To paraphrase the old King James: The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous Anglican apparently availeth much. Consternation, at least.

That’s what’s been going on in the United Kingdom the past few days: Richard Dawkins, a University of Oxford professor and one of the world’s most famous atheists, suffered a stroke. The Church of England issued a prayer via Twitter for Dawkins and his family. All hell broke loose.

The Church’s official Twitter account tweeted, “Prayers for Prof Dawkins and his family.”

Commenters—apparently sympathetic to Dawkins’ atheism—accused the Church of “trolling” Dawkins. Apparently, praying for someone who doesn’t believe in God is just plain mean. And tweeting it to the whole world just adds insult to injury.

Tempest in a tweet-spot

“Sarcastic or ignorant?” tweeter Nikki Sinclaire responded.

“Top trolling there by C of E. Romans 12 v. 20,” another reader, Murdo Fraser, added. Give Fraser props for knowing enough about the Bible to stump many Sunday school regulars. We could debate whether (a) the Church actually intended to “heap burning coals on (Dawkins’) head” and (b) heaping coals is intended to bless or to curse.

The Guardian reported on the “Twitterstorm” here. Religion reporter Peter Ormerod defended the Church here.

Of course, we shouldn’t be surprised when offering prayer for an unbeliever creates a controversy. In our contentious world, Christians and non-Christians alike see slights where none are intended and infer insults where none are implied.

“Nothing controversial” in prayer?

Arun Arora, communications director for the Church’s Archbishop Council, attempted to set the record straight. “The tweet was a prayer,” he wrote on Tumblr. “Nothing controversial in that. …

“Prayer is for everyone. Some of the Twitter reaction assumed that Christians only pray for other Christians. In fact, Christians pray for all kinds of people. They pray for their friends and families. They pray for their community.

“They pray for the government (of whatever persuasion). They pray for terrorists, kidnappers, hostage takers. They pray for criminals as well as giving thanks for saints. Poets write poetry, musicians play music, Christians pray. And they love.”

Amen to Arora. Those are strong, biblical words. Jesus commanded: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:43-44).

Pray for “enemies”

Perhaps if more Christians followed the Church of England’s lead and prayed for our enemies—and those who act like enemies—the gospel would go forth with greater power and strength. Who knows how lives might be changed and eternity recalibrated?

This episode reminds me to wonder if Christians possess enough obedience, to say nothing of faith, to follow Jesus’ command and pray for our enemies. While I cannot speak for you, I’ll confess I rarely think about praying for my enemies, much less get on my knees to seek God’s favor for them.

Judging by what I read and hear, however, I’d guess I’m not far outside the norm. Many Christians sound and act as if their hearts’ desire is to see their enemies vanquished. If those Christians also believe in hell, isn’t that attitude contrary to the gospel?

What if, as Arora claimed, Christians made a concerted effort to pray for terrorists, kidnappers, hostage takers, criminals and even the government? What if we prayed for atheists and Muslims and Hindus and even people from the “other” political party? What might happen if we asked God to secure not only their ultimate salvation, but also their present well-being? What if we asked God to make them strong and healthy and happy?

If we truly believe in prayer and in miracles, we can concur that God has the power to do all of that, in an instant.

And if God wants to take God’s own time, then maybe the answer to our prayers begins in our own changed hearts. In our reformed attitudes. In our new relationships with people we previously called our enemy.

With honor for and apologies to the legacy Martin Luther King Jr., I would like to ask a different question than the statement he made around 50 years ago about churches, Sunday and segregation.

George Bullard

Is Sunday the most segmented day of the week?

Let me suggest a few topics surrounding churches, Sunday and segmentation. Congregations seeking to target specific demographic groups often slice and dice their prospect and attendance databases like a mechanical kitchen chopping machine.

This is not necessarily bad. It often has some positive benefits, both for congregations and for the people in their database. Yet there is a downside to this marketing segmentation.

For example, Christian congregations believe in the traditional, nuclear family unit right until people walk through the door of the church. But then we send them off to their various corners, compartments or classrooms.

Church marketing segmentation

We have worship services for people who like worship that is “traditional” within a certain denominational family. “Contemporary” worship services are held for those who want a more lively performance or participatory worship. If liturgical worship is not necessarily part of the heritage of a congregation, they still may hold a regular or periodic worship service with communion or Eucharist for those from a more mainline Protestant background.Then there is the Sunday afternoon or evening Taizé worship, the James Taylor-Carole King style worship, jazz worship, Celtic worship, the alternative emergent worship and the rock band worship.

