Last Human Rights Class

Yesterday I taught my last class for the semester. Crazy!

Our last class session was a lot of fun. I have been teaching International Human Rights this semester. For most of the course we examined the leading human rights conventions and mechanisms to enforce human rights.

Today we took a step back to evaluate what we have seen. We asked and debated broad questions: What is good and bad in the human rights movement today? What is the best means of enforcing human rights? What is the role of a Christian lawyer in the world of international human rights?

These are not easy questions. Personally, I am thankful for the human rights movement. It stands in opposition to the positivist idea that a government has unchecked power over its own citizens—an idea that eventually leads to the conclusion that might makes right. The movement declares that human beings are unique and have a dignity that does not come from government; it comes from our very natures. As Christians, we know this to be true because we are created in the image of God. And government power is limited because that power is delegated by God.

Unfortunately, the movement today has shifted from its origins in some significant and dangerous ways. The movement began by promoting fundamental and universal rights that are basic to every human being regardless of place, time, and culture. But today the movement frequently uses the language of human rights simply to push the social agenda of an influential elite. Documents intended to enshrine fundamental values are treated as living documents. Rights and their definitions change with the political winds.

In Europe, the powerful and relatively effective European Court of Human Rights frequently decides the content of supposedly fundamental human rights by determining what the European consensus is on the issue—or even more dangerously, what current international trends suggest. This was the analysis that led the Court to conclude, for example, that there is a fundamental human right for a transgendered individual to change her birth certificate to reflect her new sexual identity. We are far from the movement’s origins indeed!

Is there any role for Christian lawyers in this movement today? Absolutely! I encouraged the students to:

1. Be a voice for truth within international organizations like the UN, the Council of Europe, and the Organization of American States. These powerful and important organizations need to be reminded that rights must be grounded in The Right—and that fundamental rights should not vacillate with opinion polls or the latest social theory.
   
   
2. Protect the poor and the oppressed, whether through international enforcement mechanisms or not. God urges us: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Proverbs 31:8-9.

I can’t wait to see how God uses these students to serve others and advance his kingdom in the years to come.