Witte analyzes the shifting laws and logics of illegitimacy in the Western tradition offering an incisive critique of this historical doctrine and its renewed expression among neo-conservatives in church and state. Illegitimacy doctrine, he argues, misinterprets several biblical texts and disregards cardinal Christian teachings of individual accountability and Christian community.
Illegitimate children suffered centuries of discrimination under Western law. This analysis reveals how misinterpretations of biblical texts supported this injustice.