The American Church as a Consumer of Goods

“Be self controlled and alert.   Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”  I Peter 5:8-9

The circular file in my office is, perhaps, the object in the room which gets the most use.  Actually, my trash can is rectangular rather than circular, but every day the mailman brings a pile of envelopes, booklets, magazines and brochures, most of which go to the recycle bin in a matter of minutes after their arrival.  Through this medium, along with the fax machine, email, and the telephone, come endless sales pitches and advertisements.  Just today, I’ve thrown away two dozen postcards, brochures and booklets advertising all kinds of things, including a coffee service, a phone system for lease, appeals for donations to the underprivileged overseas, three different Bible study packages, a Bible study curriculum, advertising novelties (key chains, pens, carabiners with the church name and address imprinted), two Bible colleges, sound equipment and pew Bibles.  All of these things are “guaranteed to enhance your ministry and outreach.”

Yeah, right.  Do we really need all this “stuff”?

We’ve become convinced that we can’t do business without a host of consumer goods designed exclusively for church use, including the latest books by the hottest, most popular authors, complete with video and Bible study kit.  Sales calls and advertisements come to my desk several times a day with information on the latest, hottest new video series so you can “get the jump” on the other churches in your area which haven’t been fortunate enough to purchase and promote them.  And if you haven’t noticed, much of what is produced exclusively for churches is more expensive in terms of retail price than goods produced and sold on the open market. 

American Christian churches grew to a peak membership and participation in the late 1950’s.  Millions of people were involved, and so were billions of dollars that came in through collection plates.  It did not take long, in the consumer society in which we live, for business to realize that a potential market for goods and services existed inside groups of people with common interests and values, and with treasuries stuffed with cash.  Marketing developed which was designed to convince churches that they needed the goods and services that were being produced for their use, from choir robes and quarterlies to Lord’s Supper cups and pictorial church directories.  We can attend seminars where popular speakers make a planned, programmed presentation for a fee, accompanied by CD’s, books, and t-shirts.  Popular preachers put their name on study Bibles containing their own notes and comments, to direct your thinking. 

Do we really need all of this stuff to be the church God has called us to be?  Or is it more because we feel a sense of competition with other churches and ministries that we feel we need to have everything we think is necessary?  And another probing question, is it actually a hindrance to our work, and is it causing us to weaken and decline? 

Budget time has come around again, and for the second year, we are looking for ways to become better stewards of our financial resources.  We have been fortunate in that, through a pastorless period and an economic downturn, we have not seen a major reduction in our income.  We have also been fortunate that, in some areas, our costs have been reduced, so we have not needed the required budget amount to come out ahead when it comes to cash flow versus expenses.  But we still want to be good stewards, and beyond that, we want to make sure that our values are developed around spiritual principles, and not as a result of material prosperity.

I used to think that my parents, raised in the austerity of rural West Virginia during the depression, were far to restrictive when it came to the material possessions they allowed me to have, and the money they allowed me to spend.  Though they would have sacrificed everything they owned to make sure that my sister and I had our basic needs met, they lived by the principle that material possessions worth having were worth working for, and made us earn, in some way, most of the things we owned.  They also, through that process, taught us to appreciate and value those things, and to take care of them so that they would last, and could be enjoyed for a long time.  We learned to be satisfied with very little, and developed a lifestyle in which very little is required for us to experience a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction.  At the time, I thought it was ridiculous and restrictive, but I have learned, over time, to appreciate the way they handled money and things, and I have also discovered that other values developed as a result of having been through that experience. 

When I was growing up in a small, Southern Baptist church in Arizona that didn’t have much in the way of material possessions, or membership, one of our older members was a grand lady from Mississippi named Hattie Miller.  Our church auditorium was a small room that would hold about 100 folding chairs with a tile floor, cinder block walls, and not much in the way of decoration.  We were fortunate to have a piano, no organ, and an evaporative cooler rather than an air conditioning unit.  Mrs. Miller’s daughter attended another, larger, more prosperous church in Tucson when she went.  One of our pastors once asked her why she did not accompany her mother to church.  She replied, “Because my mother could worship in a pig stye.” 

