By BJC Staff Reports
This fall, the Baptist Joint Committee is sponsoring a new lecture event with a focus on social justice, featuring two presentations from Judge Wendell Griffen.
On Nov. 12-13, Griffen will deliver lectures on the campus of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. Over the course of two days, he will examine the interplay of religious liberty and equal protection as well as issues of pastoral leadership and congregational discipleship.
This year’s event will be the first of a series of lectures designed to increase the demographic reach of the BJC. Each series will be on a different campus, bringing religious liberty discussions and the BJC to diverse communities.
“Religious liberty is a social justice issue, and Judge Griffen is uniquely poised to give students a foundation for understanding the moral imperative of justice in combination with religious liberty,” according to Charles Watson Jr., the BJC’s Education and Outreach Specialist. “We are excited to partner with Fuller and take a BJC event to their campus for the first time.”
Griffen is pastor of New Millennium Church in Little Rock, Arkansas; CEO and owner of Griffen Strategic Consulting, PLLC; and Circuit Judge for the 6th Judicial District of Arkansas, 5th Division. He frequently lectures and writes about legal ethics and professionalism, religion and social justice, and public policy.
Griffen grew up in Arkansas and attended racially segregated public schools. He earned a political science degree from the University of Arkansas in 1973 and a law degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1979. Between college and law school, he served in the United States Army, attaining the rank of 1st Lieutenant. Before his honorable discharge, Griffen headed the Race Relations/Equal Opportunity Office for the 43d General Support Group at Fort Carson, Colorado, and was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for that service.
After law school, Griffen represented clients in business and tort litigation for 15 years and served as Chairman of the Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission after being appointed to that post by Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton. He served as a judge on the Arkansas Court of Appeals and was elected Circuit Judge for the 5th Division of the 6th Judicial District in November 2010. He has presided over civil and criminal cases since Jan. 1, 2011.
The BJC’s Lectures on Social Justice and Religious Liberty will be free and open to the public. More details will be announced in coming months. You can find the latest information about the event online at BJConline.org/FullerLectures.
From the June 2015 Report from the Capital. Click here to read the next story.
