Aug. 1, 2021, column:

PK challenges men to follow Christ full-force

By Mike Haynes

            The main difference in the Promise Keepers event in Arlington last month and those of the 1990s was the empty seats. But that’s misleading.

            The men’s ministry started by then-Colorado football coach Bill McCartney in 1990 grew into regular gatherings of thousands at stadiums and arenas. The peak was the Stand in the Gap event on the national mall in Washington, D.C., in 1997. National media reported that hundreds of thousands of men stretched for a mile on the mall that day, and the PK movement was widespread and visible enough that it drew attention from The New York Times and CNN.

            The ministry also attracted protesters at most of its events. Women’s groups, pro-abortion people

and others showed up with signs and shouting. An airplane flew over a PK event at McCartney’s home football stadium in Boulder, Colorado, with a banner fluttering behind it that said, “We don’t want your promises.”

            I attended both of those assemblies, and I can tell you that the “Seven Promises of a Promise Keeper” (https://believersweb.org/7-promises-of-a-promise-keeper/) and the words of speakers at Washington, Boulder and elsewhere were nothing more than traditional Christianity. The huge events reminded me of Billy Graham crusades of old, with preaching, music and worship – just with a focus on men.

            So did the men’s conference this July 16-17 at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium. The speakers preached faith in Jesus Christ and the need for men to stand up for him in their homes and in society. The musicians celebrated salvation and following Jesus.

            My brother David, nephew John, friend Mark and I were among several thousand men at the

conference, the first major event since PK has begun a comeback after almost two decades of hibernation. The Arlington get-together had been scheduled for the summer of 2020 but because of the pandemic was postponed to 2021 with an online conference taking its place last year.

            In 2020, PK CEO Ken Harrison was predicting a crowd of 80,000 at AT&T Stadium, and I think attendance would have approached that goal if not for the virus. By this summer, 80,000 apparently was unrealistic. CBN News said “nearly 30,000 attended,” but my eyeball estimate put it at between 10,000 and 20,000.

            The reason that’s misleading is that the event was streamed online to many more men than that. Harrison said it was being seen in 23 countries and that about 70,000 men were watching from U.S. prisons. Watch parties were viewing the activities from churches all over the country; one example he mentioned was Southcrest Baptist in Lubbock.

            So a lot more men than those on the Cowboys’ turf and in the AT&T seats heard Jonathan Evans, the ’Boys’ chaplain and son of renowned Dallas pastor Tony Evans, open the event with a challenge for men to lead their families. The younger Evans was just the first of many dynamic speakers who continually inspired some to raise hands of praise and others to clap heartily.

     

       Nick Vujicic, an Australian motivational speaker, author and founder of Life Without Limbs, ended Friday night with a hard-hitting talk that challenged men to follow Christ full-force. Vujicic, born without arms or legs, scooted back and forth on a carpeted table, his message crescendoing into thrilling applause and ending with a traditional altar call. One report said a few hundred men walked forward to talk to counselors about the Christian life.

            Retired Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin, a Delta Force and CIA veteran, stirred the crowd as he recalled the heart-wrenching 1993 “Blackhawk Down” experience in Somalia when U.S. soldiers died and he questioned God before realizing that the Lord was there just as he had been in more successful operations. Boykin epitomized the toughness and compassion that he said Christians should exhibit.

            “Everyone in the kingdom of God has a specific calling on his life,” he said. “It’s time for you to stand up and be the warrior that God called you to be.”

            Tauren Wells, a recording artist and worship leader from Houston, woke up the audience Saturday morning with his energetic brand of music, followed by former Cowboy Chad Hennings interviewing a panel of NFL Hall of Fame members – Michael Irvin (Cowboys), Tim Brown (Raiders) and Charles Haley (Cowboys) – about their faith and leading their families.

            “Make sure you go to the owner’s manual, the Bible, to get your name and find your identity,” Irvin said.

            A.R. Bernard, pastor of the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, New York, recalled coming to Christ after hearing evangelist and former gang leader Nicky Cruz. “Jesus can take a heart of hatred and turn it into a heart of love,” Bernard said.

            Les Parrott, an author, psychologist, co-founder of the eHarmony dating site and creator with his wife, Leslie, of an assessment tool for married couples, urged men to work on their own self-esteem and spirituality. “Your relationships can only be as healthy as you are,” he said.

            And Samuel Rodriguez, a California pastor, brought down the house to end the conference with his impassioned plea for men to submit to Christ. Rodriguez, introduced by Texas evangelist James Robison, said the men present could help stop the modern cultural descent from biblical values and could “change the world.”

            Rodriguez, who didn’t always agree with President Trump, recounted his experience reading scripture at Trump’s inauguration. He said friends in the media discouraged him from mentioning “that name” in the prayer. Instead, he concluded by saying, “Respectfully, in Jesus’ name.” At PK, he shouted that he had not been ashamed to proclaim the Word “in the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!”

            Promise Keepers’ new slogan is “Building on the past to redefine the future.” One adaptation is promoting ministries that help children, such as Compassion International, and that fight modern slavery, such as International Justice Mission. Racial reconciliation, a key focus in the 1990s, wasn’t highlighted at Arlington but was obvious in the racial diversity of the speakers.

            I don’t know whether PK will take off like it did 30 years ago, but I hope the seeds planted in Arlington will continue to grow.