I hope I could.

Bylaw, Constitutional Amendment Recommendations Cancelled

Ken Coffee made a point in a comment on the previous post regarding our church’s switch of affiliation from BGCT to SBTC related to the bylaw and constitutional amendment changes I was proposing to move at the convention in Houston in a couple of weeks.  Though our church will be considered a cooperating BGCT church through December 31, and would be eligible for messengers to the convention, it will not elect or send messengers to the 2009 BGCT annual meeting.  As a result, I would not consider it proper to make motions affecting the future of the BGCT.

There is no “group” involved in this, at least, not to my knowledge.  I’ve had many supportive emails, notes and comments, and volunteers to bring a second to the motions, and I appreciate that.  Those individuals have already been notified that I will not be bringing the motions.  If someone else wants to carry that banner, and feels that some kind of limitations are necessary to broaden the leadership tent, and expand the input from the BGCT’s churches, they are welcome to copy the amendments I proposed, which are published elsewhere on this blog, or come up with their own proposals. 

Thanks to everyone who was an encouragement to me in this effort.  The message was read and heard in Dallas, and that’s not bad when you are working with email, text messaging, a blog and some phone calls.  I did make a little bit of an investment in postage, too, but from the response I received, it is encouraging to know that one person can make a difference, and that not everything we do in Baptist life has to be politically driven.

A Seamless Transition: Affiliating with the SBTC

With relatively little fanfare, and no discussion, our church seamlessly switched affiliation last night from the Baptist General Convention of Texas to the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.  The discussion took place at a town hall meeting held the previous Sunday, following about two months of study and the work of a team that was put in place last August.  Many questions were asked, and answered, and concerns were addressed.  The team was prepared with several different approaches, had there been anyone who had a reasonable objection to a complete switch.  There was none, and as a result of the vote, the church will pursue unique affiliation with the SBTC.

There has been a lot of talk among Baptists in Texas about “tactics” used by the SBTC to get churches to switch their affiliation, and about “lies” told about the BGCT.  I can say with certainty that was not the case here.  We’ve been visited in the past year by individuals representing both conventions, and when it came down to the actual presentations made to the church, the team that had been given that assignment was responsible for gathering the information and presenting it to the church.  We were aware of several other churches in our association which had made similar decisions in recent months, and our decision basically followed the same pattern. 

Ultimately, there were two issues which led to the decision.  One involved acceptance of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, though that was not the main reason.  The second involved the direction of the BGCT as it relates to the Southern Baptist Convention.  This church has never approved of the reduction in the share of Cooperative Program money going from the BGCT to the SBC, and has been particularly concerned with both the IMB’s portion, and what goes to theological education.  It has also not been able to come to a point where it shared in the BGCT leadership’s vision of operating its own entities related to mission-sending, theological education and literature publication.  Over the years, a number of our church families have had students at BGCT-related educational entities, and some of them have reported things taught in classrooms that were not consistent either with their own personal convictions, developed as they were raised in the church, or with those of the church. 

The politics of the past few decades has also had an effect on the church’s perception of its convention relationships.  Many Houston area churches already feel a sense of separation, and sometimes of deliberate exclusion, from convention-related events, or even informal gatherings, perceiving that the leadership is very oriented toward, and sensitive to the needs of a Dallas-Metroplex oriented constituency.  The bulk of Houston-area appointees to committees and boards are from CBF-affiliated churches, and there is a strong perception here that the BGCT has picked out a small group of “prominent” congregations from which all of the region’s leaders are selected.  Likewise, there is the perception that the group which has controlled BGCT leadership has sometimes chosen leaders who, rather than being willing to work with all constituencies in the state convention, have been deliberately antagonistic toward those who prefer to keep close ties with the SBC.  A good percentage of our church leadership was very well aware of Valleygate, which certainly did not help improve the image of the previous BGCT administration.

