See the Table of Contents
Read the Introduction

"This timely book urges readers to look at the courthouse afrom a faith contexta].a [A]n exciting picture of the relationship between pluralistic faiths and law."
--"Choice"

aA truly remarkable collection of first rate essays by a variety of scholars, one more illuminating than the other.a
--Amitai Etzioni, author of "Security First: For A Muscular, Moral Foreign Policy"

aA tremendous addition to the literature bounded by the topics of ethics, religion, public policy, and law. . . . A remarkable contribution in its conception and execution.a
--Ellen S. Pryor, Dedman School of Law, Southern Methodist University

The relationship between religion and the law is a hot-button topic in America, with the courts, Congress, journalists, and others engaging in animated debates on what influence, if any, the former should have on the latter. Many of these discussions are dominated by the legal perspective, which views religion as a threat to the law; it is rare to hear how various religions in America view American law, even though most religions have distinct views on law.

In Faith and Law, legal scholars from sixteen different religious traditions contend that religious discourse has an important function in the making, practice, and adjudication of American law, not least because our laws rest upon a framework of religious values. The book includes faiths that have traditionally had an impact on American law, as well as new immigrant faiths that are likely to have a growing influence. Each contributor describes how his or her tradition views law and addresses one legal issue from that perspective. Topics includeabortion, gay rights, euthanasia, immigrant rights, and blasphemy and free speech.

In a provocative essay, philosopher Jeffrie G. Murphy asks: 'what would law be like if we organized it around the value of Christian love, and if we thought about and criticized law in terms of that value?'. This book brings together leading scholars from a variety of disciplines to address that question. Scholars have given surprisingly little attention to assessing how the central Christian ethical category of love - agape - might impact the way we understand law. This book aims to fill that gap by investigating the relationship between agape and law in Scripture, theology, and jurisprudence, as well as applying these insights to contemporary debates in criminal law, tort law, elder law, immigration law, corporate law, intellectual property, and international relations. At a time when the discourse between Christian and other world views is more likely to be filled with hate than love, the implications of agape for law are crucial.

In a provocative essay, philosopher Jeffrie G. Murphy asks: 'what would law be like if we organized it around the value of Christian love, and if we thought about and criticized law in terms of that value?'. This book brings together leading scholars from a variety of disciplines to address that question. Scholars have given surprisingly little attention to assessing how the central Christian ethical category of love - agape - might impact the way we understand law. This book aims to fill that gap by investigating the relationship between agape and law in Scripture, theology, and jurisprudence, as well as applying these insights to contemporary debates in criminal law, tort law, elder law, immigration law, corporate law, intellectual property, and international relations. At a time when the discourse between Christian and other world views is more likely to be filled with hate than love, the implications of agape for law are crucial.

See the Table of Contents
Read the Introduction

"This timely book urges readers to look at the courthouse afrom a faith contexta].a [A]n exciting picture of the relationship between pluralistic faiths and law."
--"Choice"

aA truly remarkable collection of first rate essays by a variety of scholars, one more illuminating than the other.a
--Amitai Etzioni, author of "Security First: For A Muscular, Moral Foreign Policy"

aA tremendous addition to the literature bounded by the topics of ethics, religion, public policy, and law. . . . A remarkable contribution in its conception and execution.a
--Ellen S. Pryor, Dedman School of Law, Southern Methodist University

The relationship between religion and the law is a hot-button topic in America, with the courts, Congress, journalists, and others engaging in animated debates on what influence, if any, the former should have on the latter. Many of these discussions are dominated by the legal perspective, which views religion as a threat to the law; it is rare to hear how various religions in America view American law, even though most religions have distinct views on law.

In Faith and Law, legal scholars from sixteen different religious traditions contend that religious discourse has an important function in the making, practice, and adjudication of American law, not least because our laws rest upon a framework of religious values. The book includes faiths that have traditionally had an impact on American law, as well as new immigrant faiths that are likely to have a growing influence. Each contributor describes how his or her tradition views law and addresses one legal issue from that perspective. Topics includeabortion, gay rights, euthanasia, immigrant rights, and blasphemy and free speech.