Religious Freedom, as Embodied by Judge Wendell Griffen
By Preston Clegg
Religious freedom has been a bedrock virtue and firm conviction of Baptist life as long as there have been Baptists. In 1612, Baptist pastor Thomas Helwys reminded King James of England that the king was a man and not God, and therefore the king had no authority over the soul before God. This idea floated across the Atlantic with Baptists who experienced the dark and dangerous underbelly of a church buttressed by state authority. As surprising as this may be to some today, Baptists were a minority voice in the colonial days of this country, and were often treated as such. Thus, our forebears saw the necessity of religious freedom for all people, including the minority voices…especially the minority voices. Baptists have their fingerprints all over the First Amendment, promising freedom from religion, and freedom for it. This conviction is easily lost, however, when the minority voice becomes the majority one and those who were once out in the wilderness find themselves in positions of power.
Ironically, we gather today to stand for religious liberty and with our friend Wendell Griffen, who, though both a pastor and a judge, is most often known for being a prophetic voice in the wilderness. He often speaks from the fringes of society because the people who live out there are his friends. He sees them and hears them. His faith leads him to convictions that are often not shared by those in the seats of power. That unique perspective, however, doesn’t preclude him from sitting on the judicial bench, especially given the fact that the people of Central Arkansas elected him there…twice.
Conviction of conscience and the rule of law are not enemies. One can be BOTH convictional about the issues and impartial about how the law pertains to any person standing in a courtroom. Only a modicum of imagination is necessary to contemplate all the ways judges and juries must apply the law fairly and equitably regardless of their personal beliefs. Judge Griffen’s track record in the courtroom indicates that he has, does, and will apply the law justly to any and every case before him. What does indeed stretch the imagination, however, is the realization of what judicial activity causes a stir amongst our legislators and what judicial misconduct goes unnamed and undisciplined by comparison.
As a Baptist minister, I believe first amendment rights apply to ALL people. But they are especially pertinent to and protective of voices from the wilderness, even when that voice is wearing a judicial robe. One need not cease being a fierce prophet in order to be a fair judge.
Rev. Dr. Preston Clegg is Senior Pastor of Second Baptist Church in Little Rock. He can be reached at pclegg@2bclr.com
