“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and you shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” Deuteronomy 6:6, 7

The logic of public policy defines the first of the “Three Ls” of public policy-making, and consists of two parts.

First, government is not God; instead, government is God’s servant for the good of those served. And second, the people are not God, and therefore must not be allowed the last word on what defines the terms of “good” public policy. Only God can define what is good for people, for He alone is good (Mk. 10:18). From the perspective of a Christian worldview, all matters of public policy-making must be guided by these two fundamental principles.

Public policies, then, should express the good purposes of God for people living together in society; and it is the purpose of government, as God’s servant on behalf of the governed, to establish and enforce such policies.

From the logic of public policy we turn to consider the second “L” – the loci of public policy, or, the places in our society where public policies begin to be forged and put in place.

It would be a mistake to believe that public policy is made by government in the first instance. The loci of public policy-making are three: conversation, publication, and participation. What comes to law as public policy is shaped in each of these arenas, and of these three, the first is by far the most important.

T. M. Moore

Visit our website, www.ailbe.org, and sign up to receive our thrice-weekly devotional, Crosfigell, featuring writers from the period of the Celtic Revival and T. M.’s reflections on Scripture and the Celtic Christian tradition. Does the Law of God still apply today? Order a copy of T. M.’s book, The Ground for Christian Ethics, and study the question for yourself.