Campbell Law Review Symposium

Readers may be interested in this symposium, set for May 18. The lineup of speakers is excellent.

Liberalism, Constitutionalism, and Christianity: Perspectives on the Influence of Christianity on Classical Liberal Legal Thought.

The conference will consider the relationship between liberalism and Christianity and their influence on American constitutionalism. The conference will investigate the extent to which classical liberalism and Christianity influenced the formulation of the Constitution and the thought of the Founding era. It will focus on the importance of foundational Christian commitments to characteristic notions of religious toleration and freedom of association as they are borne out in the thought of the Founders and the founding era.

The conference will be hosted on May 18, 2011, at Campbell University School of Law, located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The following presenters will be featured:

Professor Robert F. Cochran, Director of the Herbert and Elinor Nootbaar Institute of Law, Religion, and Ethics and the Louis D. Brandeis Professor of Law, Pepperdine University School of Law, Professor John M. Breen, Loyola University Chicago School of Law; Professor Bruce P. Frohnen, Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law; Professor Michael Scaperlanda, University of Oklahoma College of Law; Professor Barry Shain, Colgate University; Professor John Inazu, Visiting Professor, Duke University School of Law; Professor Anthony Baker, Visiting Professor, John Marshall Law School; Professor C. Scott Pryor, Visiting Professor, Campbell University School of Law; Dean Donald R. McConnell, Trinity Law School.

All are invited. Attendees may find more details and register online at: http://law.campbell.edu/pubs/lawrev.cfm?volume=32&number=2

What I Learned in Seattle

Last weekend I had the privilege of spending some time with 30 lawyers and law students retreating in the Cascade mountains just over the pass from Seattle. Although I was the speaker for the weekend, I received much more than I gave.

What We Did


I laid out the four sessions this way:

Session 1: Law & Leisure. We began by discussing the role of true leisure-- the pursuit of the true, good, and beautiful in all that we do-- as central to the human calling and therefore a major part of the lawyer's calling. Josef Pieper's great book, Leisure, The Basis of Culture, was a major source for this.

Session 2: Vocation. We discussed the general doctrine, using many examples from Ed Veith's excellent book God at Work.

Session 3: We clarified all the stuff I muddied in session 2, then discussed what vocation might mean for lawyers in various practice areas.

Session 4: We broke into groups, shared what we had been thinking in this retreat setting, and then prayed for one another.

What I Learned


1. Session 4 is always the best and most appreciated session of any retreat. That's not to say that the speaker is never any good, only that a bunch of smart people, dedicated to faithful pursuit of their callings and their Caller create a fascinating community and a productive discussion. The wealth of knowledge, wisdom, and insight into the practical work of the lawyers is generally ferreted out only in dialogue. What a joy it is to dialogue with folks like this! On the prayer aspect, see #2 . . . .

2. This particular retreat began with a vision for such a gathering follwoed by the prayers of a few folks. When the vision became a reality, it was planned in prayer, and it was undergirded with prayer while we met. This matters. When we prayed for one another in small groups it was powerful.

I know it sounds like I'm in spiritual second grade, but I really am when it comes to prayer. I need to pray more. God is powerful and he acts when we pray. This was a good reminder for me.

3. God's people are great. God has created and empowered so many different kinds of folks, each with a unique bent, all with different backgrounds and goals. It is a joy to hear law students and lawyers share their journeys and their plans and marvel at the way God works through strange and interesting folks. Whether I was eating a Reuben sandwich next to new friends, sitting around before breakfast with a hot cup of coffee chatting about life, or engaging the formal Q&A, God was speaking to me through his servants. Good, clean fun, I might add.

A heartfelt thank you to the talented and thoughtful folks who lead of the Seattle Christian Legal Society group and who organized the event. I was encouraged and refreshed by my time with you, and I know the Lord is at work in your city and your community of lawyers.

And all of this is true even though Andy Toles wouldn't let me eat M&Ms on Friday night, because they were earmarked for Saturday's snack.

** ** ** ** **
PS If anyone is interested in attending next year's retreat, likely in Jan 2011 (the featured speaker will be a bit better), let me know and I'll get you in touch with the Seattle CLS leadership.

Hope for the Legal Academy & Crawfish Etouffee

Last week I spent a few days hanging with a great group of Christian law professors at the annual Lumen Christi Conference on Christian Legal Thought (in conjunction with the Law Professors' Christian Fellowship) in New Orleans. It was, as always, a blessing to hear panel after of panel of dedicated Christian scholars share their thoughts and scholarship on the relationship of law and theology.

To be honest, it was even more of a blessing to spend time with old friends from this group who challenge and encourage me in my work and faith. It's really hard to beat a good discussion about theology and law, especially if held in the vicinity of a steaming bowl of crawfish etouffee and oysters on the half shell. Mmmm.

