Clean Christians

Do you rulers indeed speak justly?
Do you judge people with equity? (Ps 58:1 NIV)

There is risk.
There is no reward.
But it has to be said.

A surgeon ignores the patient’s occupation before he approaches the operating table.
It is professional.
It is expected, some say noble.

A defense lawyer ignores the accused’s race to seek to get an acquittal.
It’s professional.
It is expected, some say noble.

A fireman still rescues criminals.
A priest still hears confession from killers.
A teacher still teaches gangster students.

These are all professional behaviours we have come to expect.
Anything less is not tolerated.
Praise is unnecessary.
Like they say: we are just doing our job.

No quarrel with that.
Job is job.
Just check all prejudices at the door.

But what about when they are just sipping coffee in Starbucks or having a meal in Fouquet's ?

It is here I do wish to engage our thoughts to ponder these questions:

“Should these professionals keep their views on right/wrong, black/white, blue/yellow, solely to themselves, even when they are not discharging the above mentioned duties?”
Most would answer in the negatory.
So long as they continue to discharge their duties professionally and with honor.
No one would expect the fact they have a professional job to do will forever disqualify them from holding or repressing their views.
No one expects a professional could only hold or express his view on anything until they are retired!
To expect that would be unacceptable.

Actors can lobby for the environment or human rights.
Professional athletes can do for racial injustice.
So doctors, lawyers, teachers, and priests, can and by extension of what’s been laid out above, are expected to be unmuted in all that there is in the society!
Anything less is too unacceptable.

Why then the eerie silence in Hong Kong from priests, Protestant in particular, on matters of blatant injustice and overreach of police powers?
But leave the ministers alone. That has been briefly broached in “Clean Church” and “Clean Para-church”.

Leave also the Christian senior officials alone. They have been asked to stand up a couple of years ago to resign. Only Joshua Law left. The other three: Nip, Yau and Chan still hanging around. Money and power to these are sweeter than honey is to bees.

Focus just on the legal profession for this discussion.

Surely there must be one or two lawyers in HK who require no further evidence to conclude that police powers are exercised unevenly, prosecutorial negligence are increasing, and court decisions and arguments are contorted and not in line with the common law?
Why is it that individual lawyers, and associations kept quiet?
Why is it that Christian lawyers who have an extra obligation to speak up for truth and justice didn’t?

Let’s concede that to making or sustaining a living, or to saving one’s hide.
Granted. Do your job first.

But what is to prevent any collective voice to speak for the oppressed, even to press for sanctions by professional bodies?
What’s to stop conscientious Christian lawyers from adopting a well accepted approach to pressure for sanction of un-professional behaviours in membership?

A physician shown to apply fake medications will surely be investigated and struck off the register by the medical council. Or if he molests patients.

An engineer signs for jobs he has never had any involvement in will no doubt lose his professional license.
Or if he switches unacceptable materials for specified ones.

Why shouldn’t a prosecutor who repeatedly takes cases of fake witnesses to courts without due diligence, be removed from membership roll of legal societies, whether it is UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, or Commonwealth?
Or if he seeks further to court dates because he has to prepare briefing materials to substantiate charges, after having locked a few dozen people up for over a year.

Why shouldn’t likewise a magistrate or judge be struck off or debarred from similar professional bodies?

What is to stopping a HK Christian lawyer from, in their private capacity, work with like-minded international members to bring about sanctions?
Not necessarily for exacting revenge.
Just for tightening up professional qualities.
Just for upholding the name of the respective institutions.
Shouldn’t it be a professional obligation?
Shouldn’t it be a Christian obligation for a Christian lawyer?
Why stay muted?
Why wash your hands clean?

Then people will say,
“Surely the righteous still are rewarded;
surely there is a God who judges the earth.” (Ps 58:11, NIV)