I’m sure there are some other factors involved.  In recent years, as the church has transitioned to attempt to minister in a highly diverse inner city neighborhood that has seen major turnover in home ownership, massive re-development, and soaring property values because of its historic appeal and proximity to downtown, many of those in the church who are under 50 and who have joined here in the last decade have come either from one of the more conservative megachurches, or via the baptistry, and are still in the early stages of discipleship.  We have a group of members who left a mainline Protestant church over “liberal” theology and practices, and several families who came from a nearby moderate Baptist church when it affiliated with CBF.  So there is some political influence. 

For me, personally, it is not something I would have anticipated supporting as recently as five years ago.  However, though it may seem like it has been a long journey from where I was to where I am now, to me it feels somewhat like a return home after having been on a long, long trip. 

I wish the BGCT well.  Denominational organizations, including both Texas Baptist conventions, the SBC, and virtually all others, are facing some challenges related to a paradigm shift we call “post-denominationalism.”  Churches are facing it, too.  I suspect the future will look far different than what we see now, or than what we might even be able to imagine. 

 

The Beginning of a New Season

Last week I was in Chicago for a couple of conferences, and was able to enjoy the brilliance and beauty of the early Autumn.  The Chicago area was just a little bit south of the area where the fall colors are now at their peak, but visits to friends who live nearby, in South Bend, Indiana and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, allowed me to cross the line into areas where the colors were at their peak.  Driving to South Bend on Wednesday, I detoured a bit north, on I-94 via Benton Harbor and Kalamazoo, Michigan, just to enjoy the drive.  Wisconsin, north of Milwaukee, was just as beautiful.  There was a definite chill in the air, too, more than a mere reminder that it was late October in the North, the kind of scenery and weather change that tells you you’re ready for the change.  We don’t get that in Texas.

There is another change that will be coming, a “new season” for myself and for the members of our church.  We’ve been made aware, through a lengthy pastor search process, of the need to settle some issues that were not even on the table the last time we called a pastor, more than 17 years ago.  On Wednesday night, the congregation will vote on affirmation of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, not as a comprehensive doctrinal statement for the church, but as a basis for our cooperation with other churches in missions and ministry through our Baptist convention relationships.  We will also vote on a recommendation to affiliate with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.

Though I can’t predict the outcome, and there is still a possibility that the church will remain affiliated with the BGCT, the recommendation to uniquely align with the SBTC will very likely pass without opposition.  The team which is making this recommendation is prepared to amend their motion to include a dual affiliation if there is a segment of the congregation that desires it, but we have conducted a “town hall” meeting in which the rationale and the proposal was presented and discussed before a majority of the active members, and there was no opposition expressed there.  I am certain the affirmation of the BFM 2000 will pass as well. 

If the church decides on a unique affiliation with the SBTC, then obviously I will not make a motion at the 2009 BGCT meeting to amend its constitution and bylaws.  If we should choose a dual affiliation, I will be there, and I will move the changes.  Dual affiliation is not looked upon with favor by the BGCT anyway, though BGCT leaders have repeatedly stated that other affiliations of their churches are not their concern.  I would have to say, at this point, that these motions will very likely not be made at the convention, at least, not by me.

Though we are changing affiliations, we are still in familiar territory.  Several of our neighboring churches are in the process of making similar decisions, several have already done so.  Our church has always been strongly supportive of the Southern Baptist Convention, and will remain so, as well as the Union Baptist Association.  We have had a close relationship with Houston Baptist University, and that will continue as well. 

Convention affiliation has little to do with the ministry at hand in the community where our church exists.  We still need to sharpen our focus, change our attitude and the way we do some things, and be a church that makes disciples and builds community for them in the church.

