Rights and equality have two distinct meanings, one structural and systemic, the other more individualistic. This presents a curious contrast: In a time when the size of government has grown dramatically, the dominant legal ideology has moved farther away from communitarian thinking toward a greater focus on individual entitlements. But though curious, the shift is real. It is also, in my view, hostile to Christian principles. Our conduct ought to be measured by a standard external to ourselves, to combat our natural tendency to excuse whatever we wish to do. And the material opportunities and outcomes of our life ought to be measured primarily by an individual standard--by whether we have done at least as well as we deserve--to combat our tendency toward envy. Both points rest on the reality of sin."The reality of sin, both in the citizenry and in those who govern it, demands a more consequentialist approach. Adultery is indeed wrong, but it is such a pervasive wrong that no state makes any systematic effort to punish it any more. In these circumstances, keeping the crime on the books creates the potential for genuine evil on the part of police or prosecutors who want to punish not adultery but something else. . . . Christians ought to be more willing to engage in this kind of structural thinking about law and government. The pervasiveness of sin makes some government enforcement of morals essential. But the pervasiveness of sin also makes it essential that we regulate the regulators . . . . Our advantage in public discourse is precisely our understanding of sin and the hold it has on people's day-to-day conduct."
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