Religious Values, Legal Ethics, and Poverty Law: A Response to Thomas Shaffer

Stephen Wizner provides a response to Thomas Shaffer's article on his pursuit of social justice through using religious figures as role models. Wizner argues that Shaffer is clearly right in asserting that there is much in the prophetic literature, and, indeed, in the entire Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, that could serve as a moral impetus for social justice lawyering. One can find considerable support for Shaffer's religious thesis in the texts that he cites, and in the words of the prophets he looks to as role models. Nevertheless, Wizner presents a skeptical response to Professor Shaffer's thoughtful essay.

He argues for skepticism for using religion as a blueprint for what is to be done in law.