Baptist Standard: TBC Must “Reinvent” Itself

According to Marv Knox, editor of the Baptist Standard, TBC’s chapter as a denominational political entity is closed, and the organization must now “reinvent” itself as an educational agency. 

“Texas Baptists Committed must reinvent itself, as some observers hoped it would do a couple of years ago. The BGCT does not need TBC to endorse its officers or rally folks to attend meetings. But our convention and all freedom-loving Baptists need TBC to help them become all they can be. TBC—or something much like it—must become a first-rate educational organization. Baptists need to know our heritage. We need creative methods for instilling our principles in the lives of our people. And even though the heat of battle has chilled, we need wise and winsome warnings about the clear—if not imminently present—danger of fundamentalism. We also need advocacy for our mission and ministry, for our institutions, and for all the “least of these” who will not receive the gospel and experience wholeness if we do not reach them.”

I can’t disagree with the need for advocacy of our mission and ministry, for our institutions, for educating Baptists in their history and heritage, or for creative methods for instilling principles in the lives of our people.  All of that sounds great, though somewhat vague and undefined, and similar to the political cliches of the past couple of decades in Baptist life.  But a Baptist convention, unlike most other denominational structures, only facilitates cooperation between independent, autonomous, though “like minded” churches.  That’s something that both sides have forgotten in the great Baptist controversy. 

“Criticism aside, we owe a debt of gratitude to Texas Baptists Committed. Thanks to TBC, our state convention has not endured the upheaval and redirection that afflicted the national convention and many other states. Our state convention stands as a bastion for historic Baptist principles, such as soul competency, the priesthood of all believers, local church autonomy, the primacy of Jesus, and the separation of church and state. We have had Hispanic, African-American and female presidents. Thank God and TBC, our strong and vital institutions have neither fallen to fundamentalism nor forsaken our convention.”

In light of what Texas Baptists look like today, the veracity of this statement is certainly up for debate.  Certainly, when TBC began its work, it did not envision a fragmented, splintered, much-reduced BGCT with an executive staff that spends much of its time pondering how it will pay the bills out of a steadily shrinking stream of Cooperative Program contributions from a slowly declining number of cooperating churches.  And while those who are supportive of its efforts throw admiring glances its way, lauding its preservation of “historic Baptist principles” and the ethnic diversity of some of its officers, there are real, and unanswered questions about its commitment to historic, traditional Baptist beliefs and theology.  On the other side of the line in the sand that TBC drew are Baptists whose doctrine and theology is firmly rooted in a belief that the Bible is a “perfect treasure of divine inspiration.”  There are some teachings and practices in institutions and agencies of the BGCT that, in spite of protests to the contrary, have created real doubts in the minds of a significant number of Texas Baptists regarding the BGCT’s commitment to that. 

“It also endorsed slates of BGCT presidents and vice presidents, who won victories every year. Their elections controlled the process for nominating board members of about 27 agencies and institutions affiliated with the state convention, plus the BGCT Executive Board. These steps rebuffed efforts to steer the BGCT in the direction of the national convention, an endeavor that succeeded in most other state conventions.”

Controlled.  There is the key word in that portion of the paragraph cited above from the Standard.  The end result is a BGCT which is now perceived as elitist and exclusive.  The fact of the matter is that most Baptist organizations drift into the prominence and prestige game, and have some sort of tendency to become cliquish and exclusive, but the BGCT, through TBC, has made a system of Baptist royal privilege an art form.  Those on the inside laud that as an accomplishment.  Those who have been excluded, either through theological disagreement, or because they are not involved in prominent churches with pro-active TBC leadership, are leaving in droves and taking their CP dollars with them.

There are some critics of TBC who have said all along that they fear an eventual “merger” of some sort between TBC and the BGCT.  This particular editorial, calling for the “reinvention” of TBC, linking it to the Baptist General Convention of Texas as an “educational” organization promoting the convention’s missions and ministry, and its institutions and agency, appears to be laying the groundwork for such a move to occur.

