Living Words: The Ten Commandments for the Twenty-First Century [Paperback]

G. Corwin Stoppel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 25, 2005

The ten commandments—are they a stringent legal code, or are they guidelines for harmonious living? Noting that perfect obedience is beyond our capability, G. Corwin Stoppel proposes that the commandments are a framework for our personal and corporate relationships, and that they give us a glimpse of life as lived in harmony with God’s best hopes for the world. In this engaging book, Stoppel looks to the past and present to examine each commandment, and offers insights into the challenges of applying them to life in the twenty-first century. It is little wonder that many people treat the commandments with awe and reverence while others dismiss or ignore them. . . . In this swirling vortex of meaning, Christians are enjoined to understand them through Jesus’ words and example. When asked about the commandments, Jesus said that if we so much as think and dwell on something that is forbidden by the Law, we are already as guilty as if we had performed the deed itself. What a formidable task we face! —from the Introduction The onus for keeping the Ten Commandments or the Two Great Commandments is on each individual. We are liberated from long laws, meaningless rituals, and a sense of being either inferior or superior people. At the same time, we are to give careful thought, based on prayer, meditation, reflection, and discernment, to everything we do. As we initiate any project, as we open our mouths to speak, we must weigh our actions and words against the Two Great Commandments, asking ourselves: Does this bring glory to God? Is this something that will benefit the other person? So we seek to do the right thing, and that, according to God, is all that is required of us. —from the Epilogue

Editorial Reviews

Review

The Ten Commandments are far more than a debate over whether or where they should hang in public buildings. . . . [Stoppel’s] book . . . explores each commandment, guiding readers to examine their lives personally, in community and before God. (Dale Dieleman The Grand Rapids Press )

From the Author

It is little wonder that many people treat the commandments with awe and reverence while others dismiss or ignore them . . . .In this swirling vortex of meaning, Christians are enjoined to understand them through Jesus’ words and example. When asked about the commandments, Jesus said that if we so much as think and dwell on something that is forbidden by the Law, we are already as guilty as if we had performed the deed itself. What a formidable task we face!

The onus for keeping the Ten Commandments or the Two Great Commandments is on each individual. We are liberated from long laws, meaningless rituals, and a sense of being either inferior or superior people. At the same time, we are to give careful thought, based on prayer, meditation, reflection, and discernment, to everything we do. As we initiate any project, as we open our mouths to speak, we must weigh our actions and words against the Two Great Commandments, asking ourselves: Does this bring glory to God? Is this something that will benefit the other person? So we seek to do the right thing, and that, according to God, is all that is required of us.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 142 pages
• Publisher: Cowley Publications (January 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561012718
• ISBN-13: 978-1561012718
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,234,497 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A straightforward discussion of the relevance of the Biblical Ten Commandments to modern life, July 6, 2005

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Living Words: The Ten Commandments for the Twenty-First Century (Paperback)

A Professor of Religious Studies and an All Saints' Episcopal Church Rector, G. Corwin Stoppel ably and engagingly presents Living Words: The Ten Commandments in the Twenty-First Century, a straightforward discussion of the relevance of the Biblical Ten Commandments to modern life. Living Words explains, in plain and simple terms, why the commandments are beneficial to improving the quality of one's life, to the extent that they reveal a glimpse of life lived according to God's best hopes for the world, and presents them as a framework for personal and corporate relationships alike. Highly recommended reading for both its practical and spiritual dimensions.