The Power of the Law

One of the most fascinating American Constitutional scholars speaking today is Yuval Levin. I'm sure that presently you could find his work through many varied outlets. The one that brought him to my attention this past week as the podcast Conversing with Mark Labberton (https://comment.org/shows/conversing/ ) I recommend it to you.

In that conversation Mark and Yuval plumb the depths of the relationship between law (as expressed in the American judicial branch) and morality. While they probe many topics worthy of meditation for us as US citizens, I found myself wanting them to consider whether law can effect morality.

It is a longstanding Christian conviction that having rules--even the best rules--cannot make people good. In fact, in some ways having rules seems to invite us to consider how we can get around them. (Paul of Tarsus makes a powerful argument about this in his letter to the church at Rome.)

Only a renovation of the heart makes us good. Only something moving within us can untwist the dark DNA we inherit from our parents, our families, and our culture. Law--even the best laws--cannot make us our our society better. Goodness and betterment come from the Spirit of God moving us to do what no law can require, for the right motivations and with humility.

One place in which I notice this dichotomy rising for me is in the recent Supreme Court decisions about gerrymandering. A recent case involving the Voting Rights Act (a great mid-20th century boon for Americans of color) highlighted the tough work of deciding how congressional districts are drawn. At the core of the decision, for many of us, was the spectre of racism in drawing district maps. Shouldn't it be illegal to use race to decide district boundaries?

Digging into the complexities of that case brings me to a bedrock conviction that I don't think people should be racist. But racism is a matter of the heart. No matter how good the law is, if I am racist I will find a way to oppress those of other ethnicities. Eliminating racism requires God's work to open eyes and expand love beyond the narrow selfish boundaries of my identity.

So I place this hope and offer myself at the feet of Jesus Christ, who promises now and eternally to bring all peoples and races into a single kingdom of heaven. And I pray and work for the realization of that promise, that more hearts may turn and make the law superfluous.

love,

emrys