Dancing with the Law: The Ten Commandments

In a world where No one tells me what to do and I am my own authority, the Ten Commandments quickly find their way to the trash heap. For most of us, the words surrounding law―rule, restriction, regulation, requirement, code, commandment, covenant, must, ought, shall, will―are simply not our favorite words to hear. They are parental words, court words, conflict words. We use them only when we have to; otherwise, we willingly hold them at a distance.But the Old Testament people of God had a different take on law. They took their copy of the law their God had given them, clutched it to their chests, and danced with it. They observed it daily in their relationships and required their young to memorize it. And when a copy of the law had grown ragged and old, they had a special ceremony to retire it. They buried it with all the dignity of a beloved grandparent's body.In Dancing with the Law, author Dan Boone challenges us to, like the ancient people of God, look at law as a sacred gift that points the way to the life God intended. Through his earnest exploration of the Ten Commandments, he offers us a new perspective on law―one that makes us dance with freedom, liberty, and the gift of life.

Dan Boone is president of Trevecca Nazarene University. He earned MDiv and DMin degrees from Nazarene Theological Seminary and McCormick Theological Seminary. He is the author of several books, including most recently A Very Good God in a Badly Broken World and three other Shaped by Scripture volumes on Luke, Acts, and Revelation, all available from The Foundry Publishing.

AMY BOONE TALLMAN has been an adjunct professor of communication and Englishfor more than twenty years, and is currently teaching at Trevecca NazareneUniversity. She holds a master’s degree in literary writing and is working toward adoctorate. Amy is grateful for the privilege of working with her father on Dancing with the Law.