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"I don't hear from the evangelical pulpit about the disparity in the prison population between blacks and whites, between the test scores of African American kids and white kids."

"If white kids couldn't read and black kids could," he adds, "the evangelical church would address it. If white kids were in jail and not going to college, the evangelical church would address it. So if you live in a society and you only address the things that face your ethnicity, you are not really concerned about social ills.

"My invitation to evangelicals who love the Lord is to partner with other Bible-believing churches who can address some social ills."

Meeks hopes to persuade African American and white evangelicals to work together. And he's willing to start small—say, by getting together for dinner.

"I want my children to see that," Meeks says. "Most black children grow up never having had dinner with white people. Most white people grow up never having had African Americans in their homes. So we view each other as 30-second sound bites on television."

Meeks says he'd like any church, anywhere, to take Salem up on this offer. "We can do it with ten [families], do it with five, do it with those that are willing. It has to get started somewhere. The world will never see how colorblind Jesus is until they see how colorblind the church is."

Meeks says it is possible. And with his track record, it's hard not to believe him.

Bob Smietana is features editor of The Covenant Companion, the monthly magazine of the Evangelical Covenant Church, and a freelance religion writer based in Chicago.

Copyright © 2003 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Meeks was featured in a 2002 CT article on Jesse Jackson.

Charles Lyons wrote for CT about racial reconciliation and how Meeks help during protests.

CT sister publication Leadership reported on Meeks's trip to Yugoslavia. (The article is available from the CTLibrary.)

Meeks wrote an article for Leadership on prayer and community impact.

Meeks also wrote an article for Leadership on how his church dealt with gangbangers. (From the CTLibrary)

Meeks's Illinois Senate page is available online.

Salem Baptist Church's web site has a bio of Meeks.

The Illinois Senate Democrats also has a bio of Meeks.

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February 2004, Vol. 48, No. 2