In the middle of the Super Bowl, one of the most watched moments in American culture, Benito—Bad Bunny to most of the world—turned a football field into a love letter.

It might have been the most energetic, cinematic halftime show in history. Every shot felt intentional. Every transition felt orchestrated. It wasn’t just a performance. It felt like a story being told with light and movement and bodies and rhythm. It was spectacle, yes, but it was also testimony.

I celebrate Puerto Rico. Their culture is beautiful. I love the island, and at the same time, I’m ashamed of how little we understand its history. I’m grieved by the abuses of power, the neglect, the ways we have benefited from people while failing to fully honor them.

My brothers and sisters from that beautiful island play an important role in our story, whether we’ve taken the time to learn that story or not.

Some people said they felt left out because they couldn’t understand the words.

Let me promise you: even those of us with mediocre Spanish couldn’t understand most of the words unless we’ve been singing these songs for years.

But you didn’t have to understand the words to hear the story. In fact, he put the message on a billboard for us, loud and clear: Love is the only thing stronger than hate.

You don’t have to agree with everything Benito has ever said to agree on that.

Desiring diversity

What struck me most was how winsome the invitation felt. This wasn’t scolding. This wasn’t shaming. It was joy. It was beauty. It was a wide-open welcome to embrace people of all cultures and all nations.

That invitation stirred a memory in me I didn’t expect.

When I was growing up in the church, we weren’t very diverse. It was a Baptist church: good people, faithful people, sincere people. But the truth is, we were mostly white with a little Latino and African American culture sprinkled on top. Even as a kid, I think we knew something was missing. Not wrong in a hateful way. Just … incomplete.

We knew—instinctively, scripturally—the kingdom of God was bigger than our sanctuary. Bigger than our zip code. Bigger than our music styles and potlucks and fellowship halls.

So we sang:

“Jesus loves the little children,
all the little children of the world—
red and yellow, black and white,
they are precious in His sight.”

It may not be the most politically correct language now, but the longing underneath it was holy. We wanted the world God loved to look like the world God made. We just didn’t know how to get there.

So, we did what a lot of churches did back then. We flew flags.

Expressing diversity

We hung them in the sanctuary, the gathering place of God’s people. If someone in the church had roots in another country, we flew that flag. If we went on a mission trip, we flew that flag. If someone had a cousin who once visited from another country, sometimes we flew that flag. If the janitor had migrated from Vietnam, we flew the Vietnamese flag.

It was imperfect. It was symbolic. It didn’t actually create diversity. But it revealed our hunger for it.

We were trying to say in the only language we had at the time, “All of God’s children belong here.” Even when most of them weren’t actually in the room.

Watching Bad Bunny fill the Super Bowl halftime stage with language, culture, bodies, flags, and stories that have so often been marginalized or muted in America, it felt like those flags finally came down off the walls and walked onto the field, not as decoration, not as aspiration, but as presence.

Celebrating diversity

I’m a pastor in the most ethnically diverse city in the United States. That means we have more culture and better food than almost anywhere else. It means we’re a beautiful, complicated, vibrant place to live. Our diversity isn’t our weakness. It’s our strength.

Somehow, by the grace of God, I now get to pastor a church as diverse as the city we’re in and as diverse as the world we are called to love. It’s beautiful. It’s compelling. People want to be a part of it. Not because we’ve figured everything out, but because embodied diversity—real community across lines of difference—feels like good news in a fractured world.

Somewhere along the way, the conversation in our country got reframed as if diversity itself was a threat. As if the presence of different languages and cultures somehow diminished us instead of deepening us. My hope—and my prayer—is moments like this help the pendulum begin to swing back.

Even beyond the halftime show, it felt like the whole broadcast was quietly whispering the same longing. Despite a mediocre-to-boring game, every entertainer, every commercial break, even the national anthem—sung so beautifully by Charlie Puth—and artists like Brandi Carlile, carried echoes of something deeper.

Two of the commercials even featured songs by my hero, Fred Rogers. It was as if the culture itself was saying: “We’re tired. We want a better example. We’re hungry for an invitation to love and unity, not hatred, bigotry, and division.”

Thanksgiving

The church I grew up in didn’t have it figured out. But we knew the difference between right and wrong. We knew, deep down, love was better than fear. My hope is we don’t forget that now.

For those who tuned out and watched a different halftime show: You might have missed something beautiful, a reminder the world is longing for an invitation to love and unity, not division.

Bad Bunny seemed to know all of this, and he filled his brilliant show with small, holy Easter eggs for those willing to pay attention:

• An actual wedding, officiated by a Latino Christian pastor.
• The gift of his Grammy to a young Puerto Rican version of himself, a reminder any kid is capable of changing the world.
• Tiny, defiant signs of dignity placed inside one of the largest platforms in the world.

This was the halftime show our country needed. Well, I can’t speak for the country.

I can only say this: It’s the halftime show I needed.

Thank you, Benito.

Chris Seay is the lead pastor of Ecclesia Houston. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.

El clima migratorio actual en los Estados Unidos ha creado un profundo temor e inestabilidad dentro de las comunidades inmigrantes, particularmente entre inmigrantes indocumentados que no tienen antecedentes penales y que durante mucho tiempo han contribuido a sus iglesias y comunidades.

Esta situación actual ha herido profundamente a muchas congregaciones, incluyendo mi iglesia. Esto no es una declaración política. Es un clamor pastoral por ayuda.

Como cristiano y pastor, creo que es necesario reflexionar cuidadosamente sobre cómo el pueblo de Dios sirve y trata a las familias inmigrantes con fidelidad, compasión y cuidado práctico, mientras permanecemos arraigados en el evangelio de Jesucristo.

Creo que, como embajadores de Cristo, es más importante estar espiritualmente correctos que políticamente correctos. Hay momentos en la vida cuando tenemos que decir: “Esto no está bien. Esto no es de Dios”.

En este caso, a veces tenemos que decirlo con tristeza. A veces tenemos que decirlo con claridad y de manera directa. Pero como seguidores de Cristo, no siempre podemos andar con rodeos respecto a la verdad.

Un espejo moral

Durante mi reciente visita a Israel, una persona judía me contó una historia del libro “When A Nation Forgets God” (cuando una nación se olvida de Dios) de Erwin Lutzer.

La historia relata sobre “Un testigo ocular describió cómo una iglesia en la Alemania nazi estaba al lado de vías férreas utilizadas para transportar judíos a campos de concentración”. Cada semana, los congregantes escuchaban el silbato del tren y los gritos desde dentro de los vagones.

Conscientes de lo que estaba ocurriendo, decidieron cantar himnos con voces más fuertes mientras los trenes pasaban, para no escuchar los gritos de los judíos pidiendo ayuda.

El relato funciona como un espejo moral para el momento presente. Advierte cómo comunidades ordinarias moldeadas por la fe pueden normalizar (ignorar) el sufrimiento cuando ocurre “cerca”, pero no directamente a ellas.

Aplicado a la comunidad inmigrante en los Estados Unidos, no es una comparación afirmando que la maldad es idéntica al tiempo de los nazis, pero sí es una tentación similar: ignorar el dolor humano a través de la política, el legalismo o el problema de alguien más.

Las detenciones, las separaciones familiares, el temor a la deportación y el efecto silenciador de la incertidumbre pueden convertirse en ruido de fondo: se oyen, pero rápidamente quedan ahogados por el miedo, la avaricia, la religión o las ideologías políticas.

