Chris Jones
Astrophysicist, Baptist Minister, and Politician
By Preston Clegg
Editor’s Note: The following first appeared in the July-September issue of Good Faith Magazine. Good Faith Media does not endorse political candidates.
I met Chris Jones several years ago, long before he ran for public office. We shared a common call to vocational Christian ministry, an earnest desire to follow Jesus with our entire lives, and a hope to help others do the same. Then I learned that Chris was also an astrophysicist with a degree from MIT. Then I learned that he was the husband of Jerrilyn, an ER doctor, and together they were parenting three precious girls.
When he ran for governor of Arkansas, he did so by centering the hopes, dreams, and struggles of the people of this state, not his own political aspirations or vocational agendas. As he currently runs for U.S. representative, he does so with a towel and basin in hand, listening to and serving the people of this great state. He leads us as one of us, not as one apart from us.
I believe the best leaders aren’t just filling a role or seeking an office but are living out of the center of their own humanity. They lift others up, rather than tear others down. They speak the truth in love, even when their knees tremble. They know who they are, which becomes both the generative sun and the guiding North Star of their work.
Chris Jones knows who he is and who we are. And that’s why I’m honored to call him my friend and to join him in this journey.
Rev. Preston Clegg is pastor of Second Baptist Church Downtown, Little Rock, Arkansas.
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