"Let me ask God to grant me some civility when I discuss this topic," Washington says, drawing laughter from the press. "Those ministers, my brothers of color, who continue to insist that the church be divided along racial lines are not reconcilers in Christ. That's all I have to say. They're not reconcilers in Christ."
Then Washington and McCartney unfurl their first official reconciliation act, the Promise Keepers' pledge of $1 million to help rebuild some of the dozens of churches torched across the South during the past two years. Washington chairs the PK task force for church burnings and directs the organization to set up liaisons at the state level, where the needs of each homeless congregation will be addressed through questionnaires and on-site visits. Five Texas churches have each already received a seed grant of $5,000--and a couple of those churches, the PK brass is eager to point out, are Hispanic.
As Promise Keepers gallops valiantly into America's racial minefield, its identity as a force outside the Christian community becomes unique. The organization speaks effusively of whites extending the hand to blacks, browns, reds, and other "peoples of color," but refuses to declare support for affirmative action. It's difficult to know who PK would alienate more should it ever decide to make its minority support concrete with such an endorsement--the majority white PK audience whose median income is $46,000 a year, or other organizations within the Religious Right that have transformed race-based quota systems and the immigrant population into influential wedge issues. Then again, if it refuses to address the issue of affirmative action, can its tenuous relationship with various minority Christian leaders continue to develop?
For right now, Promise Keepers maintains a laserlike focus on healing the rift between men--who have accepted Christ as their personal savior but find themselves feeling frustrated and powerless as leaders--and those oft-cited, ever-absent women. And PK is determined to find ways to hammer down as many boundaries as possible, including language and geography, between heterosexual males. Although the races tend to remain segregated by choice in the stands of Texas Stadium, there is a good deal of gentle roughhousing among ethnic groups during the downtime--white men throwing their arms around the necks of their black, yellow, and red fellow members of Promise Keepers. I am astonished to see, as the gathering breaks for lunch outside the stadium on Saturday, that thousands of men leave unattended in their seats jackets, backpacks, umbrellas, and other personal items. This sense of harmony is bolstered by PK's concerted efforts to make its message available across language barriers. Spanish-speaking Promise Keepers rallies have been conducted in San Antonio and Miami. PK services have been electronically translated for Korean, French, and Navajo ears.
The group hopes to exhibit this kind of diversity when it puts out the call for a million men to march on the Mall in Washington, D.C., next fall. The only reason D.C. was chosen as the site of the group's national march, Randy Phillips insists, is because "it's the only city in America equipped securitywise to handle such a number."
"We're marching to display our poverty, not our power," Phillips announces. "This is not a demonstration to try to influence Congress, the president, or any other governing body. This is a display of our broken hearts. People try to project a political agenda onto Promise Keepers, but it never works. We're talking about issues that are a lot bigger than politics."
Talking a bit more directly to the subject of politics is Raleigh Washington, who clearly relishes attention from the press. After the 30-minute press conference ends, and Claus and McCartney are quickly escorted out by security men in blue PK shirts, Washington lingers at the table to answer the remaining questions of a trio of print reporters who stand around him.
I hang outside these stragglers, loitering near the door where Washington will make his exit. When the writers are satisfied and disperse, the Chicago preacher stops to form a prayer circle with two white PK volunteers who profess admiration for his stirring skills as an orator. The three stand solemnly, heads bowed to the floor, arms laced over shoulders, and raise their collective heart to Jesus.
Washington finally makes his way toward the exit, and I step up to ask my question: How is it that Promise Keepers can continue to talk about the leadership role of Christian men in the family, church, and community, yet not join the forceful ranks of Christian leaders in contemporary American politics?
Washington smiles benevolently and leans in so close I can feel his breath on my face. His watery brown eyes are full of the gentle authority that so awed the fans with whom he has just prayed.
"I think Promise Keepers will become the model organization for every Christian movement in the country," the pastor prophesies. "And to answer your question, there's no way the group can restrict itself when it comes to public policy. We are producing leaders in this organization. They will enter the political sphere.