Como la iglesia junto a las vías del tren, la iglesia de hoy conoce el momento y el sonido del sufrimiento, y aun así elige mirar en otra dirección en lugar de cumplir con su compromiso. La historia desafía a las personas de conciencia, especialmente a las comunidades de fe, a preguntarse si están usando su voz para silenciar los clamores de ayuda o para abogar por la dignidad de los desprotegidos.

La historia sugiere que lo que perseguirá a las futuras generaciones no es solo lo que se hizo, sino lo que se ignoró. La pregunta, entonces, es si la respuesta a las injusticias de hoy será recordada como una compasión valiente o como otro himno cantado en alta voz mientras los vecinos clamaban por ayuda.

Un espejo bíblico

A lo largo de la Escritura, Dios revela una preocupación particular por el extranjero, el forastero y el desplazado. Al pueblo de Dios se le recuerda repetidamente que su identidad está moldeada por la gracia y la liberación, no por el poder o el privilegio.

Deuteronomio 10:18–19 ordena al pueblo de Dios amar al extranjero, fundamentando este amor en la propia historia de vulnerabilidad de Israel. Levítico 19:34 instruye además que el extranjero debe ser tratado como un residente nacido en la tierra, enfatizando la dignidad más que una aceptación condicionada.

En el Nuevo Testamento, Jesús encarna esta ética. Comienza su vida terrenal como refugiado (Mateo 2:13–15), ministra entre los marginados y enseña que dar la bienvenida al extranjero es un acto de fidelidad hacia Él mismo (Mateo 25:35–40).

Estos textos no permiten que la iglesia permanezca neutral cuando las personas vulnerables son maltratadas. Más bien, obligan a la iglesia a actuar de maneras que reflejen la compasión y la justicia de Dios.

Cuando la aplicación de la ley migratoria resulta en detención prolongada, separación familiar o deshumanización de personas que no han cometido ningún delito, la iglesia debe responder primero como iglesia.

Hechos 5:29 nos recuerda que obedecer a Dios tiene prioridad cuando están en juego las convicciones morales. Esta postura no se basa en política, sino en un discipulado fiel moldeado por el carácter de Cristo.

Esto afecta a la iglesia

A través del panorama evangélico, líderes fieles al Reino de Dios han respondido a la crisis migratoria de distintas maneras. Muchos han optado por hablar públicamente, utilizando plataformas sociales para llamar la atención sobre la injusticia y abogar por las comunidades vulnerables. Creemos que este testimonio público, cuando se hace con responsabilidad, es valioso y necesario.

Como pastor, he hablado públicamente con cuidado. Mi énfasis principal ha sido la defensa práctica. Nos hemos preguntado no solo cómo hablar fielmente, sino cómo actuar fielmente—cómo pasar de las palabras a expresiones encarnadas del evangelio. Como nos recuerda Santiago 2:17, la fe que permanece solo en el discurso, sin acción, es incompleta.

En el último año, la crisis migratoria ha afectado directamente a familias dentro de nuestra iglesia. El temor a la detención ha llevado a una disminución en la asistencia, pues las familias evitan espacios públicos.

Varios miembros han sido detenidos durante paradas de tráfico rutinarias cuando la policía local contactó a Inmigración y Control de Aduanas (ICE), en lugar de seguir el debido proceso que dicta la ley.

Algunas personas en mi congregación fueron deportadas en cuestión de días, mientras que otras permanecen detenidas por meses a pesar de haber expresado su disposición a regresar voluntariamente a sus países de origen. Las personas detenidas han reportado fallas administrativas, vuelos perdidos y una incertidumbre prolongada.

En algunos casos, adultos mayores de la congregación con necesidades médicas permanecen detenidos sin plazos claros para su liberación o deportación. El costo emocional, espiritual y financiero para las familias ha sido significativo.

No considero la crisis migratoria como una oportunidad ministerial, sino como una obligación del evangelio. Compartir el evangelio incluye tanto la proclamación como la presencia—hablar la verdad bíblica y, a la vez, atender necesidades reales en momentos de crisis.

La crisis migratoria presenta a la iglesia un momento decisivo de testimonio. Creo que la iglesia debe responder, no con temor ni silencio, sino con una presencia fiel, amor sacrificial y claridad teológica.

Continúe leyendo para ver cómo está respondiendo mi iglesia.

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Cómo está respondiendo mi iglesia

Apoyo de emergencia para familias

Cuando quienes sostienen económicamente a la familia son removidos sin previo aviso, las familias quedan sin ingresos, sin seguridad alimentaria y sin tiempo para prepararse. Establecimos un fondo de emergencia dedicado a ayudar a familias que enfrentan separaciones repentinas por detención o deportación. Este fondo permite que la iglesia responda de inmediato con compasión y estabilidad durante crisis inesperadas.

Alianza con el Consulado de México

Durante los últimos 12 meses, hemos recibido al Consulado de México en nuestro campus cuatro veces y hemos apoyado a más de 2.500 personas documentadas e indocumentadas que necesitaban prepararse para lo peor, porque lo peor está ocurriendo.

Estos eventos brindan a las familias orientación profesional sobre su estatus migratorio y les ayudan a renovar pasaportes y otros documentos esenciales.

Las familias viajan desde toda el área metropolitana de Dallas–Fort Worth y el este de Texas para asistir a estos eventos, lo cual refleja la confianza depositada en la iglesia como un espacio seguro y accesible.

Apoyo de consejería informado por trauma

En alianza con Re-Therapy Counseling Services, estamos ofreciendo dos sesiones gratuitas de consejería a familias impactadas por la crisis migratoria. Esta iniciativa brinda atención profesional a niños, cónyuges e individuos que experimentan trauma, ansiedad y depresión, afirmando el compromiso de la iglesia con una sanidad integral.

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Animamos a los seguidores de Cristo con una visión centrada en el Reino a enfrentar este momento con valentía y compasión, recordando que nuestro llamado no está definido por la lealtad política, sino por la vida y las enseñanzas de Jesucristo, quien llama a su iglesia a amar, no con una mentalidad política, sino con un amor sacrificial hacia el extranjero y con cuidado por los vulnerables.

El Dr. Pablo Juárez es pastor de First Baptist Church of Kaufman en español. Las opiniones expresadas en este artículo de opinión son del autor.

The current immigration climate in the United States has created deep fear and instability within immigrant communities, particularly among undocumented immigrants who have no criminal record and who have long contributed to their churches and neighborhoods.

This current situation has deeply hurt many congregations, including my church. This is not a political statement. It is a pastoral cry for help.

As a Christian and a pastor, I believe it is necessary to reflect carefully on how the people of God serve and treat immigrant families with faithfulness, compassion, and practical care, while remaining grounded in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I believe, as a Christ-ambassador, it is more important to be spiritually correct than politically correct. There are times in life when we have to say: “This is not right. This is not of God.” In this case, sometimes we have to say it sadly. Sometimes we have to say it clearly and directly. But as followers of Christ, we can’t always beat around the bush about the truth.

A moral mirror

During my recent visit to Israel, a Jewish person told me a story from the book When A Nation Forgets God by Erwin Lutzer.

An eyewitness described how a church in Nazi Germany stood beside railroad tracks used to transport Jews to death camps. Each week, congregants heard the train whistle and the cries from inside the cars. Aware of what was happening, they chose to sing hymns louder as the trains passed, drowning out the screams.

The account functions as a moral mirror for the present moment. It warns how ordinary, faith-shaped communities can normalize suffering when it happens “nearby” but not directly to them.

Applied to the immigrant community in the United States, the parallel is not a claim of identical evil, but of a similar temptation: to distance ourselves from human pain by calling it policy, legality, or someone else’s problem.

Detentions, family separations, fear of deportation, and the silencing effect of uncertainty can become background noise, heard, but quickly drowned out by fear, greed, worship, or political ideologies.