My friend Bill Brewbaker, a law professor at the University of Alabama School of Law, even took some time to sit down with me to discuss Christian legal thought for a podcast. It's available over at Cross & Gavel Audio or by searching "Cross and Gavel" on iTunesU. It's a fun discussion.

The small but growing community of Evangelical, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox scholars is a good sign for the academy-- and for the church. This year, there were more younger professors than ever, it seemed, challenging the old fogies, such as myself, to deeper and more faithful work in the academy. The papers ranged from an excellent discussion of the current "expressive association" jurisprudence, to an encouragement to professors to meet with and mentor law students, to a challenge to "go deeper" on issues of private law by application of traditional Catholic social thought.

Professors David Forte and Mark Movsesian kicked off the proceedings with excellent, interesting papers on Islam, Christianity, and Law, each highlighting ways in which Islam's reliance on law is starkly different than Christianity's.

My friend and colleague Lynne Kohm encouraged us to think about issues of gender equality-- and the empowerment of women-- not in traditional feminist terms, which have proved general unhelpful to the overall well-being and happiness of women, but in light of the transforming power of Christ.

Campbell Law School's Kevin Lee presented an interesting paper on the Augustinian lawyer-- which he defined, in part, as one who takes into account the limits of judgment, the effects of the Fall, the dignity of the human person, the fact of both our spirituality and our "embodied-ness," and realizes the "miracle of the quotidian," all in light of the overarching virtue of hope.

It was a day well spent, to say the least.

Plenty more to dig into here, but for now, just some . . . well . . . food . . . for thought.

Christian Legal Society National Conference

I'm a bit late on this, but I wanted to give a summary of the shenanigans at the CLS National Conference last month in San Diego.

The plenary speakers were great. It's odd, though, that what stands out for me about Gordon and Gail MacDonald and Mike McIntosh is not what they told us-- though their talks were excellent-- but what they did. Their gracious service to CLS from beginning to end of the conference was humbling.

Gordon and Gail MacDonald did more than just come and speak. They were there for the entire conference, presented workshops, and met in small groups with attendees. Gordon closed our conference with the Sunday morning preaching as well. What a blessing from this gracious couple! Mike McIntosh* not only encouraged us through his speaking, but also gave of his time and resources, helped to mobilize his entire congregation and sister churches, and practically put his staff at our disposal to make the conference successful. Evan Wickham and his wife Sandy led worship for the 120+ law students there-- at no cost or effort on our part. They did an amazing job, and we are grateful to them as well.

We loved our small group discussions after breakfast, the fellowship at each evening's banquet, and the time to get to know like-minded folks from around the country. The highlight presentation for most of us was from Restore International's Bob Goff, who challenged us to "look for the fingerprints of Jesus" in the opportunities we're faced with, and say "yes." Bob's story-- and stories-- about his compassionate work in his family and around the world were challenging and hilarious.

On the law student front, I think we had the most edifying National Law Student Convention to date. We had about 120 law students from more than 20 different law schools, who took part in worship, workshops, and networking throughout the weekend.

After introducing students to the four CLS ministries (Attorney Ministries, Christian Legal Aid, the Center for Law and Religious Freedom, and Law Student Ministries), and giving Fred Potter, our new CEO at CLS, say a few words, we heard from LSM Deputy Director Dan Kim on what it means to be in Christian community as a law student. We spent the rest of the conference in workshops:

Professor John Nagle led a discusion on Social Justice and Creation Care; Wendy McMahon, Judge Mary Libby Payne, and Merilyn Steele presented a panel on women's issues; Brent Amato, Gary Maedor, Ann Buwalda, and Sylvia Chen spoke on career options and integration of faith and practice; Center Senior Counsel Kim Colby spoke on religious liberty; and InterVarsity Graduate and Faculty staff worker Gary Cameron and I facilitated a discussion on ministry on campus.

Rock-star bookman Byron Borger was with us as well, speaking on Developing a Christian Worldview through Reading. He was a great encouragement to all of us-- you can read some of his reflections on the conference on his excellent Booknotes Blog.

Finally, the annual scholars' symposium was a big hit, thanks to Dr. Dave VanDrunen of Westminster Seminary California, who addressed a small, but energetic group of law professors, deans, students, and lawyers on "Justice as Human Vocation."

We're still exploring dates and locations for next year's national conference, but I hope you'll join us!

*I don't have a link yet to Mike's plenary session in San Diego, but here's a clip of his testimony in another setting, from washedred.com.

The Twin Cities

I was encouraged this week by some good folks in Minnesota.  

It all started with dinner with a handful of lawyers who desire to mentor law students in a meaningful, faithful way.  The Minnesota CLS attorney chapter does important work with local lawyers and the poor and needy in the Cities, and they are hoping to make this another of their important initiatives.  

