ABSTRACT
The history of Christian political thought provides evidence of both a concern for equality and an aspiration towards global law. This chapter reviews some of the many texts within the Christian scriptures which express a fundamental commitment to equality, touching briefly on arguments that Christian thought was historically significant in generating current commitments to equality, and that it is still philosophically indispensable. The two central concepts of equality before the law and equality within the law are introduced, and their importance defended against tendencies to dismiss them as unambitious. After sketching the rise of antidiscrimination law, the chapter suggests that the conception of substantive equality found in global law rightly embraces both individual and collective dimensions of human identity. The chapter closes with three concerns: equality can lead to ethical evasion, social de-differentiation, and misplaced political priorities. It concludes that Christian political thought still has much to offer contemporary debates about global equality.