Like the church by the tracks, society often knows the timing and the sound of suffering, yet chooses distraction over engagement. The story challenges people of conscience, especially faith communities, to ask whether they are using their voices to muffle cries or to advocate for dignity.

History suggests, what haunts future generations is not only what was done, but what was ignored. The question, then, is whether today’s response will be remembered as courageous compassion, or as another hymn sung too loudly while neighbors cried for help.

A biblical mirror

Throughout Scripture, God reveals a particular concern for the foreigner, the sojourner, and the displaced. The people of God are repeatedly reminded their own identity is shaped by grace and deliverance, not by power or privilege.

Deuteronomy 10:18–19 commands God’s people to love the stranger, grounding this love in Israel’s own history of vulnerability. Leviticus 19:34 further instructs the foreigner is to be treated as a native-born resident, emphasizing dignity rather than conditional acceptance.

In the New Testament, Jesus embodies this ethic. He begins his earthly life as a refugee (Matthew 2:13–15), ministers among the marginalized, and teaches welcoming the stranger is an act of faithfulness to himself (Matthew 25:35–40).

These texts do not permit the church to remain neutral when vulnerable people are mistreated. Rather, they compel the church to act in ways that reflect the compassion and justice of God.

When immigration enforcement results in prolonged detention, family separation, or the dehumanization of people who have committed no criminal offense, the church must respond first as the church.

Acts 5:29 reminds us obedience to God takes precedence when moral convictions are at stake. This posture is not rooted in political defiance but in faithful discipleship shaped by the character of Christ.

This affects the church

Across the evangelical landscape, faithful leaders have responded to the immigration crisis in different ways. Many have chosen to speak publicly, using social platforms to call attention to injustice and to advocate for vulnerable communities. We believe such public witness, when done responsibly, is valuable and necessary.

As a pastor, I have spoken publicly with care. My primary emphasis has been on practical advocacy. We have asked not only how to speak faithfully, but how to act faithfully—how to move from words to embodied expressions of the gospel. As James 2:17 reminds us, faith that remains only in speech, without action, is incomplete.

Over the past year, the immigration crisis has directly affected families within our church. Fear of detention has led to decreased attendance as families avoid public spaces. Several members have been detained during routine traffic stops when local law enforcement contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement instead of following due process.

Some individuals in my congregation were deported within days, while others remain detained for months despite expressing a willingness to return voluntarily to their home countries. Detained individuals have reported administrative failures, missed flights, and prolonged uncertainty.

In some cases, older adult congregants with medical needs remain confined without clear timelines for release or deportation. The emotional, spiritual, and financial toll on families has been significant.

I do not view the immigration crisis as a ministry opportunity, but as a gospel obligation. Sharing the gospel includes both proclamation and presence—speaking biblical truth while also meeting real needs in moments of crisis.

The immigration crisis presents the church with a defining moment of witness. I believe the church must respond, not with fear or silence, but with faithful presence, sacrificial love, and theological clarity.

Keep reading to see how my church is responding.

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How my church is responding

Emergency support for families

When primary wage earners are removed without warning, families are left without income, food security, or time to prepare. We established a dedicated emergency fund to assist families facing sudden separation due to detention or deportation. This fund allows the church to respond immediately with compassion and stability during unexpected crises.

Partnership with the Mexican Consulate

Over the last 12 months, we have hosted the Mexican Consulate on our church campus four times and supported more than 2,500 documented and undocumented people who needed to be prepared for the worst, because the worst is happening.

These events provide families with professional guidance on their immigration status and help them renew passports and other essential documents.

Families travel from across the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex and East Texas to these events, reflecting the trust placed in the church as a safe and accessible space.

Trauma-informed counseling support

In partnership with Re-Therapy Counseling Services, we are offering two free counseling sessions to families impacted by the immigration crisis. This initiative provides professional care for children, spouses, and individuals experiencing trauma, anxiety, and depression, affirming the church’s commitment to holistic healing.

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We encourage kingdom-minded followers of Christ to engage this moment with courage and compassion, remembering our calling is shaped not by political allegiance, but by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, who calls his church to love, not with a political mindset, but with a sacrificial love for the stranger and care for the vulnerable.

Dr. Pablo Juárez is the pastor of First Baptist Church of Kaufman en Español. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.

I am about to make millions of dollars with the weight loss program I have discovered.

Move over, Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound. Stand down, Weightwatchers, Jenny Craig, and Noom. Throw out the Mediterranean diet, the cabbage diet, and the DASH diet.

What I am about to share with you will put my name on the Walk of Fame.

My boyhood weight

I have always struggled with my weight. When I was in elementary school in the old Alamo building in Glen Rose, I acquired a nickname: Tiggy Piggy.

I was the heaviest kid in class. I ate four sandwiches per sitting for snacks. I ate several helpings at every meal. I bought powdered donuts in between. I drank soda after soda. I was always famished. I wore husky jeans from Montgomery Wards department store.

It wasn’t until I hit the summer before my ninth-grade year that I began to shed the pounds. I started running three miles every morning and three miles every night.

To motivate me and make me look good while I ran, my parents bought me a red jogging suit with white pin stripes. I looked like the red flash on Farm Road 200 in our farming community called Rainbow.

I wore that warm-up suit every morning and every evening. I assume we washed it in between, but I don’t remember.

So, is this the weight loss program you’re talking about, Johnny? Nope. Just giving you some history.

My adult weight

I worked out every day, so I could play quarterback on our football team. I continued through college, then to semi-professional football. I had every reason to stay trim and fit. Then, my football days ran out.

Tiggy Piggy began to reemerge. When I saw the double chin return, I started jogging again. The weight dropped accordingly, but I still loved to eat.

The weight fluctuated over time. Every time it got up, I hit the streets, but one day, I noticed my hips began to hurt.

I went to the doctor. He said, “Johnny, if you don’t stop jogging, we are going to have to replace your hips in a few years.”

Well, that stopped my jogging. My weight ballooned. So, I began to ride my bike. Even as I type this, I ride 20 miles per day.

So, is this the weight loss program you’re talking about, Johnny? Nope. Just bringing you up to date.

The secret to weight

“Quit wasting my time, Johnny. Tell me, what is this great weight loss program for $35?”

Are you ready for it? This is magical, what I am about to share with you. You won’t believe it. The thing is so very easy. I even recommend it to my friends, and they have seen the results.

Now, mind you, you won’t lose all the weight in a matter of weeks. But for the one-time cost of about $35, you can be on your way to health and the weight you desire.

“OK, man, give it to me!”

Buy a bathroom scale at Walmart for about $35. You can get one for more, but I have never found a need for a more expensive one.

With that scale, weigh every morning when you get up. Then, weigh each night before you go to bed. Do this every day. That’s it. That’s all it takes.

“Are you serious?”

Yep.

When you weigh every day, morning and night, you are mindful of your weight. You want to see it go down. So, you eat less. You measure what you eat. You work out, or you walk more, and you say “no” to the snacks during the day.

I know this sounds silly, but try it. I promise it works.

A biblical lesson

There’s a biblical lesson here.

If we read God’s word each morning, if we take an inventory of how good God is and what he desires in us, we will find our behavior changes each day.

The weight of sin will be reduced. The health of holiness will start to appear.

Imagine with me your car without a speedometer. There are speed limits, but without knowing your speed, you will soon lose your license because of all the traffic citations.

You can’t drive by how fast you feel you are driving. You need to know what you are doing and measure that against what is required.

Read the Bible and pray daily. You will see how you are doing, and you will see what is required. Before you know it, you will even start to see God working with you to reach goals for your life. I promise.

