A good society preserves the dignity of all its members.

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way… 1 Timothy 1.1, 2

The word for “dignity” here is closely related to “godliness.” It refers to honor, worthiness, even holiness of life. Paul’s vision of a good society was one in which “all people” might be free to realize their full worthiness as beings made in the image of God. In the Christian life, we are called to set aside, renounce, and be done with whatever things are contrary to such a dignified life, so that we might be clothed on with Jesus, fully reconciled to God, and able to realize all the inherent worth we have as His creatures and children.

A society in which people are allowed to realize their full worth and dignity is one that promotes growth in virtue, wisdom, and individual fruitfulness. To some extent, it is the responsibility of those charged with making and keeping public policy to ensure that society provides a fertile ground for such human flourishing. Whatever would stunt, thwart, or corrupt such growth must not be encouraged, must even be suppressed. And it is the role of government to suppress it.

So, for example, practices which demean women and corrupt human sexuality should not be tolerated. We have seen what happens in a society where individual pleasure is the guiding norm for sexual behavior. To the extent that public policy encourages or allows such an approach to sexuality, it shares responsibility for the many ills that attend to it – broken homes, abused spouses, widespread pornography, rape and violence against women and children, STDs, and so forth. The culture of permissiveness, encouraged by public policy wrapped in the garb of “free speech” and “individual rights”, has corrupted our view of human sexuality and is destroying the institutions intended to preserve and cause to flourish a view of sexuality which is noble, honorable, edifying, and dignified.

Whatever demeans human beings, pandering to our base desires and leading us to lives of corruption, dependency, or dishonor must be opposed by government. Gambling does not dignify the human soul. Certain forms of pop culture demean not only women, but men, and encourage violence and unbridled self-indulgence. Should such entertainments be provided the protection of law?

It can sound very “puritanical” and tyrannical to try to use law to restrain the baser affections and inclinations of the human soul. But we are already doing so in our society, using law to restrain behaviors which all agree are not to be tolerated. We do this in the Church because we know the Church cannot fulfill its mission unless we are bringing holiness to completion in the fear of the Lord. Similarly, no society can be truly good, or promote human flourishing, that tolerates – more, endorses – behaviors that drag the human soul down into degradation. Michael Vick spent time in prison for promoting dog-fighting; yet professional fighters may tear and kick and slam one another freely, all in good fun. Why is it demeaning to watch dogs fight and not men?

Christians must be careful to embody the standards of dignity and honor, and to practice them in community with one another, before they try to turn such practices into public policy. Our neighbors need to see what a good society can look like, and how it can benefit them and their children, before they will be willing to restrain behaviors they may not find agreeable but would not wish to curtail by force of law. We must be able to show good reasons why we support such policies. Just as social science is discovering that materialistic lifestyles are not good for marriages – money being a root of all evil – so Christians must be able to show that certain kinds of behavior, because they make us less than dignified image-bearers of God, should not be encouraged and should, perhaps, even be made unlawful.

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