We have so many worship services and styles. People often do not understand or appreciate the worship style and content of other worship services in their church or in the church down the street. Some styles are so different from how certain target groups praise and worship our Triune God, they are not sure what others do is truly worship.

For centuries, congregations have segmented the seating patterns in their sanctuaries or worship centers. Rich in front. Poor in back. Older adults in the front. Younger adults in the back. Whites on floor. Slaves in balcony. Men on one side. Women on the other side. Deacons and ushers on the front row. Praying people in the side pews. A couple of rows of youth in the front, or back, or side, or balcony. Nursing mothers and crying children in a room at the back or side where they can see worship through a glass. What others would you name? There are many more.

Segmenting entire congregations

We also segment whole churches. I am not necessarily talking about the typical segmentation often discussed around race, ethnicity and culture. I am thinking of a different type of segmentation—socio-economics.

One Sunday 35 years ago, I attended The Church on Brady in East Lost Angeles, Calif. This is the church that later morphed into Mosaic with Erwin McManus as pastor. At the time I attended, Tom Wolf was pastor. In a very demographically diverse community context, The Church on Brady, with Tom’s initiating leadership, had become a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural congregation of Anglo-Americans, African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans and Asian-Americans, among others.

Based on this, The Church on Brady was called by some outside the congregation an important example of the heterogeneous congregation. Tom often sought to correct this misconception. He indicated that although the congregation had people from various backgrounds, essentially the congregation was composed of people of the same or similar socio-economic capacities. They actually were a homogeneous congregation organized around similar socio-economics.

Subtle elitism

Tom certainly was not saying this was ideal. Nor am I. This candidly is a more subtle elitism pattern of segmenting congregations than we realize. Often economics is a more significant driver of church segmentation than are racial, ethnic and cultural factors.

One form of analysis of classism in North America suggests there are nine socio-economic classes. The sociology of churching tells us congregations significantly composed of more than three socio-economic classes are highly likely to have conflict and even to experience a split. The socio-economic norms are so different, they interfere with the spiritual formation and cultural practices of congregations. Decision-making often is conflictual.

What happens is people of lower socio-economics leave the congregation, or people of higher socio-economics leave the congregation, or they all stay because they enjoy fighting for the church they want their congregation to be. Is anything ideal about this? Is anything desirable about this? Is anything Christ-like about this? No. It simply is the reality of humankind that ultimately must be overcome by a commitment to the unconditional love of God.

Sadly, it is also what makes Sunday the most segmented day of the week.

George Bullard is a strategic leadership coach for Christian leaders and organizations with The Columbia Partnership and general secretary of the North American Baptist Fellowship. This article appeared on his blogsite, “George Bullard’s Journey.”

Hello, Texas Baptists. I had the honor of preaching at Pioneer Drive Baptist Church in Abilene. Thanks to Pastor Stan Alcorn for inviting me. Also, thanks to Danny Howe for inviting me to preach at First Baptist Church in Saginaw. And I enjoyed preaching at the New Sunset Community Church in Killeen.  It’s been a busy month!

David HardageWe had a great group join us for Welcome Pastor Day. Thanks to our Texas Baptist Connections Team for hosting our Dallas-area pastors. The next Welcome Pastor Day will be Feb. 26 in San Antonio. You can register online by clicking here. We will have more Welcome Pastor Days all over the state. Be watching for one close to you, and we hope you will attend.

The Christian Life Commission will host its first Micah 6:8 Conference March 31-April 1 at Trinity Baptist Church in San Antonio. The featured speaker will be HGTV star and pastor’s wife Jen Hatmaker. To learn more about the conference and purchase tickets, visit the event website.

Our Great Commission Team is conducting several clinics to give an overview of the 2016 Vacation Bible School materials. There are five clinics all over the state. Register today for the one closest to you by clicking here.

Also, don’t miss the Regional Renovación Hispanic Evangelism Conferences. These are for Hispanic pastors and leaders to provide inspiration and information and to help implement evangelistic principles and strategies that will transform the DNA of the local church.   

The 2016 Southern Baptist Convention church compensation survey will be conducted online Jan. 1 through May 31 at the GuideStone survey website. Your help is needed. The survey is for senior pastors, other ministerial staff, and office and custodial personnel. Participation is crucial to provide accurate results. I encouraged you to take the survey as soon as possible. 