A Preventable Mistake

http://kerussocharis.blogspot.com/2009/10/southern-baptists-who-break-law-even.html

As many of you know, I am advocating for changes to the constitution and bylaws of the Baptist General Convention of Texas which would speed up the process of choosing and involving different people in the leadership circles of the convention, on committees and the executive board.  The proposed amendments, if passed, would place term limits on all committee and board seats, would limit the lifetime service of individuals to two customary terms in order to prevent people from rotating from board to board, committee to committee, and would limit the dominance of certain churches by restricting the number of members who can serve on any convention committee or board at a time to one. 

Those who argue against these proposals tend to be those who have the power and influence to benefit the most from the current system.  The fact of the matter is that, any way you look at it, such proposals would increase the number of individuals involved in convention leadership exponentially, preventing the stagnation that occurs inside circles where influence peddling, personal prominence and a system built on the perception of prestige has kept the convention organization from doing its best work.  The blog article cited above, regarding the Baptist Foundation of Arizona scandal which occurred in the late 1990’s, points to excellent reasons why such a move is necessary for the health of Baptist convention organizations.  The Arizona Southern Baptist Convention, in my home state, and with which my home church is affiliated, has suffered immeasureably as a result of a system of insider leadership and influence peddling which cost them millions of dollars and untold public relations damage.

Bill Crotts, who was the director of the BFA at the time the scandal took place, is the son of its former director, and was employed by the foundation when his father was its head.  A simple policy preventing nepotism in convention entities would have prevented this entire scandal from happening.  Careful vetting of the trustee board, to make certain that fellow church members and friends of the Crotts family were not placed in leadership positions responsible for oversight of the BFA would have also prevented this tragedy.  As it turned out, Crotts, the BFA attorney Tom Grabinsky, and a small circle of their close friends were able to perpetrate a ponzi scheme upon unsuspecting and trusting Arizona Southern Baptists, using their connections and influence to hide what was happening. 

The result were tragic.  In a state with a booming population, money for new church starts and outreach ministry dried up.  Churches in strategic locations which were baptizing new believers left and right found their building funds and financial assets evaporating.  The convention’s greatest asset in terms of leadership training and ministry influence, Grand Canyon University, found its endowment in danger of being tapped along with other convention assets, and was eventually sold in order to help pay off BFA’s debts.  The convention’s office building, prime office space in Phoenix’s central corridor, had to be sold, and the convention offices moved into rented space.  Convention support and ministry staff was downsized dramatically.  Southern Baptist work in Arizona was booming, moving forward at an exciting pace, and well organized to reach the population of one of the nation’s fastest growing states.  Most of my friends who are still there are unable to estimate how badly that work has been set back as a result of something that would have been easily preventable if Baptist cliquishness and influence peddling had been kept in check by simple convention policies. 

The Baptist General Convention of Texas is in trouble.  It has experienced the effects of the winds of post-denominationalism that are blowing against everything Baptists do, as well as the backlash that comes from scandal.  It has also come through a political struggle with an organization claiming victory in terms of retaining control, but with the end result of having lost 2,000 of its churches and a significant portion of the income they once contributed.  Its proposed budget reflects a 20% cut in expenses over the past two years, and a loss of income greater than that.  The time has come to dig deep within its resources, and bring to the surface the labor and ideas of a broad segment of bright, capable leadership, much of which has been excluded by the pettiness that has governed Baptist life over the past three decades.

New Tax Proposals in Texas on November 3rd Ballot: Just Say “NO!”

November 3rd is election day.  It is an off year for Congress and state offices, which means that the turnout will be low.  But you need to pay attention to what is going on.  The state wants to tax your property. 

http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/2009novballotexp.shtml

It looks like there are a couple of proposals among the constitutional amendment propositions to allow the state to tax residential property.  It’s good to become familiar with all of the propositions, and make sure you get to the polls to vote on all of them.  On the proposals to create a state based property tax, I will be voting a resounding NO! 

