Jan 12
30
Chuck Colson – Is Natural Law Natural?
“Christianity argues that natural law ethics comes from God and is written on the human heart, which is why there is a measure of commonality on ethical norms across cultures. Non-theists need a different explanation.” –from Doing the Right Thing
The book insists that ethics are objective and universal; not relative; not based on transcendent truths “dependent on the situation and the people involved” (p. 11).
If that is so, why is it assumed that there is a need to teach natural law ethics? Only that which is not natural, objective and universal must be taught.
Then, there is the attempt to distance God from natural law ethics, “ethics are standards of behavior…whether it is natural law or God.” How can there be a transcendent rule of ethics without a transcendent law giver?
I assume that Colson assumes that it would not work in a pluralistic society. It would have no relevance to those who do not share the Christian worldview. We must first school our society in the principles of natural law ethics, convince them of the Christian world view; only then will the gospel be relevant and believable. But all that is a contradiction of Paul, through whom Christian advocates of natural law, trace their ancestry.
The chief violation of conscience (or natural law), according to Paul, is the denial of God, then, the other acts of immorality follow. The way back to God is not to retrace one’s steps by cleaning up the bad behavior, reserving the last step, the worship of God, until the rest of Natural Law Ethics have been replaced.
The pursuit of Natural Law Ethics is not a substitute or supplement or a preliminary step to the gospel. It is opposed to the gospel?
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. -Romans 1:21-32
“Since what may be known about God is plain,” why is it necessary to prove that God exists?