The main difference between the Promise Keepers events in Arlington last month and those in the 1990s was the empty seats. But that’s misleading.
The men’s service, founded in 1990 by then Colorado soccer coach Bill McCartney, grew into regular gatherings of thousands in stadiums and arenas. The highlight was the Stand in the Gap event on the National Mall in Washington, DC in 1997. National media reported that hundreds of thousands of men stretched a mile in the mall that day and that the PK movement was widespread and visible enough was that it caught the attention of The New York Times and CNN.
The ministry also attracted protesters at most of its events. Women’s groups, abortion advocates, and others appeared with signs and shouts. A plane flew over a PK event at McCartney’s home stadium in Boulder, Colorado, behind which a banner fluttered that read, “We don’t want your promises.”
I have attended both of these meetings 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 the speakers at Washington, Boulder and elsewhere were nothing more than traditional Christianity. The big events reminded me of old times Billy Graham crusades, with sermons, music, and worship – just with a focus on men.
So did the men’s conference from July 16-17 in the AT&T stadium of the Dallas Cowboys. The speakers preached faith in Jesus Christ and the need for people in the home and in society to stand up for him. The musicians celebrated the redemption and following of Jesus.
My brother David, nephew John, friend Mark, and I were among several thousand men at the conference, the first major event since PK made a comeback after nearly two decades of hibernation. The get-together in Arlington was planned for summer 2020, but was postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic, where an online conference was held last year.
In 2020, PK CEO Ken Harrison predicted an 80,000 crowd at the AT&T Stadium, and I think visitors would have moved closer to that goal without the virus. By that summer, 80,000 was apparently unrealistic. CBN News said “nearly 30,000 visitors,” but my eyeball estimate was between 10,000 and 20,000.
The reason that is misleading is that the event was streamed to a lot more men online. Harrison said it was seen in 23 countries and that about 70,000 men from US prisons were watching. Watch parties watched the activities of churches across the country; an example he mentioned was Southcrest Baptist in Lubbock.
Far more men than those on cowboy territory and on the seats of AT&T heard their families as Jonathan Evans, the Boys’ chaplain and son of renowned Pastor Tony Evans from Dallas, opened the event with a challenge for men respectively. The younger Evans was just the first of many dynamic speakers who kept inspiring some to raise their hands in praise and others to clap heartily.
Nick Vujicic, an Australian motivational speaker, author and founder of Life Without Limbs, ended Friday night with a tough talk that challenged men to follow Christ at full speed. Vujicic, born with no arms or legs, slid back and forth on a carpeted table, his message rising into enthusiastic applause and ending with a traditional altar call. One report says that several hundred men came forward to speak to counselors about the Christian life.
Retired Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin, a Delta Force and CIA veteran, stirred the crowd as he recalled the heartbreaking “Blackhawk Down” experience in Somalia in 1993 when US soldiers died and he consulted God before leaving realized that the Lord was there just as he had been in more successful operations. Boykin embodied the harshness and compassion he believed Christians should show.
“Everyone in the kingdom of God has a particular calling in their life,” he said. “It is time for you to stand up and be the warrior God has called you to be.”
Tauren Wells, a Houston recording artist and worship leader, woke the crowd Saturday morning to his energetic music, followed by an interview with former cowboy Chad Hennings with members of the NFL Hall of Fame – Michael Irvin (cowboys), Tim Brown (raiders) and Charles Haley (Cowboys) – about their beliefs and leading their families.
“Make sure you look in the instruction manual – the Bible – for your name and identity,” said Irvin.
AR Bernard, pastor of the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, New York, remembered coming to Christ after hearing from evangelist and former gang leader Nicky Cruz. “Jesus can take a heart of hate and turn it into a heart of love,” said Bernard.
Les Parrott, author, psychologist, co-founder of the eHarmony dating site and creator of a married couple rating tool with his wife Leslie, urged men to work on their own self-esteem and spirituality. “Your relationships can only be as healthy as you,” he said.
And Samuel Rodriguez, a California pastor, brought down the house to end the conference with his passionate plea for the people 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 “change the world.”
Rodriguez, who did not always approve of President Trump, shared his experience reading the scriptures at Trump’s inauguration. He said friends in the media prevented him from mentioning “that name” in prayer. Instead, he concluded with the words: “Respectfully in the name of Jesus”. At PK he shouted that he was not ashamed to proclaim the word “in the name of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”.
Promise Keepers’ new slogan is “Build on the past to redefine the future”. One adaptation is promoting services that help children, such as Compassion International, and combating modern slavery, such as International Justice Mission. Racial reconciliation, a focus of the 1990s, was not highlighted in Arlington but was evident in the racial diversity of speakers.
I don’t know if PK will take off like it did 30 years ago, but I hope the seeds planted in Arlington will continue to grow.
Mike Haynes taught journalism at Amarillo College from 1991 to 2016. He can be reached at haynescolumn@gmail.com. Visit www.haynescolumn.blogspot.com for more current columns.
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