God's joust, God's justice : law and religion in the Western tradition / John Witte, Jr.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Witte, John, Jr., 1959-

Series:

Emory University studies in law and religion

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Religion and law.

Human rights--Religious aspects.

Human rights.

Physical Description:

xiv, 498 pages ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Grand Rapids, Mich. : William B. Eerdmans Pub., 2006.

Summary:

As players in the drama of human society, we are only dimly aware of the whole sweep of the story. While savage excess occasionally prevails, we still struggle to reflect God's image and order in our societies.

Using law and religion as a pair of lenses, John Witte expertly surveys the stormy yet lush landscape of the western tradition. After a concise history of rights in the west, he then focuses on a diverse yet coherent series of landmarks, from Luther's "Freedom of a Christian" to contemporary Russian religious freedom, from battles over the First Amendment to the ongoing importance of marriage. Throughout, Witte's reflections center on the constant tension between religion and law, between church and state.

God's Joust, God's Justice" provides a clear vista of the debates over law and religion in the west, enabling readers to competently proceed towards a more integrated understanding of these foundational elements of western democracy.

Contents:

pt. I. Law, religion, and human rights. A short history of Western rights ; Freedom of a Christian: human dignity, liberty, and equality in the theology of Martin Luther ; A Dickensian era of religious rights: Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox contributions ; Soul wars in Russia: the clash of Eastern and Western Christianity over religion and liberty

pt. I. Law and religion in American history and today. How to govern a city on a hill: Puritan contributions to American constitutional law and liberty ; Religious rights in eighteenth-century America: the original understanding of the First Amendment ; That serpentine wall of separation between church and state ; Adams versus Jefferson: from establishment to freedom of public religion ; The three uses of the law: a Protestant source of the purposes of criminal punishment?

pt. III. Law, religion, and the family. An apt and cheerful conversation on marriage ; The goods and goals of marriage in the Western tradition ; More than a mere contract: marriage as contract and covenant in law and theology ; The perils of clerical celibacy ; Ishmael's bane: the sin and crime of illegitimacy reconsidered ; The duties of love: the vocation of the child in the household manual tradition

Conclusion: the challenges of Christian jurisprudence in modern times.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

ISBN:

0802844219

9780802844217

OCLC:

70061009