There’s a lot of talk around Austin about budget cuts, but not much action in that regard, though that would be the way to go.  Slipping this into a list of propositions during an off year election is kind of like having your cake and eating it too.  If it passes, in a low turnout, the current administration can avoid being criticized for raising taxes, saying that the voters did it themselves. 

In Texas, a state with no personal income tax, revenue comes from sales tax, fees collected for services, and corporate taxes.  The previous administration, in order to lower the corporate tax rate, cut the budget.  The result was that other taxing entities, such as counties and school districts, had to raise property taxes to make up the difference while the politicians could lay claim to cutting taxes, though private citizens did not receive any relief or benefit from the tax cut.  Local appraisal districts also inflated property values and then vetoed appeals wholesale.  Now the state wants to add an ad valorem tax to private property to raise revenue.  I have a suggestion related to that proposal.

Just say “NO!”

“Let’s Make a Deal” Blast From the Past on my 52nd Birthday

Our church has a “PTO” (personal time off) policy, and as a result of the twenty-some-odd days I missed last year, and the fact that I’m the associate pastor and we are still pastorless, it has been hard to schedule time away from work.  So I have quite a few days left and it is October already.  Today, October 6th, is my 52nd birthday, so I scheduled a personal time off day and stayed home.  In all of my working, adult life, I think this is the first time I’ve actually taken my birthday off, or had it as a holiday when it didn’t fall on a Saturday or Sunday.  It’s been fun.

Surfing through the channels after lunch, I discover that there’s a brand new Let’s Make a Deal show on television.  Different host, nicer set, but this version is pretty much the same show, right down to the sour deals that are part of making the wrong choice.  I remember watching it during the summer when I was a kid, in black and white, when $50 seemed like such a large prize, and someone winning a washer and dryer generated huge excitement.  The dollar amounts are a lot larger now, and the program has some interesting twists, including offering choices between an amount of money in Thai currency and the mystery behind the curtain.  But it sure did bring back memories.

In the long run, 52 is just a number based on a calendar that is measured by the earth’s rotation around the sun.  Time has passed.  Sometimes, when something jogs my memory, it seems like it’s gone by fast.  With other things, it seems like eternity has passed since it happened.  I can’t complain. Life has been a blast, for the most part, and I have really learned how to enjoy every minute of it.  I’ve been blessed to have been given 52 years of it.

It was fun to be reminded of the past, especially today.  But it is also exciting to look ahead to the future.  I don’t know what it holds, and that’s exciting.  If it has been anything like the past, it is something to look forward to.  I saw a list of core values from a church a couple of weeks ago, one of which said  “It’s never too late to be who you might have been.”  With God’s help, I’m looking forward to that. 

If I’d only known then what I know now, I don’t know that I’d have changed a thing.  And it sure makes me look forward to what I will know at some point down the road, however long it might be. 

Life’s a blessing.

Major Changes at TBC: Currie Resigns, Offices in San Angelo Close

http://www.baptiststandard.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10133&Itemid=53

One statement from the article in the Baptist Standard stood out:

“In recent years, as the organization has experienced financial hardship and endured questions as to its continued reason for being, the group has tried to shift from its previous role of political organizing to a new identity as promoter of BGCT ministries and institutions, as well as a voice for historic Baptist principles.”

It is extremely difficult for organizations like TBC to make this kind of transition.  There are several immediate question that is raised by this statement.  Isn’t the BGCT capable of promoting its own ministries and institutions?  Is “promoting BGCT ministries and institutions” code for “controlling BGCT ministries and institutions”?  From a practical standpoint, it seems that most of what TBC wants to do in restructuring itself is already being done, and that money contributed to keep it going might well be spent elsewhere, especially in the cash-strapped BGCT.  Aside from its inner circle of core supporters, it will be a hard sell to convince people that the continued existence of Texas Baptists Committed is anything more than organization to control the inner workings of the BGCT.  The move from San Angelo to the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex will only add weight to that speculation.

