Toward a Culture of Freedom: Reflections on the Ten Commandments Today
Ebook
Overview
The Ten Commandments belong to the “classics” of Western culture. They are an authoritative part of the Hebrew and the Christian Scriptures. Since they come to us from an ancient past, it is both necessary and worthwhile to inquire what they may mean for us today. Thorwald Lorenzen contends it is important to hear God’s invitation to an alternative lifestyle: “you shall not kill,” “you shall not commit adultery,” “you shall not covet.” His thoughtful reflections on the commandments for today’s tumultuous world begin with the God who “speaks” ten word to liberate God’s people from oppression. Grounded in God’s liberating “yes,” the “ten words” are neither laws nor rules. They are elements for a culture of freedom in which people are invited to celebrate life.
”Thorwald Lorenzen presents an inspiring call to embrace freedom
as a matter of spiritual inheritance and destiny. Pastors and
prophets alike will use this text to sharpen their vision, and
every reader will find in it a guide to break free from those
chains that bind them."
--David Batstone, author, Professor of Ethics, University of San
Francisco, and President, NOT For Sale
“Combining exegetical acumen with sharp theological insight,
Lorenzen has produced a fresh and deeply profound meditation on the
Ten Words of the Torah. Filled with historical and contemporary
illustrations, Lorenzen proves that the Decalogue is as relevant,
practical, challenging, and disturbing today as ever. Highly
readable yet informed by a lifetime of scholarly study, Lorenzen’s
book will be immensely valuable to both pastors and laypersons and
would make an excellent supplemental classroom text. The appendices
on interpreting the Ten Commandments and on making ethical
decisions make a book that is already well worth the price a
bargain indeed."
--Kent Blevins, Professor, Department of Religious Studies and
Philosophy, Gardner-Webb University
"Here is the most careful and relevant study of the Ten
Commandments now available. Biblically grounded, theologically
astute, Lorenzen’s penetrating treatment of each of the
commandments results in constructing a mature, global ethic for
Christians. Far from a legalistic list of commands, Lorenzen shows
how ‘the Ten Words’ function as a blueprint for connecting the dots
between a private and social ethic in a pluralistic world."
--D. Dixon Sutherland, Professor of Religious Studies, Director,
Christian Ethics Institute, Stetson University
"Toward a Culture of Freedom is a superb ethical treatise
based on the Ten Commandments. Deeply grounded in scriptures and
equipped with an expansive and compassionate experience of today’s
world, Professor Lorenzen will help you to discern some solid rocks
to stand on in an era when all human foundations seem to be
quivering. Though writing from a Christian perspective, he speaks
to persons of all faiths and even no faith. Would that every
American, nay, every human being, would glean the wisdom she or he
will find here."
--E. Glenn Hinson, Professor Emeritus,
Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond
Product Details
- Title : Toward a Culture of Freedom: Reflections on the Ten Commandments Today
- Author: Lorenzen, Thorwald
- Publisher: Cascade Books
- Publication Date: 2008
- ISBN: 9781498270458
Thorwald Lorenzen is Professor of Theology at Charles Sturt University; a guest lecturer at St. Mark's Theological Center and Whitley College, University of Melbourne; and a Principal Researcher within the Public and Contextual Theology Strategic Research Centre (PACT), Charles Sturt University, in Canberra, Australia. He is author of Resurrection and Discipleship: Interpretive Models, Biblical Reflections, Theological Consequences (1995 and 2003) and Resurrection--Discipleship--Justice: Affirming the Resurrection of Jesus Christ Today (2003).