view.

Where some see calls for biblical justice, they see heresy.

Is social justice biblical or heretical?

This week a group of Christians published “The Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel,” a response to what they call “questionable sociological, psychological, and political theories presently permeating our culture and making inroads into Christ’s church.”

The statement comes just after a short blog series posted by well-known Christian preacher and teacher John MacArthur, warning of the dangers of social justice.

MacArthur calls social justice a distraction from the gospel.

“Evangelicalism’s newfound obsession with the notion of ‘social justice’ is a significant shift—and I’m convinced it’s a shift that is moving many people (including some key evangelical leaders) off message, and onto a trajectory that many other movements and denominations have taken before, always with spiritually disastrous results,” he wrote.

MacArthur is one of the initial signatories of The Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel, which echoes his blog posts.

Relationship between social justice & “black & brown folks”

While Christians from many traditions, races and ethnicities have displayed a concern for social justice, it is a topic that particularly concerns black and brown folks. We have endured a long history of race-based discrimination that did not simply disappear after the March on Washington, the passage of the Civil Rights Act or the election of the nation’s first black president.

Statements that dismiss social justice send a message that the ongoing marginalization many minorities still experience and struggle against is of no concern to their fellow Christians.

Or to God.

Or to the Bible—despite ample scriptural evidence that demonstrates God’s concern for the poor and the powerless and anger toward those who create oppressive conditions (Amos 5:24, Micah 6:8, Psalm 103:6, Isaiah 10:1, Luke 1:52-53, Luke 4:18).

Race & The Statement on Social Justice & the Gospel

Although much about this statement needs discussion, I will highlight one section in particular.

It reads: “We affirm that some cultures operate on assumptions that are inherently better than those of other cultures because of the biblical truths that inform those worldviews that have produced these distinct assumptions.”

The best word to describe the assertion above is “ethnocentric.”

Who gets to decide which cultures and which assumptions are closer to biblical truth? For most of American history, white Christians have claimed that privilege. That privilege is now being challenged.

I’m tempted to refute the recent statement on the gospel and social justice point-by-point—showing how it falls short of the Bible’s call for justice. But I think our time would be better spent on other pursuits. There’s too much work to be done—work that will be delayed by endless debates.

A more productive response to The Statement

Here’s my advice.

Many of the people who authored and signed this statement have large ministries and platforms.

Avoid them.

Find other authors, preachers and teachers from whom you can learn. People like Austin Channing Brown or the podcasters and bloggers at Truth’s Table or The Witness, where I am a contributor. Or read Howard Thurman, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Bryan Stevenson, James Baldwin or the other writers who have explored issues of justice.

If the supporters of statements that dismiss social justice as a distraction from the gospel headline a major conference, state your concerns to the organizers. If nothing changes, then don’t go.

If they do an interview on a podcast, find another episode to listen to. If they write more blogs to state their case, share other ones instead.

Statements like these are a distraction. They siphon off energy and attention that could be used to create new organizations and initiatives that help bring about justice and equality.

Instead of writing a rebuttal to the statement on social justice, why not write a proposal for a new scholarship to help underrepresented groups go to college and stay out of debt? Why not donate money to support ministries run by and geared toward racial and ethnic minorities? Why not research a cause and find out how you can get involved?

Refusing to give more attention to the people who oppose social justice is not a statement on their standing with God. This does not mean they are not sincerely attempting to follow Christ. It does not mean that they have not said helpful things on other topics in the past.

It simply means that in this case, they have made statements so troublesome that we must register our objections in visible ways.

Where hope can be found in addressing social justice

Christians should never give up hope that people can change. Yet going back and forth, especially online, about social justice with those who see it as a dangerous intrusion into the church often does not alter anyone’s opinions and may lead to more frustration.

In the end, I think more people will be persuaded to change their minds about social justice by looking at the fruit of the people who engage in it rather than by arguing on social media about the validity of doing so.

Half a century after the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, it’s easy for people to claim that they would have been among the protesters and marchers and those who risked it all for the cause of justice. Well, the struggle for civil rights never ended. Now is your chance to get involved for love of God and love of neighbor.

Jemar Tisby is president of the black Christian collective The Witness and author of the forthcoming book “The Color of Compromise: The Truth About the American Church’s Complicity in Racism.”

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on Ethics Daily on September 5, 2018.

Where are the women?

I was left pondering this question after attending the Texas Baptist Family Gathering in Arlington a few weeks ago.

The Family Gathering was a wonderful weekend of worship, fellowship and learning about issues facing the church today.

