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Christians need to think seriously about what the Ten Commandments really are.First, they are the cornerstone of God's covenant treaty with the children of Israel, designed to show that Israel's newfound identity was defined by the ethical character of God rather than by military power or tribal pride.Second, in all of their concrete historical particularity, the Commandments provide all people with a window into the moral nature of the universe. Living at harmony with nature and nature's God requires adherence to the universal principles that can be glimpsed through these Ten Words. The Commandments are, however, at many points a minimal expression of morality. They prohibit adultery and perjury, for example, but only lay the groundwork for the virtues of chastity and truthfulness. Ripped from the context of sacred history, they provide very limited guidance.Third, they remind us that the legal philosophy currently dominant in our courts, that the law is simply whatever the courts say it is, is vacuous and dangerous. The Ten Commandments are a powerful reminder that moral truth comes to us from outside ourselves.The Ten Commandments are not an easy-to-secularize list of behavioral guides. They are fundamentally and inherently religious. They make little sense outside the context of the covenant God's electing love. They have always been a key element in training Christian children, but outside of the Covenant they seem more like obstacles to self-actualization than like opportunities for growth in goodness. Let parents put these precepts to work where they make the most sense: in home, church, and synagogue. And let their well-taught offspring be the salt that preserves the schools.

One great place to keep updated on debates about the public display of the Ten Commandments is The Freedom Forum's Religion site. Yahoo!'s full coverage areas on education policy and religion news also regularly have Ten Commandments stories, but the Freedom Forum is perhaps the most vigilant.

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March 6 2000, Vol. 44, No. 3