This conference is impressive, and so heartening (more on that later).  But some thoughts on the opening plenary session.  A note about scope:  several thousand people in the Philadelphia Convention Center (the majority quite on the younger side) from around the country and 20 other countries, over 200 exhibitors and simulcast to 17 locations around the US.  The first session opened like a rock concert, then turned to worship and then the speaking.

An old friend Shane Claiborne started rightly by honoring some local heroes (and ‘sheroes’!) of Philly, those who have served the marginalized here for decades.  They are saints, ‘handkerchiefs dropped from heaven by God with his aroma’, and this should not let us off the hook in seeking to be saints in our own way.  It’s not about being who they are, but who you are.  It always moving to see those who have soldiered/served in the trenches for so long so honored.

Then Ken Wytsma opened it up.  He’s founder of The Justice Conference and President of Kilns College, pastor of a church plant and father of four daughters.  That’s pretty impressive, as was his talk.  What follows is some quotes and key ideas.

• “When you study about God you learn about justice and when you study justice you learn about God”
• “Justice is not just a good thing…it’s a necessary thing”
• “ ‘Just’ as a character trait…as some of have been named, ie ‘Peter the Just’ in Lewis’ Narnia”
• “It’s not about being heroic, it’s about being faithful”
• Quoting Brennan Manning “The temptation of our age is to look good without being good.”  So regarding this, Wytsma says “It’s not about doing justice, but being just”
• Real conversations about justice that need to be had in the US today:  Native American issues; inner-city issues…we need to be honest about these issues so that we can honestly engage in more global issues.  In other words, working on fixing our own house first in order to work on other houses.
• Proverbs 2.2 ‘With humility comes wisdom’
• Quoting CS Lewis, “Real humility is not about being dishonest about your strengths, but being honest about your weaknesses.”
• We don’t give enough due to the role of lament in our worship.
• Quoting Jim Collins:  “the good is often the enemy of the great”, because when you reach good, it feels like enough, and you don’t keep on striving for great.  Regarding this conversation Wytsma applied it… it’s good to do justice, but it’s great be just, and simply doing justice is not the same as being just.