David Hardage is executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board.

Two years ago during the annual Bivocational/Small Church Association conference, members of the association voted unanimously to support the refugee children who are arriving at our borders. The support includes prayer and financial contributions equaling 10 percent of the undesignated funds the association receives monthly from churches and individuals.

Richard RayThis financial support is channeled to the Valley Baptist Missions/Education Center’s Bibles for Boys program in Harlingen and to the Sacred Heart Relief Center in McAllen. I would like to share with you a report on how those funds are affecting God’s children.

The Valley Baptist Missions/Education Center’s Bibles for Boys program gave away more than 2,200 Bibles and saw a harvest of more than 1,700 young men’s souls given to Christ for salvation, and many others received the seeds of salvation through the word of God. It is a joy to know those who are seeking refuge find the word of God waiting to offer hope and security in the Lord. I am thankful for men like Jamie Campbell, director of operations and missions, for extending the hand of God to those children in need.

The Sacred Heart Relief Center has ministered to thousands of young mothers and their children as they come across the borders seeking refuge. Many receive their first shower, clean clothes and a warm meal at the center. Baby formula is provided, along with a care package that includes clothes, toiletries, diapers and so much more. To see these young mothers and their children receive such love and support will bring a person to tears. In this place, both their physical and spiritual needs are met with the hand of God. I am thankful for people like Vanessa Quintanilla, director of missions projects for the Valley. She is the passion of Christ to those who enter this place.

Matthew 19:13-15 reminds us how we are to treat God’s children: “Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’ When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.”

We must not hinder God’s children from coming to him, whether it is through our prejudice, through our fear or through the unknown. We must not rebuke these children, but be willing to extend our hands to meet their physical needs, offer our prayers to meet their spiritual needs, and present God’s word to them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.

Sadly, we live in a world that would rather rebuke than encourage, that would rather look away than look out. Therefore, I am thankful for the Valley Baptist Missions/Education Center and the Sacred Heart Relief Center for their willingness to encourage these children to come unto Christ. This pleases our Lord.

We are here to serve you as you serve the Lord. Remember, the Lord has called you to serve, but he has not called you to serve alone. Visit our website for more information on how the Bivocational/Small Church Association can minister to and serve you. For more information, contact me at brother_ray@juno.com.

Richard Ray is executive director of the Bivocational/Small Church Association and director of missions for Tri-Rivers Baptist Area.

Growing up in my Southern Baptist church in a small town in New Mexico, I did not hear or know about the Lenten season. My mom’s side of the family grew up in the Catholic Church, so they spoke of Lent. But we were not around them during that time of year, so I never was exposed fully to the purpose and intent.

René MacielIt wasn’t until college at Hardin-Simmons University that I began to hear more about it and was around other students who observed Lent. As I have grown in my faith and have been around other Christian mentors who practiced and followed the Christian calendar, I have learned to appreciate and understand the Lenten season.

Now, I look forward to this time each year and the opportunity it gives me to prepare my heart and life throughout 40 days before Easter. I now cherish this time to reflect on Jesus Christ, to consider his suffering and his sacrifice, his death, burial and resurrection. It is a special time for me and my family, as I also have challenged them to use this time to prepare for the Easter celebration.

The Lenten season allows me to observe a time of fasting and repentance. It calls me into a deeper time of prayer for 40 days, a time to draw closer to God in meditation and conversation. It is a time to call on him and a time to listen to his call.

This year, I will use this time to continue to ask God to bless his work through the Baptist General Convention of Texas. I believe in the work he is doing and ask you to continue to lift up the leadership and opportunities God is giving us to bring others into the kingdom of God.

In Richard Foster’s book Prayer, he talks about the “prayer of examen” and the examen of consciousness. This is where we prayerfully reflect on the thoughts, feelings and actions of our days to see how God has been at work among us. Foster says: “God wants us to be present where we are. He invites us to see and hear what is around us and, through it all, to discern the footprints of the holy.”

My prayer for us as a convention is that we will reflect upon the present work God has given us, to look around us, to consider how God already is working and to discern the holy.

I hope you will join me as I continue to pray for our convention through February, and I hope you also will consider this wonderful time before Easter to reflect and pray on his footprints in our lives.

“So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes” (Daniel 9:3).

René Maciel is president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and president of the Baptist University of the Américas in San Antonio.

