Speak Up is a new resource from the Evangelical Alliance and the Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship to equip and inspire Christians with confidence and knowledge of the current legal freedoms we have to share our faith.
The good news of Jesus is something we all have a part in sharing. Through our everyday lives ”“ in the local playground, at the bus stop or over a cup of tea ”“ we all have amazing opportunities to introduce people to Jesus.
We won’t always be sure how it will be received, but the Christian message must be proclaimed. Romans 10:141 says: “And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” In this country we’ve got the freedom and privilege of being able to speak up and demonstrate the love of God and the transforming power of Jesus in our communities.
Read it all and download the resource itself.
The American Bar Association has just passed ethical rules that would arguably make it unethical for an American attorney to be involved in the preparation of such materials, to the extent that they constitute “harrassment or discrimination” or would encourage people to engage in conduct that is “harrassment or discrimination.”
Under the American Bar Association ethical rules, it is now unethical conduct for a lawyer to “engage in conduct that the lawyer knows or reasonably should know is harassment or discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or socioeconomic status in conduct related to the practice of law.” Conduct related to the practice of law includes “participating in bar association, business or social activities in connection with the practice of law.” Exempted from “harassment or discrimination” is “conduct undertaken to promote diversity and inclusion.” (Resolution 109, revising Rule 8.4 of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct, adopted on August 3, 2016.)
The prohibition was weakened to a certain extent from prior drafts, in that the earlier drafts provided a lawyer could be disciplined for “perceived” harassment or discrimination as well as actual harassment or discrimination. These new rules would have to be enacted in a state (usually by its Supreme Court or other disciplinary authority) before they could be applied against a state’s attorneys, and I suspect they may be subject to constitutional challenge, but the threat and chilling effect is now already out there against Christian attorneys.