Faith in Law, Law in Faith
A Festschrift in Honor of John Witte, Jr.
John Witte, Jr. 2018 (Photo: Emory Law)
In Faith in Law, Law in Faith, a Festschrift for John Witte, Jr., a host of some 30 of the brightest lights in the interdisciplinary field of law and religion have joined to toast a scholar’s scholar, an intellectual pioneer in our field these last 40 years. And, to his credit, John has indeed authored or edited over 40 books, 300 articles and counting, stood at hundreds of distinguished lecterns, and led the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University School of Law to its place as the foremost academic thought leader studying the religious dimensions of law, the legal dimension of religion, and the interaction of legal and religious ideas and institutions, norms and practices. But, just as importantly, John is also honored in the volume as a mentor to countless students and teachers alike, a man of thoughtful leadership, good grace, and profound intentions and values. As one of his colleagues offers, “John’s entire life and his vast intellectual output have been marked by one fundamental fact: he is, first and foremost, profoundly Christian.” His academics are, to be sure, a manifestation of his dedication to his faith, his own Dutch history, and his abiding love for his family, friends, and community. This, in many ways, is what makes John – and a celebration of his work through research and writing – unique. Just as essential as the academic fields discussed in Faith in Law, Law in Faith are those reflections on John as a person, teacher, father, and friend. Faith in Law, Law in Faith celebrates the continued work of a gentleman and a gentle man; it is an invitation for all those in our law and religion community to reflect on how far we have come, and where we are to go in the coming decades. – Amy Wheeler
The following are excerpts from new book, “Faith in Law, Law in Faith“. Reprinted under Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (CC-BY-NC).
“A Foreword To Faith in Law, Law in Faith“
James T. Laney served as president of Emory University from 1977 until 1993, when he was appointed by U.S. President Bill Clinton to serve as U.S. ambassador to South Korea.
“Can Laws and Rights Teach? John Witte and the Uses of the Law”
Patrick McKinley Brennan joined the Villanova faculty in 2004 as the inaugural holder of the John F. Scarpa Chair in Catholic Legal Studies, following eight years at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law where he was professor of law and vice dean.
William S. Brewbaker III is Dean and Professor of Law at the University of Alabama School of Law.
“Witte’s Contribution on Human Rights and Religious Freedom”
Nicholas Wolterstorff is Noah Porter Professor Emeritus of Philosophical Theology, Yale University. Among the thirty books he has authored are Justice: Rights and Wrongs (Princeton) and Justice in Love (Eerdmans).
“John Witte, Jr. On Christianity and Law”
Rafael Domingo is the Spruill Family Professor of Law and Religion at Emory University and Alvaro d’Ors Professor of Law at the University of Navarra. He is the author of the book God and the Secular Legal System (Cambridge University Press, 2016).
“Obeying Conscience: The Commands and Costs of Resisting the Law”
Jeffrey B. Hammond is a Professor of Law at Faulkner University’s Thomas Goode Jones School of Law in Montgomery, Alabama. He teaches courses in law and theology, constitutional law, jurisprudence and legal theory, and legal ethics. He is a Senior Fellow of Emory University’s Center for the Study of Law and Religion. His scholarship focuses on the intersection of Christian theology and legal theory.
“John Witte, Jr.’s Contribution to the Study of Sex, Marriage, and Family Law”
Helen M. Alvaré is the Robert A. Levy Chair in Liberty and Law at the Antonin Scalia Law School of George Mason University. There she teaches family law and law and religion, and publishes scholarship in both areas. She is also a member of the Holy See’s Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, and an advisor to its Permanent Observer Mission to the Organization of American States.
“Law, Religion, and Education”
Kathleen A. Brady is a Senior Fellow and McDonald Distinguished Fellow with the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University, and she is currently a participating scholar with the Religious Freedom Institute’s project on the Freedom of Religious Institutions in Society. Her scholarship focuses on the intersection of law and religion, including the First Amendment religion clauses, religion in public life, law and theology, and Catholic social thought.
Recent Posts
