"Christianity and Private Law"

Nearly three years in the making, at last Christianity and Private Law* is in print.

Edited by Bob Cochrane and Michael Moreland, Christianity and Private Law contains seventeen chapters each by a different author. Ably introduced by John Witte, the book is divided among a three-chapter Introduction to the field of private law which is followed by four or five chapters on each of the three principle subjects of private law: property, contracts, and torts. My contribution is chapter 11: Revisiting unconscionability: reciprocity and justice.

Quoting from the introductory comments of John Witte on the relevance of "Christianity" in a discussion of private law,

Opening chapters in each of the four sections are devoted to biblical and traditional Christian teachings. They underscore the depth, nuance, and complexity of Christian engagement with these fundamental private legal relationships. Constructive and critical chapters later in each section highlight and illustrate the enduring value of these traditional Christian teachings for addressing discrete modern private law questions. 

I am pleased to commend Christianity and Private Law to a wide audience of thoughtful persons who are interested in learning about "how we got here" and "how can we improve" the systems of private law bequeathed to us by our forebears in the Western legal tradition.

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* (Routledge 2021).