Porter (theology, U. of Notre Dame) brings early Christian scholastic legal and political thought regarding the source of authority in the law into conversation with contemporary philosophy of law and political theology concerning how one can ground the authority of the law such that the source of authority does not rest on extra-legal considerations of probity or intrinsic reasonableness but instead on correct procedure and authoritative laws. Taking her cue from the scholastic accounts that ground the authority of the law in natural aims that include the sustenance of a communal life, the need for social coordination, the importance of protecting the weakest of society, and the promotion of common peace, which in turn reflect the capacity for self-determination that stems from the status of humanity as the image of God, she offers a constructive account of legal authority as a natural relation. Her aim is to convince her fellow Christians that they have a stake in safeguarding and promoting ideals of due process and the integrity of the law and to show secular jurists and philosophers that a theologically informed account of legal authority can address many of their concerns about legal authority in a satisfactory way. Annotation 2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