On the first night of the convention, church leaders and members from all over the state gathered for a special Lord’s Supper service. The leaders of the convention did a wonderful job of intentionally incorporating members from diverse backgrounds.

Representatives from the African-American, Vietnamese, Hispanic, Chinese, Bivocational/Small Church and Western Heritage fellowships worked together to explain the significance of the Lord’s Supper, read Scripture and distribute the elements. It was a beautiful picture of the unity Christ calls the church to pursue.

As a university student interested in missions and racial reconciliation, this concerted effort warmed my heart. The ceremony seemed to me to be a glimpse of heaven. Instead of the divisions that so often characterize our time, I saw true unity expressed.

And yet.

A picture of unity with something missing

While I felt such joy to see the Baptist General Convention of Texas breaking down racial barriers, I could not help but ask myself, “Where are the women?”

Of the six people asked to lead the communion service, all were men.

I understand the men asked to lead were all leaders of their respective fellowships, associations and conventions. Yet no one from Texas Baptist Women in Ministry was asked to lead.

While the BGCT included members of as many ethnicities as possible, it seems they neglected an entire half of their members.

I doubt this oversight was made with any ill intent. However, I think neglecting to include women in serving the Lord’s Supper points to a greater problem within the BGCT and within the Baptist community as a whole.

When women aren’t at the table

When the leaders of the BGCT asked representatives of ethnically diverse groups to lead the Lord’s Supper service, they did not just recognize their attendance at the convention; they validated and affirmed their calling.

They showed the next generation of ministers that to lead in Baptist churches, they do not have to be white. Those who served the Lord’s Supper were a physical representation of African-American, Hispanic, Vietnamese and Chinese pastors—evidence God’s call of ethnic minorities is possible.

So many young women who feel called to the ministry may rarely or never see such representation. They may never have heard a woman preach or seen a woman in a position of church leadership.

Just as in the past women thought it impossible to be doctors, lawyers or CEOs, many women today still think being a pastor in a Baptist church is impossible.

Affirming God’s call of women must be public

If we are to encourage both current and future women in ministry, we must affirm them out loud and in public.

The Lord’s Supper service at Texas Baptists’ gathering sent a statement: “We are a unified, loving body of believers who value people of every culture and origin.” The lack of women among the worship leaders sent a quieter, underlying message: “But we’re not sure about women just yet.”

I would encourage Baptist leaders—from the state level to the local level—intentionally to select women for positions of leadership.

Ways to publicly affirm God’s calling of women

Each convention and congregation is different. For some, selecting a woman for leadership may mean hiring a female pastor. For others, it may mean asking a woman to stand behind the pulpit and read Scripture or sending her as a messenger to vote at convention meetings.

Participating in the annual Martha Stearns Marshall Month of Preaching, organized by Baptist Women in Ministry, is another avenue to encourage female ministers and model for younger generations that women are called to serve as preachers and pastors.

Whatever it is, let us show young women that while Christ has called men to lead, he has also called women.

I would also encourage the church to highlight women in Scripture, whose stories are often overlooked or saved for occasions like Mother’s Day.

Let us remind our young women and men of the heroic acts of Deborah, Jael and Esther. Let us admire the loyalty of Ruth and the persistent prayer of Hannah. Let us learn to sit at the feet of Jesus like Mary and follow him like Junia. Let us learn to serve like Phoebe and work hard like Lydia.

Who knows what else God may teach us through women in ministry today? The only way to know is to give them a seat at the table and a place on the stage.

Grace Mitchell is a senior at Hardin-Simmons University. She works as a staff writer for the HSU Marketing Department and as a social media manager for Logsdon Seminary. You can find her on Facebook and LinkedIn.

I wonder if any of my fellow Southwestern Seminary alumni shared my roller-coaster ride related to the goings-on at our once-beloved alma mater.

I guess the dust has cleared and settled there. I never was a supporter of Paige Patterson; so it took all of my spiritual and moral muscle not to gloat when his trespasses found him out.

I kept quoting Galatians 6:1-5 to myself, but I could not stop at verse five because verses seven and eight interrupted the conversation and provided ample justification for gloating.

When someone I dislike “falls,” what emerges in me and in us?

News of Patterson’s termination and assumed humiliation caused my baser nature to surface like a previously sunken battleship.

I felt the same thing when Bobby Knight left the University of Indiana and Joel Gregory left First Baptist Church in Dallas. I went to war with gloating undergirded by jealousy. Noxious, gloating fumes filled my nose. I inhaled deeply.