Johnny Teague is the senior pastor of Church at the Cross in West Houston and the author of several books, including his newest The Lost Diary of Mary Magdalene. His website is johnnyteague.com. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.

Many people today think church is about loud music, the lights, or the atmosphere. Some churches use strobe lights, fog machines, big productions, and even drones to draw people in. But the church was never meant to be a show. It is not entertainment. It is not a performance.

Church is a place where people learn to follow Jesus. It is a place where we grow into more of Christ’s likeness. It is a place for discipleship.

And discipleship—learning, growing, and being shaped by God—is needed for every person, at every age, in every season of life once they have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Discipleship is a long journey (Colossians 1:3-6)

According to Barna Group: “The most preferred term [for discipleship is] ‘becoming more Christ-like.’”

“A disciple is one who responds in faith and obedience to the gracious call to follow Jesus Christ. Being a disciple is a lifelong process of dying to self while allowing Jesus to come alive in us,” the Barna report adds.

These definitions beautifully support the heart of discipleship. It is not optional, seasonal, or limited to certain personalities or ages. It is every Christian’s lifelong journey of becoming more like Jesus.

Discipleship is for every age and stage (Hebrews 5:14)

Discipleship is not just for pastors or teachers. It is not only for new believers or for people who seem “super spiritual.” Discipleship is for all of us. We all need training, transformation, and a life that honors Jesus in everyday living.

Children need simple truths, stories, and conversations that help them understand who God is.

Teenagers need guidance, honesty, and safe adults who will walk with them through questions and pressures.

Adults need teaching that challenges them, encourages them, and helps them apply God’s word to everyday life.

Older believers need continued growth and opportunities to share their wisdom and faithfulness.

We may experience discipleship in unusual ways and at various levels, but we all need it. No one ever “arrives.” As long as we are alive, God is still shaping us.

Discipleship begins with a willing heart (Matthew 16:24)

Jesus said, “Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me” (John 12:26).

Following Jesus is not a one-time decision. It is a daily choice. It is daily choosing to listen, to learn, and to obey.

For some people, this desire begins early. Children often have soft, open hearts. They ask questions. They believe easily. They are eager to learn.

Teenagers face pressures, temptations, and big emotions. They need honest and relational discipleship rooted in truth.

Adults often get busy. Responsibilities grow. Faith can become routine if we are not careful. Discipleship helps us stay grounded and spiritually awake.

Older believers still have room to grow. They also have much to give. Their stories and steady faith can strengthen the entire church.

Discipleship is not a program, but a lifestyle (Ephesians 5:15-16)

Many churches focus on programs, events, and activities. These things can be helpful, but they are not the heart of discipleship. True discipleship is not a class you take once. It is not a workbook you finish. It is not a six-week program.

Discipleship is a lifestyle. It is a way of living that keeps Jesus at the center. It touches every part of our spiritual life and helps us grow in many different areas.

Depending on our age, season, or spiritual maturity, discipleship may include learning about: God the Father’s character, love, holiness, and plan; Jesus Christ’s life, teachings, sacrifice, resurrection, and example; and the Holy Spirit’s guidance, comfort, conviction, and power.

We also learn about: prayer, talking with God honestly and regularly; Bible study, understanding Scripture and applying it to daily life; obedience, learning to trust and follow God; stewardship, or using our time, talents, and resources for God’s glory; witnessing, sharing our faith with gentleness and courage; and abundant life, or discovering the joy, peace, and purpose Jesus offers.

Discipleship is not narrow or rigid. It is rich and full of opportunities to gain experience.

A child may learn through stories and simple truths.

A teenager may learn through questions and honest conversations.

Adults may learn through Bible study, mentoring, or serving.

Older believers may learn through reflection, wisdom, and continued obedience.

God meets each of us where we are and teaches us in ways that fit our season of life.

Some of the most powerful discipleship moments happen quietly, over coffee, in a living room, during a walk, or in a simple conversation after church.

Discipleship grows in relationships, not in performances.

The church’s role in discipleship (Psalm 92:13)

The church has a responsibility to help people grow. But this does not mean the church must entertain people or keep up with trends. The church’s calling is much deeper.

A healthy church teaches God’s word clearly, creates space for questions and growth, encourages believers to use their gifts, provides opportunities to serve, and values spiritual maturity over performance.

A church focused on discipleship may not have concert-style music or excessive technology, though these may have their proper place. But a discipleship-focused church will have something far more powerful—the presence of God and the steady work of the Holy Spirit.

People grow in churches where truth abides, where love resides, and spiritual maturity is valued.

Aaron Earls with Lifeway Research believes church leaders should take a careful look into the state of discipleship in their congregation and make discipleship a priority.

God works with our personality (Psalm 139:13-14)

One of the beautiful things about discipleship is God does not erase our personality. He does not make us all the same. Instead, he works with who we are as we refine our character.

He takes our strengths, gifts, and even weaknesses and shapes them for his glory. He smooths the rough edges. He deepens our love, patience, humility, and faith. He uses our story to help others.

Discipleship is not about becoming perfect. It is about becoming more like Jesus, step by step, day by day.

A final invitation

Church is not about strobe lights, fog machines, big productions, or even drones. It is about Jesus. It is about learning to follow him and becoming more like him.

Discipleship is the path that helps us get there. Every believer, young or old, has a place on this journey. And every believer has something to offer along the way.

Let’s keep learning, training, growing, and living a Christ-centered life.

Patti Greene is a graduate of Baylor University and Dallas Baptist University, a member of a Texas Baptist church in Houston, and the author of several books. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.

In the wake of continued abuse allegations, amended and implemented national policies, and the renewed attention brought by the death of abuse survivor and former Lifeway vice president Jennifer Lyell last year, an opportunity exists to love, protect, and show Christ to the world.

John 13:34-35 shares Christ’s commandment: “Love one another. As I have loved you, you must love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples.”

The Christian faith’s call to love one another requires courage, compassion, and sacrificial love to each other and the vulnerable.

As C.S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity, “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.”

In a world often fractured by violence, neglect, and despair, the example of Christians who protect and serve, and churches that pour out compassion on those in need, resonates as Christ’s light and hope.

Scriptural expectations

Our character and actions are outlined in Scripture. We are called to act courageously, defend the vulnerable, and uphold justice.

Proverbs 31:8-9 commands: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

In the Old Testament, figures such as Boaz (Ruth 2) exemplified this protective role. Boaz went out of his way to ensure Ruth’s safety in the fields, instructing his workers not to harm her, and providing for her needs.

Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:25: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” This sacrificial love extends beyond marriage, calling men to be selfless protectors and advocates for women and to reflect Christ’s selfless devotion in every sphere of life.

As C.S. Lewis reminds us: “Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person’s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.”

Micah 6:8 further encourages: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” This verse underlines the call for justice and mercy woven through Christian responsibility.

Responsibility as Christ-followers

To embody Christ’s love is to embrace a love marked by sacrifice, humility, and unwavering dedication—a love that protects, uplifts, and seeks the highest good for others.

In 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, Paul urges: “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.” This charge ties strength to tenderness, courage to compassion, and vigilance to actively care for those around us.

Jesus declared in John 15:13: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” In protecting, loving, and serving others, Christians are called to mirror the sacrificial heart of Christ—offering emotional support, dignity, and enduring kindness to all, especially the most vulnerable.

Our call then and now

Across the centuries, countless Christians have distinguished themselves by standing up against injustice and protecting the vulnerable.

