Shattered Tablets: Why We Ignore the Ten Commandments at Our Peril (Hardcover)

by David Klinghoffer (Author)
Key Phrases: com mandment, command ments, Ten Commandments, New York Times, Hebrew Bible (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Contrary to Mel Brooks's humorous presentation of Moses and the 10 Commandments on film, Klinghoffer (The Lord Will Gather Me In) does not think these biblical laws are a laughing matter. A writer and senior fellow at the Discovery Institute in Seattle, Klinghoffer warns that America is ignoring the commandments and sinking deeper into a quagmire of immorality. Using the Northwest's urban environs in which he lives as a case study, he warns that Seattle suffers from an advanced case of moral retardation that could easily spread to the rest of the country. The main culprit is secularism, says Klinghoffer, a modern and resurgent paganism. Although this seems somewhat overstated, in light of religion's ascendancy in much of America, the author's argument that the U.S. has slighted a communitarian ethic in favor of increased individualism is compelling. Klinghoffer writes with passion and is genuinely concerned with the moral state of the union. However, he often slips into acerbic commentary that distracts from his more salient points. For every example given regarding the moral ineptitude of some residents of Seattle, there could be 10 provided about those who are fighting the good fight and living by God's word. (Aug. 21)
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Review
“David Klinghoffer's understanding of the Ten Commandments is fascinating and profound. Shattered Tablets combines the wisdom of thousands of years of rabbinic commentary and astute observations about modern American culture to remind Jews and Christians that a nation whose morality is derived from anything other than the Ten Commandments will not stand.” —Chuck Colson, founder, Prison Fellowship

“Marvelously lucid . . . weaves theological insight with the author’s reflections on living in a society that has cast off the Decalogue’s authority.” —Rod Dreher, Dallas Morning News --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Religion; 1 edition (August 21, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385515677
• ISBN-13: 978-0385515672
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #521,094 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hits the secularism nail on the head., August 31, 2007

By	K. Unger (Bellevue, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

David Klinghoffer clearly and incisively articulates why our American culture has gotten so off track. By ignoring--better throwing out--the decalogue we have allowed secularism to define our morality. Klinghoffer is not afraid to speak in cutting and sometimes politically incorrect terms about the devastating consequences of secularism on our culture. By dissecting each of the commandments and showing how they relate to one another, he shows why religious belief is essential in maintaining a moral culture. While the book predominantly deals with the Jewish Rabbinical interpretation of the Ten Commandments, he was also sensitive to the common experience of those in the Evangelical Christian tradition. His book is quite engaging and thought provoking. I couldn't put it down and will heartily recommend to my friends and family.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truth or Consequences, September 17, 2007

By	Michael L. Lapin (irvine, california United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What a great read! In "Shattered Tablets" David Klinghoffer has taken a common pastoral theme and brought it to life with an impressive historical and theological account of the basis of each of the Ten Commandments - producing a compelling and persuasive case, with vivid illustrations, for his thesis that we ignore the Decalogue at our peril.

For example, in his treatment of the Second Commandment prohibiting idolatry, Klinghoffer takes the reader on a theological tour de force through impressive discussions of "American style" idolatry, Christian tolerance versus pagan tolerance, American polytheism and cultural relativism, all culminating in the ultimate manifestation of the "little 'god' that lurks within the self." And that is just the second chapter!

Although he warns his readers early on of his "intent to measure in the book. . . .the ideological view that would enshrine materialism as the official quasi-religion of American culture and government," I wondered if Klinghoffer had suspected that his research would lead him to so many examples of outrageous behavior, grotesque beliefs, and twisted values. I am still recovering from learning that the U.S. armed forces recognize Wicca (a type of witchcraft and paganism) as an official religion.

For Klinghoffer and others, the Ten Commandments are more than a historical theory. They are a true, living blueprint of what we should and should not do, think and expect. It is not a list of suggestions but theological certainties that are as unassailable as the law of gravity. Stepping off the moral precipice of the Decalogue has the same sure consequences (individually and to civilization) as stepping off the edge of the roof of a building.

"Shattered Tablets" is beautifully written, well-researched and well-reasoned. It is an important contribution and is highly recommended.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sobering socio-cultural analysis, September 6, 2007

By	B. L. Gordon (Redmond, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Using the Ten Commandments as a diagnostic tool, David Klinghoffer offers a morally courageous analysis of the pathological drift of American culture. The illustrative vignettes provided by the tragi-comic moral obtuseness of Seattle, Klinghoffer's home city, contribute to the book's great readability and serve as an effective juxtaposition to the moral common sense inherent in the Decalogue. The fundamental thesis of the book is generated by the relationship between the two tablets of the Law: how a culture behaves toward God (the first five commandments) goes a long way toward determining how the people within that culture behave toward each other (the second five commandments). In both orthodox Jewish and Christian thought there is a clear understanding that creeping societal secularization leads by incremental steps to interpersonal degradation. The validity of this understanding is demonstrated by Klinghoffer through a thought-provoking examination of the moral depth inherent in each commandment and its relationship to the others, as well as through a trenchant analysis of the deleterious consequences - both actual and possible - attending their neglect. The result is a powerful critique of secularization that strongly motivates Klinghoffer's prophetic call for a return to America's Judeo-Christian heritage. I am not at all optimistic that this call will be heeded, but the uncompromising clarity with which the need for it is explained and illustrated makes this book a very important one indeed, and reflects well on the moral courage and integrity of the author. Highly recommended!