Originally, Texas Baptists Committed was organized to fight a “fundamentalist takeover” of the BGCT.  Though I am not sure the BGCT was ever in danger of being taken over by “fundamentalists,” that was the term they chose to use in preventing the Conservative Resurgence leadership in the SBC from gaining control of agencies and institutions of the BGCT.  Though that has been the outcome of their efforts, I would not necessarily say that their “success” matches up exactly with their original intentions.  The idea was to keep moderate control of the BGCT in place long enough to protect the institutions and agencies, particularly Baylor University, from takeover attempts of their trustee boards.  I don’t think they envisioned the formation of another state convention, nor did they think it would cost them 2,000 churches, with more than a third of their total membership and more than a third of their Cooperative Program budget giving.  They were successful in keeping the BGCT out of Conservative Resurgence hands, but I don’t think that a fragmented, much-reduced BGCT was what they had in mind. 

The danger of a “fundamentalist” takeover is long since over.  Conservative supporters of the SBC in Texas now have an alternative convention, and churches which are not pleased with the more moderate direction of the BGCT can simply join it, rather than go through the cumbersome and frustrating process of trying to elect officers, appoint trustees and work the system.  The fact that the institutions and agencies are still with the BGCT is not necessarily a victory that can be celebrated.  I would guess, that if current trends continue, and the cost of operating a Baptist university continues to climb that several of the schools that are uniquely affiliated with the BGCT will find a way to dually affiliate.  The groundwork is already being laid for that to happen at several of them.  It will be hard to resist a support stream from a state convention that has healthy CP contributions flowing in. 

The BGCT needs more than just an organization to help promote its ministries and institutions.  Promotion, and clinging to something nebulus like “historic Baptist principles” will not help churches meet the ministry and evangelism challenges of the time and culture.  The window for effecting the kind of change necessary to do this is closing fast, and may, in fact, already be closed on church organizations and structures designed to meet the needs of people in two generations back.  Nor will it help for Texas Baptists to remain divided, and continue to point fingers of blame at who was responsible for the split.

Free Clinic in Houston by Dr. Oz Draws 1,800

http://www.click2houston.com/news/21128766/detail.html

This is a link to a news story about a free clinic in Houston this week, sponsored by television’s Dr. Oz.  The written story does not do justice to the event, you need to watch the clip.  In October, the Houston segment will be featured on Dr. Oz’s program.

The people who showed up for this free clinic are a clear illustration of why health care reform, and health care provision in this country, should not be a political issue.  It is also an illustration of why there is need for reform.  Sure, it’s television, and sure, there’s probably an agenda behind it, though the facts are real enough.  In prosperous Texas, or at least that’s what our own politicians and media want us to think, a third of the population is unable to afford health insurance and as a result, for the most part is unable to access the health care system.

The fact that physicians, nurses and other medical professionals not only volunteered their time for this particular event, but made connections with needy people for continued treatment of their health issues down the line is a clear indication that, at least from the perspective of medical professionals, profit is not the motive for service.  It’s comforting to know that many people who have dedicated their lives to the medical profession feel the need to give generously and are willing to do so.

For those of us who are not gifted with the skills and abilities to be medical professionals, if we have a Christian conscience, if we believe that spiritual transformation is outwardly demonstrated by a changed life, then we should be motivated to find some other way to minister, to assist those who have the skills and knowledge, and make it possible for them to serve more of those who are in need.  If we believe in the sanctity of human life, then shouldn’t we believe that health care is also a basic human right?

Obviously, for most of us, that is going to mean being involved in some way other than trying to change the current system, whether that is done through the political process, or some other way.  But then, as followers of Christ, we should always be looking for ways that our spiritual gifts can be used in ministry to meet the needs of others.