Promise Keepers

What promises? and who are keeping them? Promises to which many thousands of men in North America have pledged themselves since this movement was founded by Bill McCartney seven years ago.

McCartney was a highly successful football coach who had proved his ability to influence and motivate strong, tough men in the sporting world. Originally a Roman Catholic, through contact with 'Campus Crusade for Christ' he became fervently 'evangelical'. He caught a vision of stadiums crowded with men publicly expressing their deep spiritual concerns. From this developed the concept of 'Promise Keepers' - for men only, because it is believed that a man's spiritual make-up differs from a woman's.

The movement describes itself as a 'Christ-centred ministry dedicated to uniting men through vital relationships to become godly influences in this world'. This aim is promoted by creating a climate in which men are more likely to view themselves and their lives with candour and honesty. They are thought to be less inhibited in this soul-searching process when women are not present, so no females are invited to Promise Keepers' rallies, prayer groups or other religious activities.

These male-dominated gatherings are organized in widely varied settings, from thousands of small regular local groups to periodic massive rallies. In 1996 there were twenty-two such rallies, each attracting an average of fifty-thousand men. Typical of these gatherings are challenging Bible messages to emphasize the seriousness of sin and the need of faith in Christ for forgiveness and salvation; plus encouragement towards public confession of specific sins. A common feature at Peace Keepers' rallies has been hundreds of strong men emotionally broken down, weeping and confessing to others such sins as infidelity, racial hatred, child abuse and drunkenness.

There follows of course the call for Christian dedication in every-day living. Each Promise Keeper commits himself to:

1.Honouring Jesus Christ through worship, prayer and obedience to God's Word in the power of the Holy Spirit.

2.Pursuing vital relationships with a few other men, understanding that he needs brothers to help him keep his promises.

3.Practising spiritual, moral, ethical and sexual purity.

4.Building strong marriages and families through love, protection and family values.

5.Supporting his church by honouring and praying for his pastor, and by giving his time and resources.

6.Reaching beyond any racial and denominational barriers to demonstrate the power of biblical unity.

7.Influencing the world, being obedient to the great commandment (Mark 12:30,31) and the great commission (Mat. 28:19,20).

The founder of the Promise Keepers' movement has expressed confidence that 'it will impact this country (USA) every conceivable way, for the good'. There can be no doubt that if thousands of men come to genuine saving faith in Christ, and order their personal lives to Christian standards, there will be beneficial impact on society. An important aspect is the Promise Keepers' emphasis on the male role as head of the household. They feel that many men have opted out of their responsibility to take a lead in family guidance and control. This results in lack of authority in the home, which contributes to problems of juvenile delinquency. Society might also benefit from this point of view.

However, from a spiritual perspective important issues arise. Ability to implement Promise 1 depends essentially on a genuine experience of new birth through receiving Christ (John 1:12,13). When this is indeed the case, the Christian standards reflected in Promises 3 and 4 are enjoined in Scripture on all believers. Promises 5 and 6 then touch on devotion to local church responsibilities, and a liberal attitude regarding racial or denominational barriers 'to demonstrate the power of biblical unity'. In practice this has meant an ecumenical blend of Promise Keepers in promotion of their special objectives, regardless of doctrinal differences between the churches of which they are individually members. The unity envisaged is less than 'biblical'; it amounts rather to common enjoyment of occasions of fellowship and witness in which only men can participate.

Promise 7 pledges obedience to 'the royal law' of Mark 12:30,31 and to the 'great commission' of Matthew 28:19,20. The fulfilment of that commission by the apostles in New Testament times resulted in believers being gathered together in the unity of the Spirit to form churches of God. Within those churches they contended earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints (Jude verse 3). Regarding service within those churches, the apostle Paul wrote: 'Howbeit neither is the woman without the man, nor the man without the woman, in the Lord' (1 Cor. 11:11). Laudable as many of the Promise Keepers' objectives may be, they fall short of the 'whole counsel of God' (Acts 20:27) revealed for our guidance in the apostles' teaching.

unknown | Feb 1999
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