For America's nonwhite evangelicals, the fast-growing Promise Keepers Movement, which held a massive rally recently in Washington, DC, may represent a significant step toward racial reconciliation. If Promise Keepers' leaders can follow through, this could be the start of a powerful movement; but if the well-worn patterns of segregation persist, according to commentators Andres Tapia and Rodolpho Carrasco, race relations could actually get worse. Tapia, a PNS associate editor, has been reporting on race relations within the evangelical church for nearly 15 years; Carrasco is associate director of the Harambee Christian Family Center in Pasadena, CA.

WASHINGTON, DC-- The evangelical movement took a giant leap forward in its attempt to shed its racist image at its rally here on the first Saturday in October.

With nonwhite representation estimated at anywhere from one in seven to one in five of a crowd of more than 500,000, and amidst bold proclamations about ending racism in the church by the year 2000, the Promise Keepers' "Stand in the Gap Sacred Assembly" was a showcase for the gains made by evangelicals since the days its white leaders refused to support the civil rights movement.

Promise Keepers has not only gone out of its way to make reconciliation a priority, it has linked spiritual revival to reconciliation. "Denominational and racial division is what has kept the church of Jesus Christ from growing," says Rev. Raleigh Washington, an African American who is Promise Keepers' Vice President of Racial Reconciliation. "What is going to give credibility to the Gospel's truth is our ability to love one another despite our differences."

The Assembly may signal the forging of a powerful multiethnic coalition. Certainly, Promise Keepers has significantly raised the stakes for evangelicalism. If it fails to deliver true reconciliation -- a state where nonwhites experience equality and acceptance -- race relations could actually end up worse in the church. The toxic smell of past promises gone sour is still high among African Americans, Latinos, Asians and Native Americans.

There's a considerable road to travel between words and deeds, but the acts of Promise Keepers are having an impact and now, ironically, a politically and socially conservative movement is leading the way to racial reconciliation.

Today, public repentance -- like John Dawson, an evangelical leader kneeling before Saturday's national TV audience asking forgiveness from his "African American brothers" for racism-- is almost the rule at evangelical prayer meetings. And Promise Keepers, which insists that reconciliation begins within relationships, not committees, has built up a staff that is 30 percent nonwhite, and has more than token numbers of nonwhites in executive positions. In addition, half of the platform speakers at the rally were nonwhite.

Promise Keepers spent $125,000 this past spring to bring together 100 Christian leaders each from the Asian American, African American, Native American and Latino communities for frank discussions about race relations. And racial reconciliation has been a major theme at its stadium events that have drawn millions of participants over the last five years.

Many white followers have been puzzled by this theme in a movement focused on seeking redemption in male-female relationships and between men and God. But Promise Keepers' founder and head Bill McCartney's confession of confronting his own racism has made many converts.

This in tern has forced nonwhites to examine their own racism. Earlier this year, a summit of Latino evangelical leaders convened by Promise Keepers in Denver, ended with members of various groups -- Dominican, Puerto Rican, Mexican, and so on -- asking forgiveness for their prejudices against each other. 

Some who view this movement through a political lens have expressed fears that it masks an extremist conservative agenda. But, while the group has the backing of right wingers like Pat Robertson and James Dobson, there are many Promise Keepers who vigorously oppose their agenda.

What holds the group together despite divergent political views is the unabashed belief that Christians have hold of a spiritual truth that has transformed their personal lives. Evangelical Christianity is more a proselytizing force than a political movement, one that seeks to trigger a worldwide spiritual revival.

At the Washington march, Promise Keepers head Bill McCartney said he believes that by the year 2000 Christians will be able to say "the giant of racism is dead in the church of Jesus Christ." This may sound disingenuous, but in finally recognizing the need to listen to and embrace the nonwhite grassroots -- the fastest-growing segment within evangelicalism -- the movement may very likely magnify its impact on America's spiritual life.

For nonwhites, the next step will be an increasing say in decision-making in the use of the evangelicals' massive resources -- Promise Keepers alone has a $120 million annual budget. They also want to see repentance lead to understanding and even advocacy from whites on behalf or the powerless such as immigrants. These will be litmus tests of true reconciliation.