RIVERSIDE (Feb. 21, 2014)—Ken Wytsma, founder of The Justice Conference, challenged audience members at California Baptist University to give their lives away to achieve true justice in the world.

"Everyone wants to be justice heroes," said Ken Wytsma, "but what we really need to be is a faithful and just people."

Wytsma was guest speaker Feb. 19-20 at California Baptist University's 2014 Christ and Culture Lectures. He is president of Kilns College and lead pastor of Antioch Church, both in Bend, Ore., as well as author of the book Pursuing Justice: The Call to Live and Die for Bigger Things.

He explained that justice is rooted in the character of God and requires action, not just words.

"Jesus isn't calling us to only give our words away. He wants us to give our lives away," Wytsma said. "Giving our lives away as Jesus calls us to do requires an understanding of justice."

He said that justice is really all about sentiment and emotion but that by giving, as opposed to receiving, and serving instead of waiting to be served, the human soul benefits.

"Everyone is going to have different opportunities and different interests," he said, "but God can ask us to use our unique talents and passions and experiences to pursue justice."

Wytsma said we are never closer to God than when we pursue justice by serving others.

"When we slow down, engage and are able to enter into the pain and suffering of other people, justice can follow," he said. "That often occurs when our empathy is kindled."

CBU's Christ and Culture Lectures are presented each year to examine how Christianity and culture intersect.