ACLF News

From Opacity to Transparency

ACLF Conference - 17 March 2007

Notes on the talk given by Stephen Belling

Stephen Belling, by way of introduction, explained the issue of integrity relates to "who we are" and what we do". We need to consider this issue within the Gospel framework and our commission to be good news, salt and light and the fragrance of Christ wherever we are, whatever the time. We need to consider the issue of integrity within ourselves and within our work places and specifically within our organisations, with our clients, within our profession and within the spheres of influence we have. We need to consider what "nobbles" us and what resources us.

Having identified the issues, Stephen Belling then went onto say that he proposed to look at the example of Daniel and to consider how considering the book of Daniel can help us as we consider Daniel’s "milestone" challenges, Daniel’s responses to those challenges, and Daniel’s general attitude of mind.

Stephen Belling identified 6 challenges in Daniel’s career which are spread across his entire working life.

Challenge 1

Daniel (in training) addressing dietary issues. Daniel’s response to this challenge was to face the challenge, to consider the issue, to be decisive, and to be constructive in his response to the challenge.

Challenge 2

Daniel, (as though he was "newly qualified!") was faced with the challenge of interpreting the first dream. He sought help from his companions and prayed.

Challenge 3

Daniel and his peers faced the problem of bowing down to the statue and the threat of the fiery furnace and their response was to take a stand in trust and faith.

Challenge 4

Daniel was now in an established position and his response to the challenge was cautious, sensitive, but clear.

Challenge 5

Daniel (mid career) was faced with a new challenge. An opportunity came his way but with strings attached. By now Daniel was able to be steady, clear and authoritative.

Challenge 6

Daniel was in a senior position and that senior position attracted envy, false accusation and false jealousy. Daniel was called onto exercise quick judgement and supreme trust.

Stephen Belling pointed to lessons that could be learnt from the following chapters of the book of Daniel which are less often considered but which can give a lot of clues as to the ability of Daniel to be able to cope with the various challenges throughout his career. The following chapters show Daniel meditating on scripture, praying, humbling himself, exercising spiritual disciplines, handling God’s revelation, grappling with understanding God’s purposes, growing in understanding and recovering. It is clear from these chapters that for Daniel to maintain his integrity and his relationship with God was at times exhausting.

So how does the example of Daniel help us maintain our integrity? Stephen Belling summarised we should expect to have our integrity challenged. However, we need not panic, the value of scripture and spiritual discipline will come to the fore, we must stay constant. Keep our feet on the ground and exercise faith and trust in our heavenly Father.

Stephen then presented us with 4 questions for group discussions.

1. What threatens our integrity?
2. What can give us confidence?
3. What encouragement do we get from Daniel’s world?
4. What stories can we share which will encourage others?

1. Various discussions took place regarding what threatens our integrity. Answers included our own laziness, exhaustion, carelessness brought on by the pace and pressure of life, pressures from others in the business world wanting us to compromise or turn a blind eye so that things can "run more smoothly", small compromises leading to expectations on the part of clients and others that we will make further and bigger compromises. Small compromises becoming habit forming and inuring the consciences against issues of integrity. Dick Vooght shared a verse from Songs of Solomon which summed this up quite memorably when he said "it is the little foxes that destroy the vineyard”. Integrity was felt to be threatened when we factor out God’s involvement in the world and we feel the need to chase the money at the expense of our principles and integrity. It was felt that the Law Society in weakening certain regulations has made the playing field uneven and encouraged firms to compromise on their integrity particularly in the area of referral fees. Our ability to retain our integrity can be jeopardised by our reliance for example on one large client on whom the existence of the business depends.
2. We concluded that our primary confidence rests in God and his promises and his faithfulness. A view of God’s history of dealing with his people and in particularly with ourselves as his people and as his people in legal practice is the best source of confidence.
3. It is comforting to know that nothing has really changed over the centuries. The people of God are always under pressure to compromise, to fit in, and it’s never easy to swim against the tide. It was tough for Daniel and led him into life threatening situations. It was exhausting for Daniel to maintain his spiritual discipline and his integrity. There is a gritty reality to Daniel’s life where every step of his career is dogged by issues and the ups and downs of his personal position as his rulers change. At the same time there seems to be an increasing authority growing in Daniel and increasing confidence from his developing relationship with God. A quality to his life and conduct which results in the conclusion in Daniel 6 v 4 that nothing untrustworthy or dishonest can be found in his conduct and when after years of service and meeting challenges and maintaining his integrity he is faced with perhaps the greatest of all when he is to be sacrificed to the lions he is then able to stand fast.
4. One particular encouragement again came from Dick Vooght and this was to refer to Revelation 22 v 2 where in a picture of the heavenly city there is a description of the tree of life bearing 12 crops of fruit yielding its fruit every month, a symbol of God’s provision and the removal of God’s curse on work and the assurance therefore that the world of work with its consistent pressures to compromise is not as it should be nor as it will be.



Working Models or Modelling Clay?

Our faith – is it a private affair or a public obligation?

