The latest book in the World Evangelical Alliance’s (WEA) World of Theology (WoT) series invited contributors from six different continents to apply the Ten Commandments to contemporary issues facing society in their unique context. Co-edited by Prof. Thomas K. Johnson and Prof. William S. Barker, the book was a collaborative project between the WEA and the World Reformed Fellowship. The book is available for free download as a PDF (see link below).
Bishop Dr. Thomas Schirrmacher, WEA Secretary General, commented: “I deeply believe that churches in different ethnic groups and cultures add as much different gifts to the body of Christ as do different movement of denominational backgrounds. One of such groups in our family is the World Reformed Fellowship (WRF), especially strong in missiological and systematic theology and preserving Biblical traditions and convictions for the past 500 years in our movement. Thus, I asked the WRF to work on a solid book on the Ten Commandments from their camp as a gift to the whole WEA family. Oh man, it really worked out! What came out is an up-to-date defense of the commandments and shared values of our family that have been under greater threat today globally than at any time before.”
In his introduction to the Decalogue Project, co-editor Prof. Thomas K. Johnson, who serves as Senior Theological Advisor to the WEA, Special Envoy to the Vatican, and Special Envoy to Engage Humanitarian Islam, cited Psalm 1, which says, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” Johnson writes: “Our team of scholars from six continents has invested thousands of hours meditating on God’s law on behalf of the millions of members of the body of Christ. We have not done this instead of your efforts but rather to stir you up to join us in our meditation. Our meditation on God’s law is an organic component of our discipleship to Jesus Christ, to whom we belong.”
And co-editor Prof. William S. Barker, Professor Emeritus of Church History at Westminster Theological Seminary, writes for the cover page: “In the twenty-first century, which tends to celebrate diversity, it is important for Christians to appreciate and act upon what unites us. Through the ages since the New Testament era, there have been three provisions by God for uniting His people: creedal statements (“the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” – Jude 3), for expressing our most basic beliefs; the Lord’s Prayer, for guiding our worship and communication to God; and the Ten Commandments, for governing our moral lives. Finding ourselves in a world of increasing relativity, our unity is strengthened, within our diversity of peoples and cultures, by recognizing that our Lord has pronounced a universal standard that is true and enduring in the Ten Commandments. The writings contained in this book, from many countries and continents, apply the Ten Commandments to contemporary issues with the authority of God’s Word and for His glory.”
In addition to reflections on each of the Ten Commandments, the book includes chapters that address questions such as “The Ten Commandments: Given by God?” and “Are the Ten Commandments Still Valid?” Furthermore, it contains brief appendices on the contemporary issues of pornography, abortion in the United States after Roe v. Wade, and homosexuality.
