This past Monday, Bishop T.D. Jakes, founder and senior pastor of The Potter’s House Church in Dallas, wrote a response to the recent media criticism of the African American church. His response was published in the commentary section of CNN.com.

In the article, Bishop Jakes says that the media criticism detracts from a focus on the mission of the church and instead emphasizes divisions within the church.  Bishop Jakes also discusses how the church he reads about in the media is not the one he has experienced personally throughout his life. He expresses a desire shared by many, that the current ethnic divisions in the church will one day disappear and that segregated worship will become a thing of the past. As he writes in the article “there is more to unite us than to divide us.”

Bishop Jakes’ own church, The Potter’s House, is a nondenominational, multiracial church with members from at least 20 different nationalities. Although Bishop Jakes does not endorse any political candidates, he does mention how our country is in need of a strong leader that can unite people from all walks of life. It will be interesting to observe over the months leading up to the presidential election whether the candidates will do more to unite us or to divide us with their increasingly partisan messages. To read Bishop Jakes’ article, click here.