The Response Really Was All About God

10 August 2011

UNDER THE WATERFALL: Patrick ButlerThe Response in Houston seemed to successfully live up to its billing. The Christian gathering of fasting, repentance and prayer was much more than a weekend meeting, political or otherwise.

It was more like a healing, a cleansing, a love-embrace between 44,000 believers and their God. And God — if there is such a person, being or entity — seemed to show up in a big way.

The atmosphere at The Response was, hopefully, unforgettable. It was more like a vision than a tone, a revelation of things to come in eternity than a strategy of what to do next November's voting season.

It was — as one un-introduced singer said repeatedly, “All about him,” — meaning God, not Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Don't take my word for it or even our ResonateNews.com site. Check out what National Public Radio said in its Weekend Edition program. Kudos to NPR and reporter John Burnett for getting it right and having the courage to say so.

It's a bit difficult to describe the prayer and fasting event's tone because it was spiritual, not intellectual. And in this country if one can't parse it intellectually, it doesn't seem to exist even in the long-established American church. I can understand this. Being from a Presbyterian background, I approached God intellectually for years before realizing God cannot be fully grasped only with the mind. This is why so much incomplete “religion” reporting exists in America; it concerns only what can be intellectually digested. Intellect is only a partial equation.

At The Response it was as if Jesus and his angles showed up, wrapped their arms around everyone present and said softly, “It's OK. I'm here. I want to repair the damage done to your lives. I never wanted you to be ravaged by the destructive powers of darkness. I'll heal you. I'll bless you. I'll love you forever. Don't worry. I'll see you through. I'll be there for you. See, I rejoice over you with singing.”

There was an ascending, palpable moment in Houston when it clearly seemed the tens of thousands of people worshipping with arms raised in the air were not singing to God, but with him. There actually seemed to be a sound above the sound rising from the floor that resonated within the heart and mind. It was as if there was a sublime longing being fulfilled in the people, a secret desire satisfied, a dream coming true right before the eyes of thousands as the doors of perception were opened. I've never seen anything quite like it in 30 years of religion reporting. If there were ever a hint of what heaven would be like with “every tribe and tongue present,” it was this one.

That was The Response and so much more. I'm sure volumes were spoken softly or with thunderous conviction intuitively to those present. And perhaps Doug Stringer, one of the event organizers, summed it up best to the “opposition”  by saying, “Today may they be reminded ... this has been about us and God … we want everyone to be beneficiaries of our time of prayer, fasting and worship, that we may reflect Christlikeness, even to those who oppose us.”

A lot is being said about The Response, much of it uninformed negativity. If those making negative remarks were not at Reliant Stadium on the main floor for at least 40 minutes paying attention, I wouldn't give the words the time of day. The Response was one of those events one had to be there to see and feel it to know.

To those who decided before-hand to actively avoid participating, swallowing the very public falsehoods that The Response was going to be political, a sham, a show, a stage for next November's election I say, “something was stolen from you.”

I'm not trying to make anyone feel badly. What I surely am saying is that next time around, refrain from letting someone else do the evaluating; or simply using human reasoning instead of the heart, so something this remarkable cannot be stolen or spoiled.

There were plenty of intellectual reasons put forth why The Response was not worth the paper the program was printed on. The reasoning was fallacious. Those who entertained these arguments were led away from an event that could have, would have, refreshed and revived their faith in troubled times. This is not to mention the possible actions of the aforementioned Deity petitioned that The Response was clearly all about.

One more thing — no “offering” was taken.

Despite the pile-on of negativity, the true reflection of The Response can still be found on the Internet and at places such as You Tube. Here is another link, a nine-minute video segment of singing and praise someone captured while standing in the crowd.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pERhqsD1fRM

Take a look at it and know this went on for hours. Kudos to event organizers who kept the thing just what they said it would be — “all about Him.”

Patrick Butler is the editor of ResonateNews.com. To contact him, send email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .