Christians and Lawsuits

Pastor Brian Croft has an interesting and helpful post over at PracticalShepherding:

Some good thoughts there. Definitely worth your read.

Of course it reminded me of Appendix D in Ken Sande’s, The Peacemaker, “When Is It Right to Go to Court”? Oh! If you are ever faced with the difficult (and often frightening, exhausting, and expensive) situation of being sued, I urge you to get Ken’s book. This Appendix alone is worth the price of the book.

Out of curiosity, after I read Pastor Croft’s article, I did a little google searching on the topic just to see what was “out there.” Boy. The results were not encouraging. I’d link you to some just to show you some bad application of Scripture (in both directions—“Sure, sue!” and “Court is NEVER appropriate!”), but I don’t even want to point you to them.

Back in the “biblical” and “helpful” category, however, John Piper had a tiny little article on the topic here:

And of course, JD/MBA that I am, I never tire of reading the Institute for Christian Conciliation’s Rules of Procedure and Frequently Asked Questions. (If memory serves me right, FAQ #22 is the one that is on point to this topic. Ahhhhh … Just a little flash of old Tara brain lighting up there thinking about Civil Procedure and rules of evidence, etc. etc.)

I’ll give Ken Sande the last word with his concluding paragraph from Appendix D:

“Since every conflict is somewhat unique, it is impossible to address every question that might arise when a matter may be headed toward court. Moreover, as Jesus warned, it is important not to get caught up in a multitude of detailed and legalistic rules. Instead, you should pay attention to the basic principles set forth in Scripture and focus on what our Lord called ‘the more important matters of law—justice, mercy and faithfulness’ (Matt. 23:23; cf. Micah 6:8 ). One way to apply these principles when you are trying to decide whether or not to go to court is to remember that you are a steward of Christ and to ask yourself, ‘Would my Master be pleased and honored if I use my time and resources to pursue this matter in court?'”

A good word.

If every Christian lived by that standard, not just for court, but for all conflicts, Peacemaker Ministries would happily be out of work.