I spent Tuesday afternoon with some fantastic law professors and students at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, where the Christian Legal Society student chapter is hoping to be a part of the continuing building of spiritual community there.  

I enjoyed the hospitality of some colleagues and friends at St. Thomas.  I am grateful for Professor Rob Vischer's hospitality and wise counsel to students, and I look forward to his new book, due out next month, Conscience and the Common Good: Reclaiming the Space Between Person and State (Cambridge).   It was good to see Professor Susan Stabile, again, if just for a minute or two.  And I enjoyed being encouraged by Professor Teresas Collett and stories of her work in defense of human life and public reason. 

I spent Tuesday evening with a great group of lawyers and law students from the University of Minnesota and Hamiline Law, talking about the Lawyer's Calling and discussing ministry on campus.  I am impressed by their enthusiasm and mission-mindedness.

Finally, yesterday morning, I presented a CLE Seminar on Faith, Ethics, and the Practice of Law to a fun group of local attorneys.  Our discussion ranged from calling to integrity to duties surrounding client confidences.  It was a interesting group, and we had an edifying discussion.  

It's nice to return from a trip like this encouraged by how the Lord is using regular folks in extraordinary ways to do His work.  Great things are happening in the legal community in the Twin Cities! 

Thanks to Tom Pritchard and the Minnesota Family Council for making it possible for me to be there!

(I am however, still rooting for the Tigers in the pennant race.)

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For New York City Summer Associates

If you are clerking in NYC this summer, please make plans to attend Surviving and Thriving: Christian Summer Associates in NYC, hosted by the Redeemer Center for Faith and Work.

You should also make note of the Legal Fellowship Breakfast, held the third Thursday of every month.

The Lawyer's Vocation - Part I

At the excellent Ivy League Congress on Faith and Action last weekend, I participated in a panel on vocation and law. Since I was to speak for fifteen minutes and I needed to hit just the high spots on the topic, I wisely developed a forty-minute talk. Still, it was a useful exercise to boil down the key points of vocation.

I’d like to summarize my basic points on the lawyer’s calling in a three-part post over the next week.

Four Introductory Points

1. When we speak of vocation, we are really talking about vocations or callings—plural. The concept of vocation assumes a Caller, one that transcends self and choice, one who brings us into ministry with him in every role and sphere of life. In addition to our call to become his and identify with Christ, generally, then, we are also “called” by God to be husband or wife, parent, citizen, church member or pastor, worker, student.

2. Vocation defines the boundaries of the specific neighbors we are called to love and the means by which we may love them. For example, my calling as husband in a specific sphere defines a specific woman I am to love and the ways that I am to love her. My calling also gives me duties with regard to others, sometimes expanding (in my calling as parent, for example). Thinking vocationally can be quite freeing, since I am not torn about the specifics of many of my roles—for example, I need not fret, pray, and fast over which wife I am to love, which children I must discipline, or which country’s laws I must obey. To paraphrase Calvin on this point, one reason that God places us at our "posts" by means of callings is so we are not "tossed hither and thither," attempting to do "all good things at once."

As Gene Edward Veith summarizes:

“God has chosen to work through human beings, who, in their different capacities and according to their different talents, serve each other. This is the doctrine of vocation.”

Gene Eward Veith, God At Work 14 (Crossway 2002).

3. This view of vocation, then, rejects a hierarchy or spectrum of “more-Christian” to “less-Christian” callings. While the medieval church taught that those in church ministry were called by God to his service and others were not so called, The Reformers took a sharply distinct view. (This is not intended as a knock on Catholicism, btw. In my view, current Roman Catholic teaching and scholarship on vocation is more sound than much Evangelical teaching and scholarship.)

4. Some common theories or justification for ordinary work that fall short of robust vocational thinking:

• Finance theory: I want to practice law to make a lot of money. That’s my primary goal for my daily work, in order that I may support my church and missionary workers.
• Platform theory: I want to be a lawyer because lawyers are important and I will therefore have a platform to tell people about Jesus.
• Graffiti Theory: I want to make my mark on the world as a lawyer!
  
  On these views, see Redeeming Law, pp. 63-66.

Canadian Legal Fellowship Law Student Conference

What a treat it was to be part of the CLF National Student Conference in Windsor, Ontario last weekend. The students heard from lawyers, law profs, doctors, and pastors from the US and Canada, encouraging them to follow Christ as students and lawyers.

I can't say enough about the hospitality of the CLF staff and the students who organized the event. Special thanks to Liz Sinnott, a law student who took time out from her dual-degree studies to help make the conference go.

Please pray for our brothers and sisters practicing law in Canada as they seek to follow Christ in a very important and influential ministry to their nation. Click here for more info on CLF.

(Cross-posted at Justitia Blog).