The Civitas Podcast Episode 28: The Inversion of Family Law | A Conversation with Jeff Shafer
Feb 25, 2025
In a riveting discussion, Jeff Shafer, Director of the Hale Institute, offers insights from his extensive legal career, highlighting the changing landscape of family law and its societal implications. He tackles how landmark cases have redefined marriage and parenthood, challenging traditional family structures. Shafer also warns of the commercialization of family processes and its threat to parental rights. The interplay between church authority and modern family dynamics further emphasizes the urgent need for a robust theological response to today’s legal challenges.
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Legal Education's Intellectual Limits
- Legal education currently trains students to argue within existing case law, restricting discussion of deeper truths.
- This creates an intellectual climate that often ignores theological and anthropological realities in law.
Liberalism's Legal Exclusion of Metaphysics
- Liberalism's legal framework excludes metaphysics and theology, stifling important ideas.
- The banishment of God from public law dialogue profoundly impacts how law and society function.
Marriage Redefined Shifts Legal Archetype
- Changing the legal definition of marriage fundamentally shifts the legal archetype governing family law.
- This inversion causes ripple effects that transform many components of the law and social order.
