c. 1998 Religion News Service

(Robert M. Parham directs the Nashville-based Baptist Center for Ethics.)

UNDATED _ Thumbs up for the Roman Catholic bishops. As a lifelong Baptist with family roots back to a Virginia Baptist church in 1807, I eagerly sign their pledge. I hope they accept my commitment to their ethics agenda for everyday Christians.

The National Conference of Catholic Bishops has given the Catholic community a document that deepens moral reflection and calls for the practice of justice. The larger Christian community would do well to study this 10-page document and put it into play.

Adopted by the bishops and made available to the more than 19,000 Catholic parishes in November,”Everyday Christianity: To Hunger and Thirst for Justice,”challenges Catholics to transform passive Sunday faith into proactive work for social justice through daily activities.

It begins with the question:”How do we connect worship on Sunday with work on Monday?” Beneath this simple question is the bishops’ penetrating discernment that”Social justice and the common good are built up or torn down day by day in the countless decisions and choices we (believers) make.””The most important Christian witness is often neither very visible nor highly structured,”the bishops said.”It is the sacrifice of parents trying to raise children with concern for others; the service and creativity of workers who do their best and reach out to those in need; the struggle of business owners trying to reconcile the bottom line and the needs of employees and customers; and the hard choices of public officials who seek to protect the weak, and pursue the common good.” The document concludes with a”Jubilee Pledge for Charity, Justice and Peace,”which reads:”As a disciple of Jesus in the new millennium, I/we pledge to:

_ Pray regularly for greater justice and peace.

_ Learn more about Catholic social teaching and its call to protect human life, stand with the poor, and care for creation.

_ Reach across boundaries of religion, race, ethnicity, gender, and disabling conditions.

_ Live justly in family life, school, work, the marketplace, and the political arena.

_ Serve those who are poor and vulnerable, sharing more time and talent.

_ Give more generously to those in need at home and abroad.

_ Advocate public policies that protect human life, promote human dignity, preserve God’s creation, and build peace.

_ Encourage others to work for greater charity, justice, and peace.” The reference to learning more about Catholic social teaching causes me to pause _ pause about the tradition of Southern Baptist moral reflection.

Most often we issue hurriedly and reactively written multi-paragraphed, non-binding resolutions that are contested. Upon their approval, these resolutions are quickly ignored by opponents and rigidly enforced by proponents. So much for thoughtful moral teaching!

Add to this problem a decade-old trend within Southern Baptist life that seeks solutions to social issues in the arena of politics, instead of houses of worship.

As one who gained from the bishops’ pastoral letters on peace and economics, I treasure their incisive social analysis, thoughtful moral reflection and well-crafted language. Their focus on commonplace life gives the Bible’s call for justice renewed traction for change.

For much of the 20th century, Christian ethics has centered on the large issues: war, world hunger, the global environment, race and abortion. These dramatic issues grab the headlines and fill libraries with books.

Consequently, the ethical aspects in everyday life _ teaching children empathy, balancing competing priorities and giving an honest day’s work for fair pay _ tend to receive far less attention.

Furthermore, because many of us have a difficult time connecting commonplace life to the larger issues, and vice versa, we disconnect seemingly routine and mundane activities from Christianity’s social mission on global concerns.

Like the bishops, others within the Christian community recognize this problem. For example, an ecumenical group has produced”Practicing Our Faith,”a book seeking to make faith relevant to daily life through practices such as keeping the Sabbath, offering hospitality and practicing discernment. Even the populist _ and commercial _”What Would Jesus Do?”bracelets represent a deep hunger for applying faith during the workday on Main Street.

What makes the bishops’ contribution pivotal is their influence and reach.

They remind us that social justice advances or retreats depending on our everyday decisions. Then, they offer a clear road map for the journey toward justice. Hooray for the Catholic bishops!

DEA END PARHAM