Friends of Maston consider biblical principles of engagement

“It’s important to be a prophetic voice and to think about how we want to engage in the public square, but it also matters how we do it,” Katie Frugé, director of Texas Baptists’ Christian Life Commission, told those gathered Feb. 28 for the Maston Friends Reunion in Richardson.

“Christians are naturally drawn to the public square,” Frugé asserted. “What is our approach, what is our posture as we do that?” she asked.

The Baptist General Convention of Texas president appointed a committee in 1949 to consider establishing an agency to address moral and ethical issues. Christian ethicist and seminary professor T.B. Maston chaired that committee, which recommended in 1950 the formation of the Christian Life Commission.

The CLC director is a named member of the T.B. Maston Foundation board.

“We should be marked in behavior and approach by something different, that we look different from the world,” Frugé said.

“It’s not just the ‘what’ of what we’re engaging, but it’s how we do and why we engage it,” she added.

“The bottom line … expectation of the children of God” is captured in Scripture such as Proverbs 14:31, Isaiah 1:17and Mathew 25:31-46, Frugé explained.

How Christians engage

Quoting former CLC Director Phil Strickland, Frugé said: “For Christians to withdraw themselves from the world of politics is poor strategy. It leaves salt in the saltshaker.”

Matthew 5:13-16 suggests three principles for how Christians can approach public and political engagement, she said.

1. Engage with purpose.

Noting “salt enhances and preserves,” Frugé said Christians’ engagement “shouldn’t be reckless, reactionary or for personal gain,” but should bring “truth and hope”

Often, “people who claim the name of Christ are too salty or not salty enough,” Frugé said, saying Christians need to keep 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 in mind: “If I [have every spiritual gift], but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.”

“I think there’s a lot of clanging cymbals going around right now,” Frugé said. “If we look at the world of engagement … so much of it, I think, just turns into unmeaningful noise.”

As Christians engage issues, they need to do it “in a way that brings enhancement, preserving what is good, bringing hope, bringing grace, bringing justice, into the cultural conversation,” Frugé contended. They also should avoid “the clanging cymbals,” she added.

2. Engage with passion.

Christians should shine as light shines, Frugé said.

To meet a growing sense of weariness and apathy among those in younger generations who question why they even should try, Frugé challenged Christians to show them “there is something worth caring for, something bigger than us.”

At the same time, this “passion for truth” must “be paired with respect and civility, she said, as Peter instructs in 1 Peter 3:15-17: “… do this with gentleness and respect.”

Being passionate about the truth doesn’t mean compromising our witness, Frugé counseled. Since so many in the world are engaging the issues without gentleness or respect, Christians following biblical principles will be noticed for acting differently.

3. Engage with priorities.

“Not every debate is worth engaging. Some are just distractions,” especially in the digital arena, Frugé said.

Just as the ancients argued about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, there are modern-day equivalents, she noted. Likewise, some argue “about things that aren’t even real,” such as fake photos or videos created by artificial intelligence.

Christians should follow James’ instruction to “be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (James 1:19), Frugé said.

Additionally, Micah 6:8 is “the guard rail, … the north star” for Christian engagement, she said.

Micah is an analog to the current day, Frugé contended.

“We definitely have government and institutional leaders who are perfectly fine exploiting the poor, taking advantage of the vulnerable,” she said.

“We see spiritual leaders who are willing to take compromises and take the advantages of political power and influence and be able to sell it for pennies on the dollar,” she added.

Through Micah, God told his people: “You know what to do. You know what I’ve asked you to do. … I want my people to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly. And that’s really the redemptive arc of the story … come back to this. This is what your focus is supposed to be. [And] that is our call as well,” Frugé said.

Why Christians engage

Matthew 22:35-40 explains why Christians should engage in the public square—to love God and love people, Frugé said.

The Christian’s “ultimate purpose is Christ,” Frugé asserted. Therefore, Christians’ “engagement is not about building influence or winning debate. It’s not to advance our position. It’s a commitment to the kingdom of God above all else,” she added.

The gospel and the kingdom of heaven must remain central, Frugé said. While “the gospel is inherently political, … it’s never partisan,” nor is it “a tool for our political or personal gain,” she said.

“When the gospel, the kingdom of heaven is weaponized for political or partisan gain, it’s irreversibly compromised. It’s no longer the life-giving, truth-speaking message of the King and the kingdom of heaven,” Frugé contended.

Christian engagement is “only so that others could come to know Christ and him crucified,” Frugé said, tying this to the Christian’s commitment to the kingdom of heaven over any institution.

“Know where your loyalties lie, and don’t doubt that,” she said, quoting Ferrell Foster, former director of ethics and justice for the Texas Baptists’ Christian Life Commission.

Furthermore, “our engagement is ultimately a spiritual battle,” Frugé said, citing Ephesians 6:12.

“We need to stop dehumanizing everyone and ‘the other,’” she said. “There’s a lot of dehumanization going on out there. … When we normalize dehumanizing behavior, it starts to create permission structures both mentally and [socially] to treat people as less-than. There is rampant dehumanization going on right now that should be very concerning to all of us.”

In contrast, Christians must treat people as image-bearers of God rather than personal enemies.

“Right now, there is a push to try to separate the Christian faith from Christian practice, and our role is to say, ‘Absolutely not,’” Frugé asserted.

“[These] are two sides of the same coin. You cannot separate these. No matter what governmental agencies or anything like that might want to say, faith and practice are two sides of the Christian witness. We’re going to hold to that, even if there are consequences or what may come.

“Our role ultimately is citizens of heaven, and so, we’re going to continue doing what the church has been committed to doing for 2,000 years.”

Addressing racism biblically

During the Maston Friends Reunion, several acknowledged T.B. Maston perhaps is best known for his views on racism and segregation. Maston’s first book on race, Of One: A study of Christian principles and race relations, was published in 1946, Kristopher Norris noted.

Norris described three dimensions of white supremacy: privilege, perspective and practices. Privilege refers to the material advantages white people have. Perspective refers to the universal normativity granted whiteness. Practices refers to culturally guided behaviors.

Drawing from Black theologian James Cone’s use of Mark 8:34, Norris contended racism must be confronted on three levels: remembrance, repentance and reparation.

Remembrance involves denying oneself by acknowledging the wrongs done. Repentance entails taking up one’s cross through public acts of contrition. Reparation means following Jesus, who demonstrated solidarity with the vulnerable and harmed.

Zacchaeus, who publicly pledged to “give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount,” offers a biblical example (Luke 19:1-10), Norris suggested.

Norris recently completed his service on the T.B. Maston Foundation board, is flourishing director for The Shalom Project in Winston-Salem, N.C., and is author of Witnessing Whiteness: Confronting White Supremacy in the American Church.