William Wilberforce, for example, used his political influence to abolish the British slave trade, driven by his deep Christian conviction regarding the dignity of all people. Dietrich Bonhoeffer stood against the evil of Nazi tyranny, risking—and ultimately sacrificing—his life to shield the oppressed.

The 21st century presents unique challenges, as vulnerable people around the world continue to face violence, discrimination, and exploitation.

Almost half of all women and 2 in 5 men experience sexual abuse, physical abuse, or stalking in their lifetime. Christians are called not only to reject such injustices, but to actively oppose them.

Romans 12:21 exhorts: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” This involves speaking out against abuse, supporting survivors, and working to create communities where all people are safe, valued, and empowered.

While people of faith struggle to change the current environment or leave the church because of it, pervasive abuse of members continues.

Despite recent efforts of the Southern Baptist Convention for an abuse database, a database has not been produced due to lack of funding and priority.

In practical terms, this may mean individual churches are responsible for their ministers’ in-depth background checks, participation in accountability groups, congregational transparency and awareness, or advocating for policies that protect all participants.

It also means modeling respect in families and friendships, teaching children by example, and listening to the voices and experiences of the abused.

Practical steps for individuals and churches

• Education and awareness: Promote biblical character, accountability (Matthew 18:15-17), and courage (Joshua 1:9). Take time to learn about the challenges facing the abused in your community. Host Bible-based studies to foster understanding and compassion. Begin or grow programs for those who suffer from abuse or addiction. Awareness and open dialogue can help those who suffer by breaking the silence and debilitating guilt.

• Advocacy and policy: Support initiatives and policies that protect vulnerable people from violence and exploitation. Write to local representatives or join faith-based advocacy groups.

• Mentorship and discipleship: Mentors trained in discipleship, especially in sensitive topics, can guide younger people in character and responsibility, modeling what it means to honor, protect, and care for the vulnerable.

• Prayer and spiritual support: Lift up in prayer those who are marginalized or suffering, and seek wisdom in how to respond as a community.

• Counseling: Enlist counselors to provide free services to aid in mental health issues while providing safe environments to share stories of assault and provide resources for healing.

• Relationship classes: Tackle the difficult topics of biblical behavior, bystander and awareness training, abuse, pornography, teen mothers’ groups, and broken family relationships.

Renewed commitment

The call for Christians to protect others reflects the heart of Christ, who defends the oppressed and heals the broken. When people rise to protect and honor the vulnerable and churches pour themselves out for the least among us, the gospel becomes tangible. Communities are transformed. Churches help restore hope and dignity.

Seeking God’s will in a new era, what innovative and global-reaching initiatives will Christians organize in his name?

In these acts of courage and compassion, the church fulfills its highest calling: to bear witness to the love of Christ in a hurting world.

We have a great opportunity before us to serve and provide the hope of Christ in stronger, more compassionate ways. May this generation rise up with renewed commitment to the vulnerable, so our communities might become havens of safety, dignity, and hope for all.

Lord and Savior, please open our minds to the broken and hurting of this world. Give us strength and courage to be humble, obedient, and compassionate. Let us be a Proverbs 31:8-9 people. Guide our service in your name, Amen.

*******

Candice Sharp Fulton has held positions as a pre-teen group teacher and college group teacher/director. She is currently a doctoral student studying sexual harassment reporting on university campuses through Texas Woman’s University’s Education, Leadership, and Organization program. She is also a university professor, and member of First Baptist Church in Wichita Falls. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.

Sources:

Hopkins, R. (2024, June 10). Some churches call clergy sexual misconduct an “affair.” survivors are fighting to make it against the law. Christianity Today. https://www.christianitytoday.com/2024/06/clergy-sex-abuse-consent-law-crime/

National Network to End Domestic Violence. (2025, May 20). Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Fact Sheet . National Network to End Domestic Violence. https://nnedv.org/wp-content/documents/DVSA%20Fact%20Sheet%20-%20May%202025%20-%20FINAL.pdf

Shellnut, K. (2024, September 25). Why does southern baptist abuse reform keep hitting hurdles?. Christianity Today. https://www.christianitytoday.com/2024/06/southern-baptists-vote-abuse-reform-database-funding-delay/

Shellnutt, K. (2019, May 21). 1 in 10 young Protestants have left a church over abuse. Christianity Today. https://www.christianitytoday.com/2019/05/lifeway-protestant-abuse-survey-young-christians-leave-chur/

Smietana, B. (2025a, February 19). Southern Baptists Abandon Abuse Database. Baptist Standard. https://baptiststandard.com/news/baptists/abuse-database-not-a-present-focus-for-sbc-leaders/

Smietana, B. (2025b, February 18). Southern Baptist leaders remain undaunted as legal bills from Abuse Investigation Mount. Religion News Service. https://religionnews.com/2025/02/18/southern-baptist-leaders-remain-undaunted-as-legal-bills-from-abuse-investigation-mount/

Cleaning out the garage over the holidays, I had time to think about “stuff,” and the new year, and also stuff in so many years past. My path through the garage was a walk of shame, as I cannot avoid really seeing how much I have stored away.

I saved things in categories: things for grown kids who have no space, holiday décor, tools, cleaning and painting supplies, golf equipment, gardening pots, yard care supplies, out of season clothes, and donations.

If an item didn’t fit into a category, it went out to the donation center or in the trash.

We can only store so much before we must let some things go.

I think life is like that, and this new year is like that, too. If we are going to experience new ministries, people, and places, some things need to be sorted and altered while we keep what is important and use it for its highest purpose.

I don’t mean we get rid of people, treasures, tradition, but that we clear a path for new growth.

New growth

In my garden, I have a huge, beloved rosemary plant that over time gets tangled up with weeds. It gets dry and yellowed at times. It needs pruning and deep watering to shoot up and grow toward the light.

Gardening—sorting and untangling stems and roots—we can think about how problems develop and how to facilitate a healthier living thing. Gardening teaches us cause and effect, that things happen when we are not looking.

In the garage, folding and stacking used clothing into tubs feels therapeutic. As my hands smoothed out wrinkles, I recalled how family members looked in the clothes and the memories we made wearing them.

Getting organized and ready for the new year was a time of gratitude. God will help us build on the past in the coming year, in his strength.

Wrapping Christmas ornaments in tissue, packing away dishes, wreaths, cards, and ribbon reminded me how much clutter it takes to make a cozy Christmas. The old glass ornaments are fragile, while the rest of the collectibles seem indestructible over decades.

People are like that, too. In our clearing out for the new year, we are intentional and gentle, never careless with the feelings of others. We also preserve the precious possessions of others as we are able, even if that means having a little less room for ourselves.

Cleaning the garage

I hate to take guests into the garage. Though one’s vehicle may look lovely parked there, how do you make the needed household mops and brooms look attractive? Sometimes, one has to attend to those ugly tools that do the dirty work.

If you stand up cleaning implements in a large trash can so only the handles stick up, they look fairly neat.

This reminds me, as we go into a new year with improved organization, our “old stuff” has to be handled, filed, dealt with. This might mean paperwork filed and financial and giving plans in place. For me, it means my Tupperware and Corning Ware are in stacks in the kitchen and store room, and papers in the office are secure.

This is no easy task. Many of us are drowning in objects and paper.

Our lives are full, especially if we are older and have accumulated a lifetime of things we “might need someday.” Perhaps someday has already arrived, and our junk needs to pass away while we live a life for which we could not have fully prepared.

If you are in your later years, you probably prepared as best you could for life and lived frugally. You saved things. But alas, better things have been invented than what we saved. We can start again without guilt.

Facing the new year

As I face this new year, I never expected to be so old. Cancer treatment has spared my life. All things can be new for me, if I will drop a few things: a few pounds, a few negative attitudes, the hoarded boxes in the garage, a closet full of depressing clothes.