I confess that my lungs were saturated before I gagged on gloating fumes—and I learned to my own humiliation that those fumes addicted me. Hard to imagine a Christian and a Southwesterner smoking gloat!

What I learned about myself while gloating

So I learned a dark, buried lesson about myself as I watched the proceedings unfold on “The Hill” in August. Patterson does not know me and probably does not care, but I ask his forgiveness for smoking gloat.

What the trustees learned

Those among us who loved Southwestern watched to see what lessons the trustees learned from the recent debacle. Very few, it seems. Southwestern trustees wasted no time forming a search committee to select and replace the terminated Patterson.

Speaking of replacement efforts, I am waiting for them to replace the Patterson Window from the chapel on campus. Has anyone else wondered about its future? I think even Roman Catholics let several decades pass before they endorse sainthood for their heroes.

I giggled when I read the call to prayer for the work of the presidential search committee. Any “seasoned” Southern Baptist knows that who is noton the search committee is as important as who is on it.

What the trustees haven’t learned

It appears Patterson’s legacy has infiltrated the presidential search committee’s outlooks and attitudes regarding his replacement. The committee called Southwestern alumni to prayer, emphasizing God will lead them to the “man best suited” for the president’s duties.

I guess the committee won’t be considering any female candidates for that vacancy.

What an ironic—if not hypocritical—position to take. By limiting their search to men, the committee tells God they already have eliminated at least half of Southern Baptists from consideration.

Was Patterson scapegoated?

I know enough about how groups work to entertain the notion that Patterson was a scapegoat. I have read some accounts of the proceedings that lend some credence to casting him in that role.

Scapegoating involves an anxious and mysterious mixture of voluntarism and communal selection. Any scapegoat carries away the sins of the group and is banished from return. The group unconsciousness functions so powerfully that the group bids the scapegoat farewell without festival but with ceremonial callousness.

As a group theorist, I must ask what sins Patterson carried away. What sins was he not able to carry away because the group of Southwestern trustees would not impose them or “scape” them on him?

What the trustees are likely to do

Evidently, Southwestern leadership will continue to be a “good ol’ boys club.” How sad, because they have been presented an opportunity to divest that club, but it will live on as the Patterson legacy.

Trustees failed to learn anything from the recent upheaval about gender exclusivity—so sad. In making their choice, the trustees will take the path of least resistance and confuse it with the path of prudence.

I suspect the trustees will demonstrate an uncanny inability and unwillingness to examine and question any prior assumptions regarding the office of president. During a critical transition, such unwillingness indicates fossilized leadership.

Southwestern trustees will clone themselves; let’s send them all mirrors.

I wonder who would want the job, honestly? But in as much as past is prologue, I am sure that next president of Southwestern Seminary will be white and male. How many trustees fit that description?

Steven Smith received an M.Div. from Southwestern Seminary in 1983 and a Ph.D. from New Orleans Seminary in 1989. He lives in Harlingen, Texas.

There once was a king who had 400 prophets, and whenever the king wanted affirmation, he called the 400 prophets together. One year, the king wanted to take land he counted as his and asked a neighboring king to join the fight. They decided to ask God.

The first king asked his 400 prophets, “Should I go to war?”

They said, “Get after it because God is with you, and God will make you a winner.”

The second king smelled something fishy and asked for a second opinion. So, the two kings went off to seek the counsel of an odd prophet.

“But I warn you,” said the first king. “He never has good news for me.”

On finding the odd prophet, the first king asked if he should go to war, and the odd prophet joined the rest in a hearty, “Yes.”

Smelling something fishy, the first king said, “Give me a break already.”

The odd prophet said, “You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth! But here it is. You’re doomed! All your 400 prophets? They’re part of the plan to lure you to your death.

Does Good King John really want the prophets’ counsel?

Perhaps the story sounds familiar. It’s a paraphrase of 1 Kings 22, in which Ahab wants to know if Jehoshaphat will join him in going to war against Ramoth Gilead. Before settling on war, Ahab tries to firm up a blessing by consulting his sycophant prophets.

What Ahab thought was a blessing turned out to be a sinister curse. The worst curses are disguised as blessings, after all.

Good King John recently sought similar affirmation, calling his prophets to the table. With smiles all around, they proclaimed him great, just as he loves to hear.

In trying to secure such blessing, is Good King John really bringing a curse upon his own head? Is it really wise for Good King John to assume that the clerics attending his banquets bear blessings behind their smiles?

Likewise, the prophets

At the same time, Ahab’s prophets thought they could keep their heads by blowing sunshine whenever the king called. In doing so, they used the trappings of God as their source of authority while ignoring the authority of God. This rarely went well for prophets.