We Protestants believe in the priesthood of believers. Since, by virtue of our relationship with God through Jesus, all Christ-followers are priests, then (a) all followers of Jesus have the responsibility and right to interpret Scripture prayerfully and personally, in community and under the guidance of God’s Spirit; (b) each of us has direct access to God; and (c) every believer is a minister. 

I read somewhere pastors like invoking the priesthood of believers when church members are getting lazy, and church members like invoking the priesthood of believers when pastors are getting uppity. But how is this supposed to work? How does the idea we all are priests (1 Peter 2:5, 9; Revelation 5:10) inform our understanding of ministerial oversight?

“Balance of power”

In the New Testament, there is a “balance of power” between the pastor and the congregation. On the one hand, the Bible speaks of the spiritual authority of the pastor (Hebrews 13:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:12). On the other hand, the Bible speaks of the personal responsibility and freedom of the believer (Acts 17:11).

So, there is this dance we do. There is no rule applicable in every circumstance, and as long as we hold in tension these rather paradoxical truths—the pastor has spiritual authority, and the believer has freedom and responsibility—we are being true to the biblical prescription for our relationship.

We turn to the late Bill Self’s Surviving the Stained Glass Jungle for help: “The priesthood of believers was never intended to cause the church to be led from the middle, nor was it meant to unpriest the priest or the one qualified to preach, lead and cast the vision. … This is not a plea for pastoral tyranny, but rather a plea for vocational decisiveness and assertiveness.

Default/domination

“More churches are hurt by pastoral default than have ever been hurt by pastoral domination. … Too many pastors believe that they should lead, if they lead at all, not from the balls of their feet but from the back of their heels. … Of course, there are times when the pastor must compromise; we are not masters of the universe. Nevertheless, the leader’s first task is to sound the trumpet clear and loud. He should not give an uncertain sound.”

So, pastors certainly should blow the trumpet clear and loud! But they should not forget this is not a solo performance; they are part of an orchestra of fellow priests.

Travis Collins is a consultant with the Center for Healthy Churches.

The most important lesson Baylor University must teach its students this year is how to respond like Jesus to shameful and embarrassing situations.

Marv KnoxIn recent years, two Baylor football players have been convicted of sexual crimes. But abuse of women is not uniquely an “athletics problem.” This month, two women publicly have told their stories of sexual abuse at Baylor. One insists she did not receive the help she needed—and was promised—by the university. Federal regulations limit the information Baylor can disclose, so we only get one side of such stories. But the allegations are serious and must be handled thoroughly and compassionately.

How the Baylor administration and campus community respond to sexual abuse and gender safety will set the moral tone of the university for years to come.

Read the Standard’s ongoing coverage:

Baylor regents approve plan to address sexual violence

Recent grad says she was raped at Baylor; claims inadequate response

Baylor “family” stands with survivors of sexual violence

Baylor students plan prayer vigil for victims of sexual violence

Some Baylor supporters wish the issue would go away and prefer no media reports. Others strive to cover the problem with a patina of platitudes. Rationalization comes easy: Baylor is a Christian school; acknowledging any failure on the university’s part will harm not only the school but also “the cause of Christ.” Donor support could erode. Student recruitment could suffer. It might even hurt athletics.

Yielding to either temptation would be wrong for at least three reasons. First, it counters the teachings of Jesus to deal justly, live honestly, and protect the weak and vulnerable. Second, it violates the honor of previous victims and puts potential victims at greater risk. And third, it won’t work. Truth will surface, and if Baylor is found to be less than forthcoming, its reputation will be tarnished and redemption will require career sacrifices.

Sexual abuse study

In light of the sexual assault convictions of Baylor football defensive end Tevin Elliott and the rape conviction of defensive end Sam Ukwauchu, the university hired the Philadelphia law firm Pepper Hamilton to investigate and review the university’s policies and practices regarding sexual assault. That study should encompass the entire school, not merely athletics.

But speaking of athletics, every aspect of every Baylor sports program must be clean and exemplary. That’s a strenuous challenge, particularly in high-profile men’s programs, such as football and basketball, where the will to win can tempt coaches to overlook character flaws that would disqualify a non-athlete from admission. Due process is vital, but all athletes must be aware of consequences—zero tolerance for sexual misbehavior.

And let’s be clear: No level of sports attainment—even a national championship—is worth a single rape.