As I drop some, I am lighter and can move better and faster with Christ as he opens the door to the race, the calling that lies ahead. Let me throw aside the hindrances that beset me and run.

Facing the unknown with God is freeing and so much better than drowning in a garage full of weights and anchors.

Ruth Cook is a longtime Texas Baptist. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.

I pulled up to my ranch to feed the cows. There in my grazing pasture, were five buzzards gathered around something with a black pelt.

I walked over to where the animal was. The scavenger birds flew away. There on the ground, a young calf, maybe a week or two old. I don’t care how much or how little they are worth, I never want to lose a calf.

As I drew closer to inspect, the little thing raised its head ever so slightly. It was alive! But for how long? He put his head back down.

I called some friends to shoo the buzzards while I rushed to the veterinarian to get him a shot of penicillin.

You see, I have faced this once before. I had a calf as good as dead a few years back, but with one shot of Sir Alexander Fleming’s miracle drug, that calf recovered. I prayed this would be the case for this one, too.

When I got to the vet, I found they no longer give out penicillin without a prescription for some odd reason. The vet said I would need to bring in the sick calf. Bringing that calf in was going to be a chore, and time was fleeting.

So, I went to a different vet, one I had dealt with many times before. They said the same. I begged them for just one syringe worth. I promised I wouldn’t sell it or use it for myself. In mercy, they gave me the prescription and the syringe. I rushed back to the calf, following the rules of the highway of course.

The calf was still alive.

Raising a calf

Now, the last time I gave a shot to a dying calf, it jumped up and ran, much to my surprise. I did not want that to happen this time. So, I straddled the dying calf like a rodeo star and injected the penicillin syringe into his neck.

Lo and behold, this dying calf did the same thing. He threw me off, then began to run. I could not believe it.

I ran after him by foot. This 62-year-old was never fast, but he still has some game. We ran for two pastures. He went through three fences. I slid between three. He got to my neighbor’s field where he was running toward the highway, far away from his mother and his familial herd.

I ran back to my truck, hopped in, spun out, and off to the races to cut this calf off, while the buzzards shook their heads deciding to go for a more lethargic meal.

I finally caught up to the calf in my neighbor’s field just before he got to the highway. He collapsed like a wind-up toy out of juice.

I walked over to him. He was barely breathing. He put his head down to die.

I had a little medicine left in the syringe. I put what was left of the injection into his neck. He jumped back up, running this time back to my pasture. What energy! No wonder penicillin is by prescription.

I walked after him since he was headed in the right direction. He crossed into my field, then collapsed.

I got in my truck and drove back to my field, right up to his body, lying flat on the ground. He was going no further. He had used what last bit of strength he had.

When you’re down

I knew he was tired. I figured he was dehydrated. So, I got a bottle of water, held his little mouth, opened his lips, and poured some water in.

He did nothing at first, but then he realized it was water. His tongue came out to lick. He drank the whole bottle. I got another bottle. I repeated the practice. He drank it all. Then, he laid his head down to die.

I tried to get him up, but there was no stirring. I tried to pick him up, but he was a tad too heavy. I tried to drag him. He gave no resistance, but I was a long way from the herd.

Finally, I decided to call the herd to me, hoping his momma would see him and help. The cows came slowly, but together. Finally, five of the momma cows came up to me looking for food. They looked down to see the little calf, weary and sick. What happened next blew my mind.

The five mommas got on three sides of the little calf. They lowered their heads, and with their noses, they nudged the little fella up until he stood in their midst. They acted so caring and loving to this little calf. Before long, he was walking around them, looking for a spout from which to drink.

All the cows finally arrived. The last I saw of them, the whole herd walked back to the pond with the little fella walking in their midst.

I checked on the little fella this week. He is alive and well by God’s grace.

If cows can lift up the hurting, why can’t we?

“We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak” (Romans 15:1).

Johnny Teague is the senior pastor of Church at the Cross in West Houston and the author of several books, his most recent being Thomas Paine Returns with Common Sense. His website is johnnyteague.com. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.

EDITOR’S NOTE: A contrasting viewpoint can be read here.

While cases are still pending for full review before the U.S. Supreme Court, results from the shadow docket and recent court decisions can lead one to assume a continued drift toward authoritarian government and a weakening of the separation of church and state will impact the country for years to come.

The temptation might be to blame the members of the Supreme Court, but the symptoms are more far-reaching than a majority of justices and a handful of decisions. Rather, it is an over-arching partisan political culture that has captivated American politics, leading partisans to seek the vanquishing of their political foes through any means necessary.

While there certainly is a growing illiberalism on the left, today’s particular strain on democracy and muddying of church-state separation stems from the right, mainly from some of the candidates heavily supported by conservative evangelicals.

As Kristin Kobes Du Mez pointed out in her book, Jesus and John Wayne, among Christians in America, denominationalism has given way to the charismatic Christian culture warriors of the day, notably those who can sell the most merchandise and accumulate the most accolades from other conservative Christians.

What results is a Christianity less dedicated to the guardrails of denominations and more so to the top-of-mind bestseller or most listened to podcaster or online influencer known more for their political-speak-mixed-with-religious-terminology than for a deeply rooted theological commitment.

Politicized religious right

The politicalization of the religious right has occurred over many decades, beginning with the Moral Majority in the 1980s, morphing into the Christian Coalition of the 1990s and the Family Research Council of the 2000s.

Today, the religious right has infiltrated the Republican Party so successfully that conservative political identity and white evangelical identity practically are seen as the same thing.

Today, when we perceive threats posed toward the separation of church and state, it is not simply one denomination or faith seeking the dissolution of the wall of separation, but the cultivated political viewpoint of those in power that then influences theological understanding.

This viewpoint has been hammered home by charismatic religious personalities, cable news, online influencers and provocateurs, creating a cultural Christianity more closely tied to politics than faith.

With politics camouflaged in religious terminology, the traditional advocacy for religious freedom for all and separation of church and state has yielded to a politics of power that capitalizes on populist sentiments, which seeks power over piety.

Contrary to history

Evangelicals have not always been this way. At the founding of the country, prominent religious leaders countered the Puritan approach of mixing church and state. Evangelicals, including Baptists, led the charge to champion religious liberty for all.

The Baptist Faith and Message states: “Church and state should be separate. The state owes to every church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual ends. In providing for such freedom no ecclesiastical group or denomination should be favored by the state more than others. … The church should not resort to the civil power to carry on its work.”

However, according to a recent Pew Research poll, 56 percent of U.S. evangelicals strongly support compulsory school prayer in which the teacher prays “in Jesus’ name.” This is compared to only 26 percent of Catholics who strongly believe the same thing.

Likewise, 48 percent of U.S. evangelicals strongly favor declaring the United States a Christian nation, compared to 20 percent of Catholics.

The long-held discriminatory anti-Catholicism in the United States promulgated by evangelicals, and notably Baptists, supposedly couched in a fear Catholics would join church and state under the authority of the pope, has been turned on its head. It is evangelical Protestants now, more than Catholics, who desire a combining of church and state under politically conservative, evangelical leadership and control.

Politics, not religion

The continued politicization of the religious right has culminated in the last two Republican presidents appointing Supreme Court justices who appear to be more sympathetic to authoritarianism. This is not a result of theology, but of politics—a politics driven by conservative evangelicals.

As Paul Miller argues in The Religion of American Greatness: “The divine mission of God’s chosen people is not to spread political liberty, national sovereignty, or capitalism; it is to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Over the past few decades, however, evangelicals of the religious right have prioritized Christian power, resulting in a strain of illiberalism that hampers both individual freedom and religious liberty in a pluralistic society. This is not the result of ecclesiastical organization, but rather of political priority.

