Disciples ‘Advocate for Truth and for Righteousness,’ says President Johnson to Law Professionals

This story appears here courtesy of TheChurchNews.com. It is not for use by other media.

By Joel Randall, Church News

Thinking about oneself and others as children of God affects how disciples of Christ fulfill their responsibility as an advocate, said President Camille N. Johnson while addressing legal professionals and students on Thursday, October 26.

At a networking social for the S.J. Quinney chapter of the worldwide J. Reuben Clark Law Society, President Johnson, Relief Society General President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, recounted a ministry visit to South America. In September 2022, she met with Claudia Martinez, minister of women in the Argentine province of Córdoba, and explained why Latter-day Saints call others “brother” and “sister.”

“I said, ‘It’s because we know that we’re all children of a loving Heavenly Father.’ And then we said to her, ‘What difference do you think it would make if the women who are sheltering here right now and their children knew that they were also children of God?’”

Martinez got the most serene look on her face, said President Johnson. “You could just see the Light of Christ in [her as she realized] what a difference it would make if those people understood who they were.”

Speaking at the S.J. Quinney College of Law Building at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, President Johnson emphasized that disciples of Christ can become better advocates by loving one another and developing the Christlike attribute of meekness.

Previously, President Johnson worked more than 30 years as a lawyer, most recently as the president of Snow Christensen & Martineau law firm in Salt Lake City.

Church News President Johnson and President Porter travel to South America, meet with government leaders and members

Serving as Advocates in the Savior’s Way

President Johnson said that of the several titles to which legal professionals are referred, perhaps the sweetest is “advocate.”

This role of advocate is also a title of the Savior Jesus Christ, who said, “I am ... your advocate with the Father” (Doctrine and Covenants 29:5).

“It seems significant to be referred to by a name also given to the Savior,” said President Johnson. “Of course, we do not advocate with the Father, but we do advocate the cause of Jesus Christ and of His Church. We have the opportunity to advocate for truth and for righteousness.”

How can disciples of Christ serve as advocates? “As in all things, we try to be like Jesus. ... As we try to ... serve as advocates in the Savior’s way, we will try to be like Him. He’s always the answer.”

Church News President Russell M. Nelson: ‘The Answer Is Always Jesus Christ’

Steve Glauser, a Salt Lake City resident and attorney who graduated from George Washington University Law School in 2015, said President Johnson’s remarks were exactly what he needed after a day of litigating for nine hours.

He learned that as an advocate, “there comes some responsibility there, where I need to represent who I am ... as a disciple of Jesus Christ, and I need to make sure that I’m Christlike in all of my interactions in my professional career.”

President Johnson shared that key objectives in advocacy are found in two refrains of the Primary hymn “I’m Trying To Be Like Jesus”: “Love one another as Jesus loves you” and “Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought.”

Loving as Jesus Loves

A lawyer herself, President Johnson has sought to find common ground with opposing counsel.

“Treating them as children of God made a difference in the way I approached my work,” she said. “[This perspective] helped me navigate the natural conflicts in practicing law.”

Church News 9 quotes by President Johnson on her birthday

Madelyn Blanchard from Lehi, Utah — who graduated from BYU’s law school in 2017 and now works in the college’s Office of the General Counsel — said she will remember in her profession “that the person on the other side of the table is a child of a loving Heavenly Father, just like me.”

Kenna Matthews, a University of Utah student from South Jordan, Utah, studying criminology, found it reassuring that legal professionals can both follow their passions and advocate for others: “The Spirit taught me tonight that Jesus Christ is supporting us in our desires.”

President Johnson said, “As advocates of the cause of Christ, we’re going to love one another as Jesus loves us ... and treat them as children of God who are fellow travelers on this journey we’re all taking back home.”

‘He Is Our Perfect Example of Meekness’

The Savior characterized Himself as meek, saying, “For I am meek” (Matthew 11:29).

President Johnson said, “Clearly, that attribute is one worth cultivating if the Savior mentions it specifically in describing Himself.”

One scriptural example of meekness is Pahoran, a chief judge in the Book of Mormon. After Captain Moroni’s army suffered from lack of government support, he wrote to Pahoran “by the way of condemnation” (Alma 60:2).

Yet instead of getting defensive, Pahoran responded with meekness. He wrote back to Moroni, “I am not angry, but do rejoice in the greatness of your heart” (Alma 61:9).

“Pahoran took the long view,” said President Johnson. “He was thinking celestial, wasn’t he? He exercised broad perspective in addressing Moroni’s accusations, he employed self-restraint, and he had cultivated the Christlike attribute of meekness.”

Disciples can look to Christ for strength to be meek. President Johnson said, “He performed the infinite Atonement, declaring to the Father, ‘Not my will, but thine, be done’ (Luke 22:42). He is our perfect example of meekness.”

Copyright 2023 Deseret News Publishing Company.