I’ve lived in Houston for 3 years. I’m growing to love our city. I say “growing” because, like most newcomers, I have to grow past the heat, humidity, hurricanes, and traffic. For most of my life, I’ve been a four-seasons kind of guy, and I’ve never lived in a place where “small” roads were seven lanes or less.
But 3 years in Houston have shown me that, despite the occasional loss of electricity and the daily fight through the insanity of traffic, there’s so much more to love. Houston is one of the most welcoming cities I’ve ever lived in. I love our churches, and I love my neighbors. I love the parks and the people. Downtown Houston is beautiful. I love the Astros and the Texans. And don’t even get me started on the food!
So you can understand my embarrassment when I learned from KPRC that our city had been voted the second most sinful city in America
Light might make no noise, but in the darkness, it makes all the difference.
KPRC based their report on a WalletHub survey that tracked sins like anger, lust, greed, and jealousy.
The Dark Side of Houston
Now, I don't want to come off like Chicken Little—someone who reads this report and cries, “The sky is falling.” Surveys like this do not necessarily reflect serious research and tend to be both highly subjective and notoriously inaccurate.
“When God uses the world to call us to account, it’s always worth a closer look.”
Still, there’s nothing wrong with an article that makes you take a closer look at the city you love. God can use secular media and surveys to grab our attention. Even the prophets understood the role of pagan nations in calling God’s people to account.
When God uses the world to call us to account, it’s always worth a closer look. And a closer look is unsettling, to say the least.
Texas leads the nation with an estimated 313,000 victims of human trafficking. Of those, about 79,000 are children.
Houston leads the nation in road rage incidents involving a gun.
Houston has experienced 324 homicides in the last 12 months. That might not seem like a lot for a city our size, but that’s more than double the deaths from cardiac arrest, the second leading cause of death.
Where you live in Houston has a lot to do with the level of crime. I love Houston–all of it. Crime might be higher in Greenspoint than in River Oaks, but sin is rampant in both, regardless of what color of collar you wear.
But that’s not the whole story of Houston. The whole story must include people like Kara.
Lights in the Darkness
“Every day, our local churches and Christian organizations engage the darkness of Houston with the light of Christ.”
Kara walked past several workers from an organization called Elijah Rising. This group of workers was out on the streets in the heart of Houston’s sex trade. Without eye contact, Kara quietly said, “I want out.” When one of the workers caught up to her, they learned the reality of her life. Her pimp had been beating her, and she hadn’t slept for 4 days. She had been praying for a way out, and Elijah Rising provided that way.
Another organization, Freedom Church Alliance, has opportunities to assist victims and families rescued by local law enforcement in their sting operations. Recently, these workers placed a survivor and her two children in a safe, gospel-centered home and connect her to additional Christian support services.
Some say that crime is turning Greenspoint into Gunspoint. Eyes on Me likes to say that Christ is turning Gunspoint into God’s Point. They hold Hip Hop Family Fun Days, offering food, music, games, and the gospel. They train “backyard missionaries” who live and minister in some of Houston’s most dangerous neighborhoods. They teach basic business skills through programs like Godspoint T-Shirt Printing.
And that highlights only a few. I could also mention
Mission Centers of Houston, meeting the spiritual and physical needs of those living in Houston’s near north side.
Epiphany Life Change, training church planters in prison and sending them back to their neighborhoods to start churches in the very places where they committed their crimes.
Buckner International, serving vulnerable children, families, and seniors since 1879.
So, when reading articles about our city’s decay, daring to take a closer look or staring down the darkness in your own life, remember the promise of Christmas: “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light.” (Isaiah 9:2, NASB)
Because every day, our local churches and organizations like these engage the darkness of Houston with the light of Christ. Their stories aren’t as likely to be picked up by news outlets or companies like WalletHub. But let’s not underestimate their impact.
Light might make no noise, but in the darkness it makes all the difference.
Merry Christmas!
Cris Alley is the As the Senior Consultant for Sending Pathways at UBA. He helps support the local church in thinking and acting like missionaries.
Houston was voted America’s #2 most sinful city. But that’s not the end of the story.