{"id":1446,"date":"2011-02-21T01:40:28","date_gmt":"2011-02-21T01:40:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2011\/02\/the-confession-app-and-the-ten-commandments.html"},"modified":"2011-02-21T01:40:28","modified_gmt":"2011-02-21T01:40:28","slug":"the-confession-app-and-the-ten-commandments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2011\/02\/the-confession-app-and-the-ten-commandments.html","title":{"rendered":"The Confession App and the Ten Commandments"},"content":{"rendered":"

A few days ago I put up some thoughts on the Confession app<\/a> that had stirred the pot of popular opinion. At the center of this app is a guided reflection based on the Ten Commandments.<\/p>\n

It seems to me that, these days, most Christians don’t quite know what to do with the Ten Commandments. In fact, they are often ignored, except when some religious conservatives want to post them on public property. Otherwise, you might go for years in a church without every hearing about the Ten Commandments or using them in a worship service. (Photo: The Ten Commandments on the grounds of the Texas State Capitol in Austin.) <\/p>\n

\"ten-commandments-texas-capitol-5.jpg\"<\/form>\n

It isn’t just that Christians don’t want to deal with the demands of the Ten Commandments, though I expect that might explain some of our reticence. Rather, we aren’t sure how we ought to think about and use these commandments. After all, aren’t we saved by grace through faith? Aren’t we free from the law? Aren’t the Ten Commandments in the center of the Old Covenant, whereas we are people of the New Covenant? <\/p>\n

A couple of years ago, I wrote a series of reflections on the Ten Commandments as part of the Daily Reflections that I write for The High Calling<\/a> and that are emailed each day to over 15,000 people. (You can find more information about The Daily Reflections here<\/a>.)  I thought it might be helpful to make these reflections available to you. They are not a theological treatise on the Ten Commandments so much as a series of personal ruminations on the meaning of the Ten Commandments for us today.<\/p>\n

Here’s an index of the reflections on the Ten Commandments:<\/p>\n

All These Words<\/a><\/p>\n

Are the Ten Commandments Relevant to Us?<\/a><\/p>\n

What Comes Before the Law?<\/a><\/p>\n

The First Commandment: No Other “Gods”<\/a><\/p>\n

The Second Commandment: No Idols<\/a><\/p>\n

The Third Commandment: No Misuse of God’s Name<\/a><\/p>\n

The Fourth Commandment: Remember the Sabbath<\/a><\/p>\n

The Relational Shape of the Ten Commandments<\/a><\/p>\n

The Fifth Commandment: Honor Your Parents<\/a><\/p>\n

The Sixth Commandment: Don’t Murder<\/a><\/p>\n

The Seventh Commandment: Don’t Commit Adultery<\/a><\/p>\n

The Eighth Commandment: Don’t Steal<\/a><\/p>\n

The Ninth Commandment: Don’t Lie<\/a><\/p>\n

The Tenth Commandment: Don’t Covet<\/a><\/p>\n

The Ten Commandments from a Different Perspective: How to Flourish in Life<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Now if I can only find a way to get all of this into an app . . . . <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A few days ago I put up some thoughts on the Confession app that had stirred the pot of popular opinion. At the center of this app is a guided reflection based on the Ten Commandments. It seems to me that, these days, most Christians don’t quite know what to do with the Ten Commandments.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christian-living"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Confession App and the Ten Commandments - Mark D. 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Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1446"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1446\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}