It is idealistic to suppose almost 17,000 students—most between the ages of 18 and 22—would gather in a campus community and sexual abuse never would occur. But the culture of the community must be one that overwhelmingly honors and respects individuals, and in most cases we’re talking about women. Response to victims must be compassionate, thorough and redemptive. Due process must be fair, but punishment of perpetrators must be swift, consistent and appropriate to the nature of the deed.

Back to the “Baylor Family”

Here’s a campus-culture thought: Baylor should drop its recent “Baylor Nation” hype and get back to thinking about the welfare of the “Baylor Family.” Nations accept collateral damage as a reasonable cost of attaining huge goals. Healthy families care about all their members in all situations.

Once the Pepper Hamilton study is complete and the law firm issues its report, Baylor’s board of regents must quash its inclination toward secrecy. Except for specific information restricted by federal regulations, the entire report and recommendations should be made public and easily accessible.

That report should become the catalyst to propel Baylor’s Title IX program to become the standard by which all other schools are judged. Policy must be perfect. Implementation and execution must be flawless. Baylor’s administration and regents surely want this; they must resist temptations to compromise.

Now is the time

This is a trying moment for Baylor. It also is an opportunity for Baylor to rise to its Christian ideals. They will not be reflected in sermons or open letters. They will be proven in deeds. These include providing transparency to the fullest extent allowed by law, developing the strongest anti-sexual violence culture on any campus, extending both compassion and justice to all abuse victims, and ensuring both due process and justice for all accused perpetrators.

Baylor can be certain, to borrow a phrase from a competitor’s school song: The eyes of Texas—and beyond—are upon you.

Disclosure notice: Editor Marv Knox and Managing Editor Ken Camp, who wrote the news stories related to this issue, are not Baylor University graduates. However, one of Knox’s daughters and two of Camp’s sons graduated from Baylor, as did all three of their spouses. Knox is an alumnus by choice of Baylor’s Truett Seminary. Nine of 16 Baptist Standard Publishing board members have earned degrees from Baylor.

Jeffress not a hypocrite; rewrite editorial

As Baptists, it is normal that we have differences of opinion on various subjects, especially politics. But to call a pastor we disagree with a hypocrite is certainly over the line.

I know Robert Jeffress personally, and he is not a hypocrite. I would suggest you rewrite your editorial and focus only on why you disagree.

Bob Dean
Dallas

A church can’t avoid politics

Thank you for what was an excellent, well-crafted and well-thought-out opinion piece about Dallas First Baptist Church pastor Robert Jeffress’ endorsement of Donald Trump for president.

When I saw and heard the endorsement on TV, I perceived his endorsement to be personal and that he was not speaking for First Baptist Church Dallas as a whole. I can, of course, accept that others perceived it differently.

My opinion is that pastors and congregations need to quit worrying about tax-exempt status and begin shouting the truth about the kind of lunacy that has occupied the White House and Congress over the past several years, a goofiness that is destroying our country. Be assured the Catholic Church won’t lose its tax-exempt status for political statements made by the pope, nor will African-American churches that have Democrat political candidates who speak from their pulpits lose their tax-exempt status. And I doubt that a Muslim mosque will lose tax-exempt status for being political. It seems that only evangelical churches are threatened with loss of tax-exempt status.

As for me, I applaud Dr. Jeffress and his willingness to endorse a candidate for president. I don’t mind telling people I’m for Donald Trump, Ted Cruz or any candidate who tells the truth and then stands by it.

A church can’t avoid politics. Religious and secular politics played a major role in the crucifixion of Jesus.

C.C. Risenhoover
Granbury

Demeaning the office of pastor

Regarding “The ‘downward death spiral’ of hypocrisy“: When I “mount the pulpit” each Sunday morning—to use that quaint old phrase from the past—I am not climbing upon a political stump.

To serve as the pastor of Christ’s church is to answer a high and holy calling. Holy—set apart—reserved for special and sacred use. For a pastor to demean his office by so ignoble an act as the mere promotion of a political candidate is like using the altar in the temple for a tailgate barbeque.

Glen A. Land
Lynchburg, Va.

I am so thankful for men who have accepted the call to serve the Lord in the small-church mission field. These bivocational pastors are so valuable to the overall mission of the Lord to save his children.