Relying on the strength of powerful people rarely produced the desired results for anyone.

In the particular case of Israel, whenever they made alliances with Egypt and others, God reminded them how foolish it was to seek security in things that ultimately fade away or in empires never strong enough to stave off being replaced by other empires.

In trying to make a similar alliance with Good King John, in trying to win his favor, are the prophets of today forsaking their birthright?

In proclaiming the name of God in their appeals to Good King John, have the prophets of today turned away from their true source of security and adulterated themselves with only human-all-too-human security?

Legality really isn’t the question. Wisdom is.

Whether or not it is legal for Good King John to assemble his prophets really doesn’t matter. The bigger question is one of wisdom.

Is it wise for Good King John to place so much confidence in what such a narrow group of people tells him? Similarly, is it wise for Good King John to think such a narrow group of people can give him the political advantage he seeks?

Likewise, is it wise for today’s prophets to put so much confidence in what Good King John promises? Is it wise to cozy up to a human king in the name of the eternal King?

To the first question, we ought to remember how Ahab’s prophets were an instrument to bring down one of the wickedest kings in Israel’s history.

To the second question, we ought to remember what tended to happen to the people of God when they sought security in human sources.

Eric Black is the executive director, publisher and editor of the Baptist Standard. He can be reached at eric.black@baptiststandard.com or on Twitter at @EricBlackBSP.

A question has been nagging at me for the last few years. It is not a popular question, it is not an easy question, and it’s a question for which I don’t have a full answer. The question is: is the game of football itself good? Is it beneficial for our culture, our world? Should we, as Christians, support the game of football?

This is not a question raised because of the controversy over the national anthem.

This is not even a question raised because of the way football is our nation’s foremost religion, even though the question of football and idolatry probably should be asked.

The problem of concussions in football

This question is raised in my mind because of the evidence we have seen the last few years of the damage football does to the bodies and, specifically, the brains of those who play. As we continue to get more information about CTE and the effects of multiple brain injuries, the evidence seems to be mounting that football is extremely detrimental to the health of those who play.

Brain damage has been front and center in much of our cultural discussion of football the last few years. From the 2015 movie Concussion to the high-profile cases of Junior Seau and Aaron Hernandez and the results of the autopsies on their brains, the issue of CTE and what football does to the human body have been getting much clearer.

My personal struggle with football

For me, Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast on concussions in football put a voice to a lot of my uneasiness over this issue.

Also unsettling to me was a Monday night football game last fall between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears in which Davante Adams was left unconscious and unmoving on the field only to return a few weeks later.

Having a son in December and thinking about him playing football made this issue personal.

Like so many males in Texas, I grew up loving football. I watched football every Saturday and Sunday and have given my time, money and resources to supporting my teams. Football is as much a part of the culture I grew up in as anything else.

It is central to much of our identity—for better and for worse. But maybe this isn’t a good thing. Maybe this just keeps us from asking these tough questions.

We believe every life is valuable because all are made in the image of God. We believe our bodies are important because they are created by God and will be restored by God.

When we fill stadiums and cheer as people’s bodies are being destroyed and lives are being altered in front of us, are we honoring the image of God in those on the field?

Is celebrating the violence on the field and honoring the hurting of others right?

When we allow our sons to be tackled and ram their heads into one another at young ages, are we being good stewards of God’s image in them?

I don’t have the ultimate answer to this, but I think these are questions we should ask.

The value of the game

I understand that even raising this issue can be controversial. I hear the rebuttals now.

Football teaches boys how to be men. Football teaches perseverance and hard work. Football teaches us to sacrifice for the good of the whole. Football brings people together across every cultural barrier that separates.

The professional and even the collegiate players know the risk and have chosen to play, and it is their freedom to do so. The doctors have more information, and teams are taking precautions to protect their players.

There is great value and validity to each of these points.

I haven’t worked this out for myself completely yet. I haven’t boycotted football. I love to attend our high school games and be a part of the community supporting our young men. I know many coaches who care for the young men they lead and who show them the love of Jesus.

I don’t think we have to ban the game. I still watch some football on television, but the uneasiness about what I am watching has grown year after year.

Are we willing to ask the question?

I’m not asking you to quit watching. I’m not asking you not to let your sons play football. You are free to do what your conscience allows you to do.

I am simply saying we should be willing to ask the question.

As the evidence mounts about the harm this game does to so many who play it, is the game worth it? Is football something to celebrate and promote? Is football good?

Zac Harrel is pastor of First Baptist Church in Gustine, Texas.

