Judge Wendell Griffen: A Model for Us All
By Stephen K. Reeves
The original U.S. Constitution mentions religion only once – to prohibit a religious test for public office. Today it feels that Judge Griffen is being punished for being the wrong type of Christian. Of course the First Amendment to our Constitution went on to grant more complete religious liberty enshrining into law our God-given religious liberty – the ability to determine our faith for ourselves, without feeling pressure to conform to a state-preferred church and importantly, the ability to actually practice that faith largely free from government interference.
Rather than a reason to attack Judge Griffen, his faith should serve as a model for us all. This faith led him to a calling of public service. Despite deep convictions about our troubling history and concerns about many current practices of our government, he decided to not merely critique from afar but instead to engage, dedicating his career to practicing justice from within the system. As the late Justice Scalia held in the Republican Party of Minnesota v. White case “proof that a justice’s mind at the time he joined the court was a complete blank slate would be evidence of lack of qualification, not lack of bias.”
Today Judge Griffen is not asking for an exception to the law, for a special accommodation for his convictions – all evidence shows he has followed the law – and has done so without sacrificing his faith. He should not be forced to do so today. Thanks to our Constitution Judge Griffen need not sacrifice his faith in order to be a dedicated public servant, nor should he be required to give up his other calling as pastor to New Millennium. In fact, we need more Christians and more elected officials that understand this distinction and live with similar dedication.
Judge Griffen has clearly demonstrated that he can preach biblical justice on Sunday and insure equal justice on Monday – and for that he should be praised, not punished.
Stephen K. Reeves, Esq. is Associate Coordinator of Partnerships & Advocacy at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in Decatur, Georgia. He can be reached at sreeves@cbf.net 770-220-1606
