Christians have agreed, as have others, that preference should go to some extent to one's nearest, and also to some extent to the neediest. However, to what extent should we give preference to which group? And suppose these two preferences come into conflict, as they frequently do? This book provides the fullest contemporary treatment of these issues. The author brings to bear all the resources of theological and philosophical reflection on a single representative case, and from the single example, sheds light on a wide range of comparable cases, both private and public.