February 17, 1999

'Make justice happen,'
CLC seminar speakers exhort
___By Ken Camp
___Texas Baptist Communications
___AUSTIN--Believers are called to be instruments of God's justice, keynote speaker Carolyn Knight told the annual statewide conference of the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission.
___"God calls us not only to demand justice, but to make justice happen," said Knight, assistant professor of homiletics at the Interdenominational Theological Center in

PHIL STRICKLAND (right), director of the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission, talks with seminar leader Tom Smith, state director for Public Citizen in Austin, while Sue Cox, executive director of the Texas Council on Problem and Compulsive Gambling, visits with Lionel Hurst, ambassador from Antigua, during the statewide CLC conference in Austin. (Photo by Ken Camp)

Atlanta, Ga. "The same God who moved in history is involved in this present hour."
___Biblical justice is more than ethical justice, Knight said. Justice in Scripture means fidelity in relationships and responsibilities, both to other people and to God.
___"We cannot follow God at a distance and get justice," she said.
___"The Justice of God" was the theme of the 1999 CLC conference at Austin's First Baptist Church, Feb. 8-9. Seminar leaders explored the theme's biblical basis and its implications for Christian living.
___Being in relationship with God means taking up the cause of the poor and oppressed, according to Ruth Ann Foster, assistant professor of Christian Scriptures at Baylor University's Truett Theological Seminary.
___"Biblical justice is not impartial. It shows partiality to the oppressed and the marginalized," she said.
___When the Old Testament prophet Amos urged God's people to "let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream," he was inviting them into "dangerous waters," Foster said. Biblical justice includes elements of wrath, judgment and punishment, but it cannot be separated from God's love and grace--particularly toward those who are most vulnerable and needy.
___Love, justice and peace are the three moral norms of Christian ethics, and they are integrally related to each other, according to Dan McGee, professor of religion at Baylor University.
___McGee identified five meanings of justice in light of Scripture:
___ Equality. The ideal is equal treatment under the law. However, the goal of equity sometimes demands special consideration for circumstances.
___ Merit. Giving people what they earn and granting them what they deserve is another biblical meaning of justice. Distinguishing between justice and revenge, McGee added, "The purpose of God's retributive justice is to restore, reclaim and heal."
___ Worth. Sometimes justice means giving more to those who are of greater value to the community or society, McGee said, observing that the principle "can get dicey." When special attention is given to a gifted student to help him achieve his potential for the good of society, or when an organ recipient is selected for a transplant on the basis of his value to the community, these are examples of justice based on worth.
___ Faithfulness. Keeping faith and honoring agreements is an essential element of God's covenant and his expectations for his people. "Promise keeping is something others deserve from us," McGee said.
___ Need. In order to achieve the just goal of equality, sometimes preference must be given to those with special needs. Biblical justice focuses especially on the needs of the vulnerable, weak and defenseless, McGee noted.
___Justice is not only a biblical teaching, but also a Christian calling that requires practical wisdom, said Mike Broadway, assistant professor of religion and philosophy at Shaw University in Raleigh, N.C.
___Although society since the Enlightenment has sought to define justice in universal terms apart from any reference to God, Christians seek biblical justice, he said.
___While the Christian rightly recognizes that his or her voice is one of many in a pluralistic society, the believer has a responsibility to enter the public discussion. Christianity cannot be limited to private piety, Broadway said.
___"Christianity makes all-encompassing claims on our lives, public and private," he said. "All of life comes under Jesus' authority."
___Operating from the understanding that "Christ Jesus embodies the justice of God," the ordinances of the Body of Christ, the church, should be recognized as instruments of justice, according to Kyle Childress, pastor of Austin Heights Baptist Church in Nacogdoches.
___Leading a session on justice issues in the local church, Childress said Christians shortchange baptism and the Lord's Supper when they see them as dealing exclusively with individual salvation. The church ordinances are demonstrations of justice within a transformed community, he said.
___Baptism marks the new believer as part of a people no longer defined by race, class or gender, Childress said. "Baptism initiates us into a new society of people who live in a new way. The baptismal waters are our entrance into a new community that transcends barriers."
___The Lord's Supper and the common meal shared by Christians are demonstrations of sharing God's provision, Childress added.
___"The Lord's Supper is about economics. It's about more than that, certainly," he said. "But it is about economics."
___At a legislator breakfast held in conjunction with the conference, Strickland urged legislators to work toward four things Texas Baptists value:
___ Religious liberty.
___ Children.
___ Creation.
___ Character.
___Texas Baptists believe personal character does count, and they want lawmakers who demonstrate strength of character, Strickland said.
___"We wish for you the character to put people before power, to choose doing right over getting elected, and to put Christian values before party loyalty," he said.
___

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