Preface to Oxford Handbook on Christianity and Law

Abstract

This is the preface to a major new volume that tells the story of the interactions of Christianity and law -- historically and today, in the traditional heartlands of Christianity and now around the globe. Sixty new chapters by leading scholars show how Christianity helped to shape the core legal topics of public, private, penal, and procedural law and fundamental legal principles like justice, liberty, equality, and dignity. They also take up cutting edge legal issues of religious freedom, canon law, racial justice, environmental care, migration, and euthanasia. This is the first comprehensive global collection on Christianity and law and an indispensable single volume resource for scholars and students of law, religion, history, theology, politics, ethics.

Keywords: Christianity, law, religion, law and religion, public law, private law, penal law, procedural law, legal theory, global Christianity, Western legal tradition