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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insights INSIGHT
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.
insights INSIGHT
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.
insights INSIGHT
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.
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Machine Antihumanism and the Inversion of Family Law
Machine Antihumanism and the Inversion of Family Law
Jeff Shafer
Is It How the West Lost God
Is It How the West Lost God
The Reciprocal Relationship Between Family and Religion
Mary Eberstadt
Mary Eberstadt's 'How the West Lost God' explores the decline of religious belief in Western societies, linking it to the weakening of the traditional family structure. She argues that the reciprocal relationship between family and religion has been crucial for maintaining social cohesion and moral values. As family bonds erode, religious faith diminishes, and vice versa, creating a cycle of secularization and social fragmentation. Eberstadt examines various cultural and historical factors that have contributed to this decline, including the sexual revolution, the rise of individualism, and the changing roles of men and women. She contends that restoring the family is essential for revitalizing religious belief and promoting a more stable and virtuous society. Ultimately, the book serves as a warning about the consequences of abandoning traditional institutions and values.
Peter Leithart and James Wood have a conversation with Jeff Shafer.
Jeff Shafer is Director of the Hale Institute. He graduated with honors from the Regent University School of Law in 1995. Early in his legal career, he operated a general practice firm in Cincinnati with a particular emphasis on criminal defense litigation. Thereafter, he practiced in a law partnership, focusing on elections law and civil constitutional cases. From 2005 to 2020, he served as Senior Counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom at its Washington, D.C., and Scottsdale, Arizona offices. Mr. Shafer has litigated public interest cases in federal and state trial and appellate courts throughout the United States, as well as developing academic and advocacy initiatives on matters of policy concern. Outside of the courtroom, he has addressed a wide array of audiences in academic and community venues, in the US and abroad, on matters of legal and cultural interest.
The Civitas Podcast