Natural Law: An Introduction

Welcome to my on-going series on natural law! I believe it is of critical importance that natural law be better understood by everyone, believer or non-believer. Unfortunately, much of the literature on natural law is pitched at the scholarly level. My intent is to provide a "lay" version for non-scholars.

So my intended audience is high school and college students. Nevertheless, I would like to consider it accessible and beneficial to anyone interested in the topic, whether that person is a newcomer or a seasoned scholar. I also intend that it be used for instruction in families and in churches from junior high up.

The links below take you to the installments in The Worldview Bulletin, which has graciously been publishing the series. It can also be found at The Aquila Report.

Since the installments are self-explanatory, I won't spend much time introducting them. However, I will indicate what the primary focus is in case you wish to skip around.

Part 1

Part 1 introduces the topic, and clarifies some of the terminology. It also explains the difference between having a moral theory, which very few have, as opposed to having distinct moral beliefs, which everyone has. I also explain what a moral theory should be able to do.

Part 2

Part 2 provides more clarification of natural law, and also explains why a good understanding of natural law is needed in addition to Scripture.

Part 3

Part 3 examines the nature of moral knowledge. Since natural law is what can be known about right and wrong independently of divine revelation, how exactly does a person come to know right from wrong?

Part 4

Part 4 focuses on the nature of wisdom. Is natural law sufficient to make even the non-Christian wise? Can non-Christians have virtue? (This is especially relevant for the current discussion of "cultural Christianity.")

Part 5

Part 5 begins an examination of the relationship of natural law to the state. How should our understanding of natural law inform our voting?

Part 6

As yet unpublished, Part 6 will address the largest single intellectual challenge to natural law, which is socialist ideology in its various manifestations.