Christian responsibility

Americans of all denominations and religious identities must cut through the erroneous algorithms to present truth boldly concerning the proper relationship between religion, politics and power, while recognizing the inevitable criticism that will come as a result.

After all, this is not purely a denominational issue, but an entire political worldview that has spread through consistent, narrowing messaging for the past 40 years.

Now is not the time to point the blame at a particular denomination or faith, but to find the like-minded individuals who desire to reassert true religious liberty, freedom of conscience, and separation of church and state. And we must do so humbly, confidently and in the spirit of love.

Consider the words of Pope Leo XIV in May 2025: “It is never a question of capturing others by force, by religious propaganda or by means of power. Instead, it is always and only a question of loving as Jesus did.”

Or, as the Baptist Faith and Message exhorts: “Act in the spirit of love without compromising [one’s] loyalty to Christ and His truth.”

To combat the waning commitment to church and state separation, we must seek to find common agreement, regardless of our religious affiliation.

With an ecumenical spirit, we must seek renewed commitment to a proper relationship between church and state, coupled with supporting a healthy political sphere that champions the First Amendment, thus securing the blessings of liberty for our current society and the generations to come.

Jack Goodyear is a professor of political science and a member of a Texas Baptist church. The views expressed are those of the author.

EDITOR’S NOTE: A contrasting viewpoint can be read here.

Many of my Baptist friends have asked me how it has developed that Catholics make up a strong majority on the U.S. Supreme Court.

My explanation: First, in recent decades, there was an individual who rose to the forefront of the religious legal battles with the objective of changing the composition of the U.S. Supreme Court. His name was Leonard Leo, a prominent Catholic lawyer and political activist.

Leo was a leader in groups named the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society. He campaigned to get several Catholics on the U.S. Supreme Court: Clarence Thomas, John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

Second, there was the role of Donald Trump. Leo and many social conservatives supported him for U.S. president. Leo was able to convince the president to turn to the Federalist Society for advice about judicial nominations.

Trump, a transactional decision-maker operated on the premise, “You help me do what I want, and I will help you do what you want.”

Many people agreed to support Trump, since he said he would oppose abortions and the so-called “homosexual agenda.”

Implications

There are many significant implications for a U.S. Supreme Court that favors Catholics.

First, there is the issue of the separation of church and state and private school funding. The U.S. Constitution states there shall be no establishment of religion, and there shall exist the free exercise of religion.

Under the Supreme Court of recent decades, there has been a breach of the wall of separation. The Supreme Court has upheld a variety of uses of public funds to support private schools, including private religious schools.

Second, there is the issue of presidential power. In the 2024 case Trump v. United States, the Supreme Court held a sitting president cannot be prosecuted for any action done as “official” presidential business.

Catholic vs. congregational

Numerous individuals have asked me how the composition of the Court, with a strong majority of Catholics, could have shifted so much power to the presidency and away from the other two branches of government. Following is my personal view.

The basic structure of many non-Catholic churches is what commonly is called “congregational,” where stress is placed upon the autonomy of each local congregation.

Each church uses some form of democratic voting in the selection of pastors. Each uses individuals who assist in the administration and practices of the congregation.

Most Southern Baptist churches maintain membership in a large association of churches known as the Southern Baptist Convention. The organization is the largest Protestant religious group in the United States.

The SBC helps the larger fellowship develop and use religious and educational materials based upon commonly held beliefs and practices. It also assists local churches in mission outreach and service.

The Catholic structure contrasts with the congregational structure. A priest for a local congregation is chosen primarily through the actions of a local or area bishop. The process is not diffused. It is hierarchical in structure. It is a pyramid of power. In the Catholic Church, there is the local priest, the area bishop, an archbishop, a cardinal and the pope in Vatican City.

The local pastor is not selected by popular vote of the congregation. The pastor usually is selected by a bishop and ultimately approved by the pope.

Church authority demands conformity. At all levels, the leaders are required to wear attire that symbolically represents certain religious elements. In any setting, enforced clothing conformity is an outward sign of institutionalized authoritarianism. That contrasts with many non-Catholic churches, which do not require specific clothing for worship leaders.

There also is a great deal of conformity in prayers led by religious leaders in the Catholic Church.

Shift in viewpoint

For most of American history, most members of the Supreme Court did not come from religious hierarchical structures of decision-making. Most did not view the U.S. president as possessing all power, and especially not the right to do anything and then justify it as “official business.”

They did not believe in a “unitary” theory of leadership based upon a pyramid of power. They believed in a system of checks and balances and a working relationship between three branches of government.

The majority of those who wrote the Trump v. United States decision grew up with a mindset that reflected a belief in hierarchical exercises of power. They leaned in the direction of authoritarianism in religion, which I believe flowed into their decision in the Trump case.

The Catholic justices belong to a very formal religious institution headquartered in a small religio-political state led by a single powerful leader—the pope. The pope exercises executive, legislative and judicial power. There is no separation of powers in the Catholic Church.

The current Court

The current majority of six Catholics on the U.S. Supreme Court admit they took an oath to defend the U.S. Constitution. They have decided some major cases that have shifted a great deal of power away from the U.S. Congress to the U.S. president and shifted some power from the judicial branch to the presidency.

They know their national loyalty is to the United States, not to the pope in Vatican City. However, their mindset is more accepting of extremely strong leadership in the American presidency than previous Supreme Courts.

We never should forget the mindset factor in the selection of judges, executives, legislators and even marriage partners. Catholic lobbying has given us a pro-authoritarian body.

Other religious groups also could have organized to shape the composition of the U.S. Supreme Court. It is called “politics” and “lobbying.” Leonard Leo, an ardent Catholic, is a master of the process.

The people of the United States have a future ahead of them that will be shaped by a man most Americans never heard of. As the English playwright William Shakespeare wrote in The Tempest, “What’s past is prologue.”

Leon Blevins is a retired professor of government and former Baptist pastor. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.

The word “trek” means a long, arduous journey. Our lives are a journey. Mine is. Yours is.

At Christmas, we ought to focus a little on the journey. There should be a time of thanksgiving for sure.

Memories likely flood our minds during this miraculous, sacred, holy season.

I have memories of a tin-foil Christmas tree beautifully decorated with a light wand changing its color from red to blue to green to yellow, easily seen through the picture window of a living room on a hilltop in Rainbow.

I also have memories of my little brother and me waking up in the early morning hours to see our presents strategically placed beneath said tree.

A parent’s trek

Our parents’ trek: We had no idea the sacrifices our parents made to buy those gifts, the sleep they lost placing them under the tree, the fretful days to keep a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, food on our table, without ever whimpering a word of it to two little boys.

My trek now: This Christmas, me and Lori come before the Lord for another reason on top of the infinite reasons before. This Christmas, we became grandparents for the first time.

We even got to choose our grandparent names. She’s Grammy. I am Pop. Will the grandchild hold to our choices? Time will tell.

Today, he is wrapped beautifully in swaddling cloth and held in a baby bed bought for him months ago. What will he be when he grows up? What will life be like when he gets older? We trust in the Lord, who knows all things before they occur.

His mother’s trek: Kate spent nine months in the waiting stages to give birth. She had no idea what the little boy would look like—our grandson, her and Matt’s son. Would he have dark hair or blond? Would he have blue eyes or green? Would he be healthy or have some struggle?

She felt him move inside. At times, he was still. We wondered if he was OK.

