Thread: Natural Law Resources

I am looking for resources on a Reformed view of natural law. Could anyone point me to books, articles, or web links?

I'm NOT looking for a discussion or definition of natural law, or whether it is correct, etc.

Fred, I don't know if this is helpful, but here's a blog entry which links to an author's discussion of Natural Law in the thought of some of the Reformers:

Rediscovering the Natural Law in Reformed Theological Ethics Acton Institute PowerBlog

Pastor Greco, Danny Hyde posted this list a while ago which contained many useful articles by David VanDrunen:

“The Context of Natural Law: John Calvin’s Doctrine of the Two Kingdoms,” Journal of Church and State 46 (Summer 2004): 503–525.

“The Two Kingdoms: A Reassessment of the Transformationist Calvin,” Calvin Theological Journal 40 (2005): 248–266.

“Natural Law in Early Calvinist Resistance Theory” Journal of Law and Religion 21:1 (2005-06): 143–167.

“Medieval Natural Law and the Reformation: A Comparison of Aquinas and Calvin,” American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly 80:1 (2006): 77–98.

“The Importance of the Penultimate: Reformed Social Thought and the Contemporary Critiques of the Liberal Society," Journal of Markets and Morality 9:2 (Fall 2006): 219–249.

“The Two Kingdoms Doctrine and the Relationship of Church and State in the Early Reformed Tradition,” Journal of Church and State 49:4 (Autumn 2007): 743–763.

“Abraham Kuyper and the Reformed Natural Law and Two Kingdoms Traditions” Calvin Theological Journal 42 (2007): 283–307.

“The Role of Natural Law in the Westminster Confession and Early Reformed Orthodoxy,” in The Westminster Confession into the 21st Century, vol.3, ed. J. Ligon Duncan (Mentor, 2009).

(Originally Posted Here)

Dr. Clark of WSCAL fame has a journal article on Calvin and Natural Law here: http://www.wscal.edu/clark/1998rsclexnat.pdf (PDF)

-----Added 8/18/2009 at 05:37:35 EST-----

And this web page has copious resources: Two_Kingdom_Social_Theory

How about books? Authors? Someone in my congregation asked me for resources, and I believe he wants more than short internet articles.

Originally Posted by fredtgreco

How about books? Authors? Someone in my congregation asked me for resources, and I believe he wants more than short internet articles.

The blog to which I linked has an author of a book on that particular subject. The MP3 is a lecture the man gave concerning the subject matter of his book (i.e. Reformers on Natural Law).

Any topic in particular, Mr. Greco? For example, natural law with respect to politics or natural law with respect to apologetics etc.?

I don't think a specific emphasis. He asked for "Reformed studies of natural law."

Originally Posted by fredtgreco

How about books? Authors? Someone in my congregation asked me for resources, and I believe he wants more than short internet articles.

How about A Biblical Case for Natural Law by David VanDrunen.

The Bookstore at WSC: A Biblical Case for Natural Law by VanDrunen, David M.

David VanDrunen will probably be your main resource for a Reformed perspective on natural law. He told my inquiring husband that there really is little else published on the topic from a Protestant/Reformed perspective, and that he's working to fill that void.

Fred,

The PDF linked above is an academic journal article on Calvin's doctrine of natural law.

The VanDrunen stuff (most of which are academic journal articles) is quite helpful and you might also look at Stephen Grabill's book on this subject.

I have a book by Budziszewski called Written on the Heart.

There are some PDF books here: Books - Christianity & Culture -- the one by Jacques Ellul on Law looks interesting and has a section on natural law (though I understand from the Wikipedia article that Ellul was only very loosely 'reformed', a la Karl Barth?)