History of the Christian Life Commission
Since 1950, the Christian Life Commission (CLC)
has served as the ethics agency of the Baptist General Convention of
Texas. The CLC has the assignment of speaking to, but not
for, churches and individuals about important ethical
issues--family life, citizenship, religious liberty, ethnic
reconciliation, faith in the workplace, hunger and poverty, substance
abuse, environmental justice, war and peace, sexuality, abortion,
pornography, media ethics, gambling, bioethics--the list goes on.
Speaking To But Not For
Speaking to but not for is the product of both CLC history and
Baptist polity. In the late 1940’s, T.B. Maston and other Texas Baptists
who were instrumental in establishing the CLC determined that helping
Baptists deal with critical issues was inherently a prophetic assignment.
For example, the CLC could not possibly speak an authentic word against
the racism of the 1950’s on the basis of the majority opinion of Texas
Baptists at that time. The CLC had to have the mandate of speaking
to critical issues on the basis of the gospel in a manner which
was independent of the consensus or majority opinion. This particular
aspect of the CLC’s role is not only a matter of adopting a sensible and
workable strategy, but also of remaining faithful to Baptist polity. True
to the Baptist distinctives of soul freedom, priesthood of the believer, and congregational church governance, no
one Baptist can speak for another.
CLC Resources
The CLC provides resources on issues in several
ways: conferences, periodicals, print literature, associational and local
church emphases, audio-visual programming, curricula, consulting networks
and ministry teams. We are proactive and reactive in communicating to Texas Baptists. We send print
resources, conference promotions, and other programming information to
churches. We also respond to numerous inquiries
from churches and individuals about critical issues.
Each year, the CLC sponsors a statewide conference which focuses on
ethical issues. Recent themes include: “Citizenship for the Common
Good,” “The Moral Vision of Scripture,” “Families of
God,” “Christian Character,” and “Faithful Freedom:
Religious Liberty in the New Millennium.”
The CLC also resources Texas Baptists on ethical issues through
consultations and partnership networks. We receive frequent and regular
communications from churches and individuals regarding specific areas of
need and interest and respond to these interactions with appropriate
counsel and tangible resources. The CLC also serves Texas Baptists
regarding a number of issues (e.g., family life, substance abuse) through
networks of trained consultants and colleagues around the
state.
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