Kate’s body changed over these months. Things were harder for her. Mobility was not easy. Her husband put her shoes and socks on for her. Her ankles swelled. She would get out of breath. Hormones went awry at times.

Then, the pain of childbirth. In the throes of all that, a woman might wonder if this is worth it? Some might promise never to do this again, never to take this arduous journey.

But then, a son is born, a child is given. There is peace. The pain ebbs. The first stage of the trek is over. A new one begins.

A personal trek

This year, as over the last many years in a row, I made the trek to Santa’s Wonderland near College Station. This was my first to make by myself.

At first, it was Lori, little Brittany, littler Kate and me. Then, the girls became adults, and it was Lori and me only. This year, I went by myself. Lori was at Kate’s bedside waiting for the baby to be born.

We don’t go for the Santa part. We go to see the lights. We go to eat the food. We make the trip and spend the money to step into the joy of the season.

But more, we go for the pinnacle of Santa’s Wonderland. At the end of the hayride through the lights, we come to the manger with Joseph, Mary, wise men, an angel and the baby boy.

This year, I walked to the manger positioned there with the life-like characters. I gazed upon the scene. Every character looked with wonder at the baby in the manger.

Mary looked amazed. She had a baby without ever knowing a man physically. Joseph looked in awe to be part of heaven’s intent to love, protect and raise the Father’s Son as his own. The wise men stared at the newborn King.

But the angel really caught my eye this year. The angel looked down into the manger at the baby. Only the angel had a clue of who the child really was. He was and is Jesus, the King of all heaven, who created that angel, who fellowshipped with that angel in glory along with the host of all the other angels.

His trek

I saw the marvel in the eyes of this angel. The angel alone knew the trek this baby took. Jesus—fully God’s Son, fully God and fully man—traveled through time, space and matter to take on flesh, to be an infant.

The angel had an idea but did not realize in full the arduous journey God’s Son would make through that flesh and bone to grow, touch, teach and to have his hands nailed to wood, back whipped by iron and leather, spear piercing the tiny side one day fully mature, thorns to pierce that sweet little head.

The end of the trek would be filled with pain unimaginable. The baby adored in the manger soon would be hated and scorned.

The angel may have wondered, “Is this pain worth it?”

Yet, here you and I are wrapped in the swaddling cloth of his love. His trek of poverty, isolation, adoration and hatred, joy and immense pain was worth it. Those who receive him are born again.

God looks at the children Jesus’ pain brought. I can imagine the Father saying, and Jesus agreeing: “The trek was worth it, indeed. It is good, very good.”

Would he do it again? In a heartbeat.

Johnny Teague is the senior pastor of Church at the Cross in West Houston and the author of several books, including his newest The Lost Diary of Mary Magdalene. His website is johnnyteague.com. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.

Sitting in church, noticing the lights and holiday decorations in the worship center, I remembered this week was approximately the anniversary of my bout with clinical depression 35 years ago.

I recalled not everyone is joyously anticipating Dec. 25. Not everyone wants Christmas lights shining in their eyes.

Loneliness and fear in the midst of a celebrating crowd is very real. Depression can gain a foothold like at no other time of the year, perhaps partially because of holiday expectations and loss of loved ones.

While some folks are celebrating the happiest time of their lives at Christmas, others are hiding under the covers and praying for spring.

People have trouble understanding depression. No wonder. It has taken me 30 years to be able to describe and write about the illness I experienced.

The illness I experienced

Overcast skies with cold weather bring back that feeling of desolation that nearly put me in the hospital. I was in my 30s and had a young child, and my husband served on the staff of a large church.

Emotional illness carried a huge stigma back then, and for that reason, my doctor decided to treat me for depression at home and not in the hospital.

Unknown to us then, I was without estrogen and had a nonworking thyroid. I was exhausted by motherhood and church work, with a body not operating at full speed.

We knew for months something was wrong, that my energy was very low, but thought I could cope with it. How often hardworking, determined people try to throw off illness and cure themselves.

One day, I lost color in my vision. The world was gray, and visual space perception or perspective changed. Rooms in our house looked huge and dark, and objects seemed far away. Kind of a scary tunnel vision.

Inside my entire body, I felt a vibrating, extremely anxious sensation. Terrifying, but I was able to sit quietly with the shaking. When I no longer could sit, I would pace back and forth across the room, praying for God’s help.

I remember being so sad I was ill and could not help my family. I was a burden, that fate worse than death to depressed people.

Facing a perplexing condition

My doctor met us at church that Wednesday night where we customarily had dinner and a leadership meeting on Wednesday evenings. I could barely get in the car, but my husband helped me to our appointment.

We three went into a Sunday school classroom, and the doctor determined he would prescribe a general antidepressant. I followed up with him in his office and then with a psychiatrist, who added an antianxiety medicine and a beta blocker for my racing heart.

Immediately, my vision returned to normal, and about six weeks later, my symptoms were mild. Apparently, I needed the brain chemical serotonin. Fortunately, medication with counseling were successful and helped me return to daily activities.

Whatever it takes to get well, however many times you must see the doctor, do it!

If God allows life, live fully

Some people, including myself, fear leaving home with the illness. At home, we have strategies to manage depression or distract ourselves from symptoms, and we can hide our condition from other people. So, for a while, I saw the logic in staying home and protecting myself from the stressful surprises of real life.

We depressed people try to manage our anxiety, stoically and with phenomenal effort, until two things happen: (1) we collapse, and/or (2) we realize we no longer are “living” life, not a healthy, abundant life. Of course, by then, we are in serious need of help.

So again, accepting medical and counseling help is the way through the maze. Severe illness is a trauma, and we need strong support from family and work, as well as doctors.

God heals in Jesus

I wonder if people in Jesus’s day experienced depression. Certainly, they did.

I know Jesus came to heal and save those who lived in pain—physically and emotionally.  Remember, he asked the invalid at the Pool of Bethesda, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6). When Jesus heals, he seeks our willingness.

Our physical, mental and spiritual dimensions get sick together and get well together.

With depression, problems tend to layer atop one another until the exhausted body and brain are affected. Some say a chemical imbalance comes first, but even if that is so, what does it matter? Our darkness still needs light.

Scripture speaks of “eyes seeing God’s salvation” (Luke 2:25-35). Luke relates a precious story of the prophet Simeon holding baby Jesus in his arms at the temple when Jesus was 40 days old.

Simeon knew his prophetic work was fulfilled when Jesus, light to the Gentiles and glory of Israel, was revealed. Simeon then could go to heaven holding on to God’s personal promise to him that he would see Jesus, after which he prophesied of Jesus’s impact on humanity.

Jesus was a light to my eyes even when the physical “real world” looked gray. He was the one spiritual light that never went out. Darkness cannot extinguish Christ. He is beyond physical light, dwelling in the impenetrable light of God.

The light of Christmas

God has boundaries, and he is bound by his radiance, but when we seek him above all else, we can enter his presence through Christ to pray and to praise him.

God is healing light. One might think of laser, radiation or ultraviolet light used in medicine. Light carries power that breaks down cells and kills germs, cuts and cauterizes, reveals disease and health. Light meets the present need.

Depression did not befall me because I lacked Jesus. Jesus, the light of the world, carried me through the illness. He was my safe place, my sanctuary, as foretold by the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 8:14).

Whatever you are going through, there always is more of Jesus than any of us can comprehend and more to the life he can give than you can fathom. He has put the potential for healing within you and comes to you personally with healing in his wings. Yield yourself to him and your personal physicians, and find sanctuary.

You can feel once again the joy of salvation, and the lightness—not weariness—of Christmas.

Ruth Cook is a longtime Texas Baptist. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.