Over the last several months, we have been eager to explore the common ground between Christian believers and unbelievers. Those aspects of nature, life and history are from which two people might engage in a fruitful discussion. After all, it has been the Bible skeptic, Michael, that we have spent much time discussing over the months. We have explored common ground through observations of the cosmos: the moons, the planets and the stars. We also found common ground by exploring the apparent evidence of design found in nature, specifically in biological systems. We have also explored common ground among human beings who are dualistic in nature, having a material body and an immaterial spirit or soul. Indeed, much common ground exists between Christians and the Michaels of the world. But that is exactly what Christians would expect, being that all men are created equal “in the image and likeness of God” (Gen 1:26). Common ground.

However, common ground between believers and unbelievers also extends to our most recent topic: moral law. The question is this: Does a natural law exist? Yes? That is the argument the Christian makes, and it is the argument we made here last week: a moral (natural) law exists, which implies a Moral Law Giver. One might say it is a law of nature – just how things naturally are – a binding set of moral obligations that bear upon every human being simply by virtue of being a human being. Natural law. Oxford Dictionary defines “natural law” as: “a body of unchanging moral principles regarded as the basis for all human conduct.” Interestingly, almost all civil and criminal law is traced directly back to a nonnegotiable set of “natural laws.” It is the basis for affirming human dignity and basic human rights. It is the basis on which the West (America) criticizes the East (China) for its human rights violations. In America, it is the very fabric of our nation: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that their Creator endows them with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Sound familiar?

It sounds a lot like natural law was codified in the Declaration of Independence! And yet, it provides common ground between Christians and unbelievers. Legal scholar Robert George writes of the significance; “so if there is a set of moral norms, including norms of justice and human rights, that can be known by rational inquiry, understanding, and judgment even apart from special revelation [Scripture], then these norms of natural law can provide the basis for a common understanding of human rights – an understanding that can be