ACLF Conference - 18 March 2006

Notes on the talk given by Frank Price

Frank Price started off with a story about a police cadet who, in an exam, was asked a question what he would do when faced simultaneously with a variety of challenges, various crimes, people in difficulty etc, to which the police cadet replied that he would "take off his uniform and mingle with the crowd". Frank Price challenged us whether this is how we respond as Christians, and in our case as Christian lawyers, to the challenges that we face. Frank Price then took us to the book of Daniel Chapter 1 and the story of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah who were taken captive by the Babylonians and transported from Judah to Babylon.

1. Away from home (v 1-3)

King Jehoiakim of Judah was a descendant of King David and as such the inheritor of God’s promises to King David, God’s covenant with King David that his line would last forever. However, the situation had gone pear-shaped for the people of God. What did that mean for God’s promises to King David? King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was in effect saying that my god (for King Nebuchadnezzar that meant himself) is stronger than Yahweh the God of Judah. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were now in exile how could this have happened? Despite the apparent contradiction, their exile was still part of God’s plan. Verse 2 makes it clear that it was the Lord who was acting. For Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah they had to trust God even though they were far away from home, removed from the promised land which was the place where they believed God would bless his people. Similarly, for us our citizenship is in heaven. We are living away from home. We should not be surprised if we are ignored or mistreated. This is part of normal Christian experience. It may not have been normal Christian experience for 150 years or so, but that has been the exception and not the rule.

2. Pressure to conform (v 4-7)

The pressure was on for Daniel and the others to conform to the Babylonian society in which they were now living and working.

Education (v4)

Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were being taught in a very foreign culture, the Babylonian world. The education they were being given was from a particular world view, entirely inconsistent with their world view as part of the people of God. The world in which we live and the messages we are taught come, either consciously or unconsciously, from people with a different world view. For example the idea of retributive justice has been rubbished by legal theorists but the Bible is very keen on the concept of justice. We can expect any views which are based upon a biblical world view to be challenged or dismissed.

Bribery and Flattery (v 5)

Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were offered special privileges including the opportunity to eat at the King’s table. Status is important and the subliminal message to Daniel and his friends was that they could have had all the status and privilege they wanted if they towed the line. The same pressure is on us, we could have status and position all the more if only we were more cut throat, less understanding, less prepared to give people a second chance.

Identity (v 6-7)

The pressure was on Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah not to stand out as Jews but to blend in. Their names identified them as Jewish and as servants of God. The names were taken away from them and they were given Babylonian names. In other words they were asked not to stand out and be different, but to be like everyone else around them. If they wanted to be Jewish they had to keep it to themselves. The world is making the same request of us. If you want to be Christian, just keep it to yourself. It is not acceptable to be different.

3. Make a stand (v 8)

Daniel found an excuse or an opportunity to simply identify himself as different. The issue of the food was not necessarily a particularly important issue. It was only significant because it was the point at which Daniel decided he could make a stand. We need to consider in what ways the practices of our firms are different. These differences may only be small and not always obvious but they must be there. The challenge is to be different and to be distinctive. The issue that Daniel chose to make a stand over was not an issue which would obviously cause offence, whereas he could have objected to the more obviously significant change of name. In other words Daniel did not go out of his way to be awkward or offensive. Simply where he could, he made the point that there was something special about him. We need to consider as member firms with regard to our relations internally with other members of staff, with clients and with professional contacts where and how are we going to be distinctive "Only a live fish can swim against the current".

4. Because God rules (v 9-19)

Why was it important that Daniel made a stand? Behind the immediate issues Daniel faced, he understood that God was working and that God was in control of the situation. This meant that Daniel and his friends came first among the students even though they had maintained their distinctiveness. In fact they were 10 times better. Wouldn’t it be great if it was the same for us that our distinctiveness was recognised as making us 10 times better? Daniel and his friends were not 10 times better because of their own cleverness but as in verse 17 because God gave them understanding. If we are to be better it will be because God has given us this. Do we ask for it? This is an answer to people who would wish us to treat our Christian faith as just a hobby. Because we believe God rules over everything we do, Christianity can not be just a hobby, it has to affect all aspects of our life. Because God rules over everything we do, it would be foolish to ignore that, for example, to believe and to act as though the outcome of any particular case or any matter was all down to the Judge or to the strength of an argument. We recognise that God is involved in the outcome of matters.

5. God will prevail (v 2)

Daniel could trust in God in a foreign land because he knew that God was sovereign and that God would work His purposes out. In fact, Daniel outlives the Babylonian Empire and we have a much greater and surer hope. Ultimately, our work and indeed our lives are only a season and we must remember "when we have been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing His praise, than when we first begun".

Summary

What does this mean for us?

1. We should expect misunderstanding and mistreatment, we are living in a foreign land.
2. We should expect to experience pressure to conform. The world has its own view and agenda which is contrary to and often diametrically opposed to the Christian’s world view and agenda.
3. We need to make a stand. We need to be distinct, we need to be different but we do not need to be annoying or offensive.
4. We need to recognise that God is at work in this world. The world is not out of control or running to its own agenda despite appearances to the contrary.

God will prevail and He will work his purposes out. He will redeem his people. We have a hope and a future that rust and moth can not tarnish or destroy.