British evangelist J. John has re-formulated the Ten Commandments in an effort to make them more relevant for today. His effort is getting some good press, and some 600 churches in England have bought into the program. This article tells all about it. You do have to, literally, buy into the program, because the commandments are presented, discussed, and taught in a DVD program called Just 10 for Churches (not available, at least yet, in the USA, as far as I can tell).
The article linked above tells about the new commandments but doesn’t give a list of the entire 10. So thanks to the SOWER blog for digging them out, giving the traditional version (with Protestant numbering) followed by the new formulation:
1. You shall have no other gods before Me…“know God”
2 You shall not make for yourself a graven image…… “catch your breath”
3. You shall not use the Lord’s name in vain……..“take God seriously”
4. Remember the Sabbath…………..…“live by priorities”
5. Honor your father and mother……………..…..“keep the peace with your parents”
6. You shall not murder………………… .……..….“manage your anger”
7. You shall not commit adultery………….“affair-proof your relationships”
8. You shall not steal……………………………..“prosper with a clear conscience”
9. You shall not bear false witness……………….….“hold to the truth”
10. You shall not covet…………..“find contentment”
via S.O.W.E.R.: New 10 Commandments?.
What do you think about this? A dynamic equivalent translation with the virtue of putting the law in positive terms rather than all of those negative “thou shalt not’s,” thereby removing obstacles to evangelism and church growth? Or an attempt to defang God’s Law by turning it into easy to follow self-help principles that turn Christianity into a different religion? Or what?
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