It didn’t take long for Solomon to befriend me. And even though we didn’t speak the same language, we did speak. Sometimes, I caught him speaking to no one in particular.

In college, I spent a good deal of time in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where I served at a children’s home. I felt very nervous the first time I met Solomon. He had severe cerebral palsy that impacted his ability to walk, run and feed himself. I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t know what to say or how to act around him at first.

He welcomed me with kindness, cracked jokes and wanted to sit with me in the afternoons. For a while, I didn’t understand why he would talk to himself—sometimes for hours. Our friendship grew over the months, and I began to learn a bit of Haitian Creole.

One day, I heard Solomon say my name. I listened closely and realized he was praying for me. Correction: he was praying for all his loved ones. One by one and praising God. This is his daily ritual.

I have a friend who says the people we serve are our greatest teachers. Solomon is one of my greatest teachers. I thought I was going to Haiti to serve Solomon, but Solomon served me. I am forever grateful he opened my eyes.

Our sight impacts how we live

Ask anyone who wears corrective lenses: there are few things more disorienting or overwhelming than the sensation of distorted vision.

I wore glasses for years. My nearsighted vision would unsettle me each morning until I could find my glasses. It was tough to concentrate in class without them. It was dangerous to drive. My time with glasses taught me that our sight impacts how we live.

Jesus talks about spiritually corrected vision in Matthew 13, saying, “Seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.” In contrast, Jesus encourages his friends, “But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear” (Matthew 13,16; NRSV).

Jesus asks his followers to see with kingdom perspective, not through the cultural or religious perspective of the time. When we see as Christ suggested, it compels a different way of living with respect to the people and communities around us. It beckons us to change how we relate to others.

Seeing with the eyes of Christ

Richard Rohr, in his book Everything Belongs, writes, “The ability to respect the outsider is probably the litmus test of true seeing.”

Rohr may be right. How do I view people who are different from me? How do I respond to individuals or groups who make me feel uncomfortable or who I cannot understand?

When we see with the eyes of Christ we see truly—not entirely unlike the man who Jesus healed in John 9. We celebrate the strengths of the humble and learn from people who are different from us. We are slower to judge and quicker to listen.

I’ve noticed that when I am blessed with the opportunity to see with a new perspective, even for a moment, the Holy Spirit convicts me of my foolishness. What a joy it is to learn from others, and what a hindrance it is to stay stuck in my own perspective.

Rohr also writes: “Can you see the image of Christ in the least of your brothers and sisters? He uses that as his only description about the final judgment. Nothing about commandments, nothing about church attendance, nothing about papal infallibility; simply a matter of our ability to see.”

Can we see Christ on the street?

Can we see Christ in prison?

Can we see Christ on the border?

Yes, we can see, but will we see?

Ali Corona is the Hunger & Care Ministries Specialist for the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission and is a member of First Baptist Church in Marble Falls.

If you like country music and you live in Texas, chances are your favorite country singer is George Strait. I know it is for me. In fact, I am of the opinion if George Strait is not one of your favorite country singers, then you probably should not live in Texas.

All kidding aside, why do people like George Strait so much? I have heard many reasons why people like him, but at the heart of why people like him is this: he sings songs people like. Other than singing songs people like, he does not really impact peoples’ lives in substantial ways.

Leadership is different than singing songs people like.

Leadership is about much more than giving people what they like. In fact, sometimes leadership is about challenging people to move beyond simple likes and preferences in order to move them to something much better.

This means leadership can impact peoples’ lives in many ways. It can impact peoples’ livelihoods, their routines and their ways of thinking, among other things.

Because leadership is multifaceted and has the potential to impact peoples’ lives, leaders often will face harsh, unfair criticisms and rejection.

Criticism of pastoral leadership weighs heavy

Experiencing this kind of criticism and rejection can be hard on all leaders, but it is especially hard for pastors.

Most pastors I know do not enter pastoral ministry to see how many people they can make angry. Pastors prefer to be liked. In fact, many pastors struggle with the concept of being “people pleasers.” Therefore, pastors need to be challenged in leadership.

If pastors want to be liked by most people, they should become more like George Strait: give people what they like, nothing more and nothing less.

If they want to be the leaders God has called them to be and to steward their calling well, then they need to lead the church in such a way that there will be times of change and stretching.

These times of change and stretching will result in many harsh, unfair criticisms and possible rejection. I wish it was not this way.

Nevertheless, it is helpful to remember: during these times, be encouraged that pastors are not called to be George Strait.

Ross Shelton is senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Brenham.