Richard RayThe uniqueness of the bivocational pastor goes unnoticed by most, but not by the Lord. 1 Samuel 16 reminds us of this: “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’”

The heart of the bivocational pastor is one who tends to the sheep with boldness, courage and love. The uniqueness of the bivocational pastor is not his love of serving the church but his willingness to be self-sacrificing of his time and talent as he serves his church and his family. The bivocational pastor is someone who is willing to hold down a secular job to provide support for his family, while he also accepts the anointing of God.

However, this unique bivocational calling affects more than one church or one ministry. We all know the bivocational pastor has the opportunity to minister for the Lord in his secular occupation, but the uniqueness goes beyond that. The secular talent of the bivocational pastor is limitless in how it can and does make an impact on the kingdom of God.

I serve as the executive director of the Bivocational/Small Church Association. Therefore, I assist churches in their various needs. When a need arises, whether it is construction, legal, administration, financial, medical, counseling or other needs, I can call upon the many bivocational pastors who serve the Lord with their unique secular talent to assist these churches. The bivocational pastor is a unique calling and anointing from God that does not go unnoticed by me and, more importantly, by the Lord.

If you are a bivocational pastor, you have accepted a unique anointing of God. Your talent to serve both in the church and beyond is unique. If you would like to share your unique talent with other churches to assist them in serving the Lord, then I encourage you to email me. I want to thank you for accepting the anointing of God and sharing your secular talent to further the kingdom of God.

We are here to serve you as you serve the Lord. Remember, the Lord has called you to serve, but he has not called you to serve alone. Visit our websiteour website for more information on how the Bivocational/Small Church Association can minister to and serve you. For more information, contact me at brother_ray@juno.com.

Richard Ray is executive director of the Bivocational/Small Church Association and
director of missions for Tri-Rivers Baptist Area.

I recently had the opportunity to preach at Minnehulla Baptist Church in Goliad. A good friend of mine, Pastor Ira Antoine, invited me to come and be with his church, and the blessing was mine. I have been honored to preach at many African-American churches in our convention, and every time, it is a wonderful worship experience for me.

René MacielIn 2003, I had the privilege to serve at Baylor University’s Truett Seminary under Dean Paul Powell. Paul asked me to meet with some pastors to plan a preaching conference for African-American pastors. I had a chance to sit down with Pastor Michael Evans and Pastor Joseph Parker and a few others to form the first Black Preaching Conference, “The Art of Black Preaching.”

For the next several years, Truett hosted this conference; and every year I had a chance to sit and listen to some incredible preachers like Gardner Taylor, Bill Lawson, S.J. Gilbert, Charles Booth, J. Alfred Smith and many others. What a great experience to listen and learn from these outstanding preachers, to be inspired by their words and their attention to the art of preaching. The scholarship and the flow of the message were captivating and challenging. More than anything else, it was their passion to preach that inspired me.

I always will be grateful for the lessons I learned from these preachers.

When I came to Baptist University of the Américas in 2007, I invited this conference to BUA, and we have hosted it since that time. It has been a wonderful cultural connection for our institution, but more than that, our university also has experienced the passion and art of the black preacher. I have been blessed by this conference and these pastors.

I also have been attending the African-American Fellowship for many summers. I set up a booth, but I also fellowship with these pastors and experience their passion to preach. Over all these years, I am convinced God has used these brothers and their preaching to help me see the passion and attention needed to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

As you pray through the month of February, please keep the African-American churches in our convention and their pastors in your prayers. God is doing a great work through these churches, and he is using great men to share the passion of the cross. I always will be indebted to these churches and these pastors for inviting me to their table.

I am grateful how God has taught me as I have attended these meetings and churches. It is a different culture for me and a different style of worship, but we are the body of Christ, and God has used African-American preachers to teach me about the passion to preach.

René Maciel is president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and president of Baptist University of the Américas in San Antonio.

Our criminal justice system is broken in regard to grand juries.

Kathryn FreemanMany people are familiar with the roles of law enforcement, judges and lawyers in the criminal justice system. Most people are decidedly less familiar with the important, but often hidden, role of the grand jury.

A grand jury is composed of 12 citizens of the county where the grand jury sits, able to read and write, not under indictment, etc. The most common role of the grand jury is to listen to the facts of a case and determine if probable cause exists for charges alleged against a defendant.

While both grand juries and trial juries are made up of people who must travel to the courthouse to consider the evidence, a grand jury only hears one side of the story—the prosecutor’s.

