AP

Review of Benjamin B. Saunders, The Crisis of Civil Law, Lexham Press, 2024. 224 pages.

Ben Saunders is an associate professor at Deakin Law School in Melbourne and a ruling elder in the PCV. He is uniquely situated to write on the intersection of Civil law, Scripture and life in the public square and he has done that well in this new book.

Foundational Principles

The book is an excellent introduction to the above matters and charts a course that is faithful, orthodox, insightful and practical. The first chapter introduces us to categories and/or principles that help us think about law in a biblically informed way (moral law, transformation, freedom & contextualisation).

Particularly helpful is the usage of ‘Brunner’s spectrum’ which states that the effects of the Fall and the need for Christian revelation will differ greatly depending on our understanding of ourselves and nature. “Brunner’s point is that there is a spectrum of knowledge, with theology and anthropology at one end and mathematics and formal logic at the other end.” In other words, knowledge of ourselves, God and what is good is most deeply affected by sin. Consequently, “with regards to laws that deal with matters of the value of human life and sexuality, Christianity will make a big difference, so it is not surprising that Christianity is at its most controversial in relation to laws concerning marriage and family, and questions such as abortion and euthanasia.”

Moral Law (Natural Law) and Civil Law

The following chapters flesh out in greater detail how we ought to think about biblical laws, in particular the moral law that God has written on every heart, and which is foundational for good civil law. There is welcome embrace of the complexity of matters and there are helpful sections that reflect on the Bible’s civil (judicial) laws and how they translate today. The author espouses a view that is in line with the Westminster Confession, seeing a connection between the binding nature of moral law and the principles that shape judicial laws.

Romans 13 and Civil Disobedience

The book also weighs in on difficult matters and charts a course that acknowledges the authority of magistrates to make law and the requirement of citizens to submit as the normative biblical response.

There is a very helpful chapter on the challenges of Romans 13 and how we respond to unjust laws (those at odds with moral law)/ There is a survey of how the Church responded in the past, including a careful, nuanced but affirmative discussion on civil disobedience. I do think the section might have been strengthened by further discussion on the differences between conscience (moral law) and private judgement (wisdom issues) as it relates to our thinking on civil law. The concluding chapter helps us navigate some of the errors and pitfalls to be avoided (regarding theonomy, two kingdoms, etc.) that is brief but helpful.

I warmly commend the book to all – it is an easy and helpful read. I would imagine it would be would useful to all Christians trying to think through the issues of the Bible and civil law,  and be a welcome resource to theological students and elders.

Darren Middleton