Timothy P. Jackson

It asks not what is in the "best interests" of the child, the phrase and the sensibility that have directed much of the children's rights movement of the last few decades, most notably the UN Conventions on the RIghts of Children (1989), and a phrase that has guided the legal system in its attempts to administer justice for children. In stead, it asks how can we best love the child? This simple substitution of "love" for "interest" moves the discussion about children's well-being two giant steps forward.

Receiving love is the first human right for all children, the contributors assert.

This compilation [of essays] is the fruit of a major report conducted by Emory University's center for the Study of Law and Religion. The project, led by the esteemed Martin Marty, gathered twenty scholars from multiple fields to address "The Child in Law, Religion and Society."

... the authors argue that child-rearing has become too negatively focused, aimed at keeping kids out of trouble instead of helping them to thrive.

Two essays give us a rare historical perspective, summarizing four centuries of household and child-training manuals, the Dr. Spocks of their day...

Most provocatively, and yet hardly surprisingly, two essays offer the thesis that "unconditional love" is best given and inspired in the context of a stable marriage rather than in other family structures that are becoming increasingly common.… (mer)