“A good prosecutor can get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich.“

A grand jury only hears the evidence presented by the prosecutor. Indeed, the entire process is dominated by the prosecutor. The prosecutor determines who testifies and how the evidence is presented.

The rules that apply at trial do not apply to grand juries. For example, prosecutors can present evidence to a grand jury they could not present in a trial—hearsay testimony or unreliable evidence. Additionally, the target of an investigation is not entitled to testify before the grand jury, the defendant’s attorney is not allowed to be present in the grand jury room, and the prosecutor is not required to present evidence that may exonerate the target of the investigation.

The historical purpose of the grand jury was to act as a shield between the government and the defendant. Between the desire to be seen as “tough on crime” and the political pressures of the elected office, the system has broken down.

We recently learned a Harris County grand jury indicted two employees of the Center for Medical Progress on two felony counts related to their efforts to determine if Planned Parenthood was selling infant body parts. To be clear, grand juries, if they indict, are following the lead of the district attorney.

According to Planned Parenthood’s attorney, Planned Parenthood employees only gave interviews to prosecutors and did not give testimony to the Harris County grand jury. Additionally, the Planned Parenthood attorney stated the grand jury never considered an indictment against Planned Parenthood or its employees.

We do not know what evidence the grand jury considered before handing its indict against David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt of the Center for Medical Progress, because the second characteristic of grand juries is secrecy.

Harris County prosecutors are not required to provide details of the case, including the evidence or documents presented to the grand jury. The Texas Code of Criminal Procedure explicitly states unauthorized disclosure of grand jury proceedings can be punished by a fine for contempt of court, imprisonment or both fine and imprisonment.

There are good prosecutors and bad prosecutors. The problem with grand juries is a perfectly ethical prosecutor operating within the law can get an indictment based on unreliable third-hand evidence, and because of the secrecy surrounding the proceedings, there is no way of safeguarding the system on the front end.

Where Black Lives Matter and the pro-life movement should come together

Many pro-life advocates are calling out the “runaway grand jury” in this case, but they have been silent about grand jury abuses when juries have declined to indict law-enforcement officials for killing unarmed black people. Racial justice and criminal justice reform advocates have for years called for reforms of the grand jury process because it is easily manipulated to ensure a desired outcome.

In the Tamir Rice case, the prosecutor leaked grand jury testimony for months to signal the police officers who killed an unarmed 12-year-old boy would not be charged. In many ways, the system revictimized the Rice family, since they felt they had no one advocating for their lost loved one. The prosecutor in the Rice case never recommended the grand jury bring criminal charges against the officers, just as it seems the Harris County prosecutor never considered charges against Planned Parenthood.

While Planned Parenthood and Black Lives Matter have presented different problems with the grand jury system, the brokenness of the system ultimately causes the same damaging result.

Pastor Thabiti Anyabwile of Anacostia River Church perfectly lays out the problem with broken systems. Pro-life and racial justice advocates tend to be on opposite sides of the political spectrum, but the grand jury process should bring these two groups together to call for the following reforms:

• An independent prosecutor in cases where the defendant is tightly involved with the prosecutor’s office or there is a perceived conflict of interest.

• An obligation to present evidence that may exonerate the target or subject of the offense.

• The right of the accused to testify in grand jury proceedings.

Adherence to God’s demand for justice is a mark of discipleship (Micah 6:8; Isaiah 58:6-7). This includes rejecting both individual acts of injustice, such as favoritism or racist language, and systemic acts of injustice, such as bias in criminal justice, educational inequality or the financial exploitation of the poor.

The enemy’s approach is not isolated to individuals. In Armor of God, Priscilla Shirer points out the enemy carefully crafts and proliferates philosophies, doctrines and worldviews across whole nations to derail nations and people from God (2 Corinthians 4:4).

In Generous Justice, Tim Keller insists doing justice is more than righting wrongs, but also expressing generosity and social concern, especially toward the poor and vulnerable. This includes activism that ends particular forms of injustice, violence and oppression.

Christians who care about criminal justice reform, racial justice and pro-life values can “do justice” in this arena together. As the great Baptist preacher Martin Luther King Jr. stated, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.“

Kathryn Freeman is director of public policy for the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission.

In a vision, God showed the Apostle Peter there is no “distinction between them and us,” marking the real beginning of the church. In this election season, Christians need to remember this does not abolish differences of culture and context, gender and race. Rather, it means we can’t let those things keep “us” or “them” from grace.

Read it at Baptist News Global.