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Moore's errors, though, are not just tactical. Judeo-Christian ideas have not been the only ideas informing our political system. As Christians we believe that God is the ultimate author of laws, but our constitutional system is designed to admit and respect a wider range of views in public life. The U.S. Supreme Court building may prominently feature the Ten Commandments precisely because it also features other intellectual and historical streams.

We, as Christian citizens, have serious work to do in the public square. We should memorialize our religious heritage. We must protect religious liberty and fight for marriage and the sanctity of all human life. But we must be ever so careful that we help and do not harm the causes we espouse.

Ted Haggard is president of the National Association of Evangelicals.

Copyright © 2004 Christianity Today.Click for reprint information.

Christianity Today's previous coverage of Ten Commandment controversies includes:

The Tourist Attraction That Isn't There | Alabama's Ten Commandments monument still drawing visitors despite its absence from the state Supreme Court building. (Jan. 12, 2004)

How to Really Keep the Commandments in Alabama—and Elsewhere | Since when did the public display of the Ten Commandments become the eleventh commandment? (Sept. 03, 2003)

Ten Commandments Judge Praised and Panned | Roy Moore fulfills a campaign promise with a 5,280-pound granite monument. (Nov. 29, 2001)

Ten Commandments Case Turned Down | Denial means Indiana town's Decalogue display is unconstitutional. (July 9, 2001)

Ten-Commandments Judge Aims for High Post | After taking on the ACLU, Moore is now a nominee for the Alabama Supreme Court. (Aug. 1, 2000)

Hang Ten? | Thou shalt avoid Ten Commandments tokenism. (Mar. 3, 2000)

Ten Commandments Judge Cleared | Roy Moore's integrity confirmed regarding legal fund. (Oct. 25, 1999)

House Upholds Display of Ten Commandments | Spurred by recent fatal shootings in public schools, the House of Representatives voted to permit the display of the Ten Commandments. (April 9, 1999)

Ten Commandments Judge Looking for Federal Fight | Does Judge Roy Moore's courtroom display defy separation of church and state? (Dec. 12, 1997)

More coverage of the Alabama Ten Commandments controversy and similar debates are available from Christianity Today's Weblog.

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April 2004, Vol. 48, No. 4