While there are plenty of people outside of the church who take issue with having the Ten Commandments in our classrooms, as a lifelong Christ-follower, I assure you, I am just as offended...perhaps more.

I am not a pastor or theologian. But I have spent my life within the church, studying scripture, and trying to live righteously (a fancy word for representing God’s character).

And, tangentially, I am familiar with well-intentioned, but painfully naive believers. I used to be one. (And sometimes, still am.) But the best of intentions isn’t an adequate defense.

There is plenty to say on the topic, but I’ll distill my criticism into two points:

A Christian Standard for Non-Christians

The primary reason the church should be offended is, as Christians, the behavior of non-believers isn’t our account. Our primary duty to those outside of the church is showing the love of God. Upholding Biblical standards is reserved for our fellow believers.

Paul makes this clear in his first letter to the Corinthians (5:12-13):

For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

And Jesus set the example himself. He never blamed the pagans for doing pagan things. He met their physical needs and spoke to the conditions of their heart. But He did call out religious people for being hypocrites. He did that one a lot.

There would be wisdom in using scripture to define righteous living - a way we should live to best align with how we are designed, to minimize the pain that comes from living counter-creation. But, by observation, that is not the heart of those pushing to include the Ten Commandments in our country’s founding documents.

Scripture is bigger than our country and salvation is bigger than our elementary education.

It’s clear, instead, that either jealousy is driving the motivation...

“If I can’t covet my neighbor’s wife, they shouldn’t either.”

Or the goal is to gain some moral high ground. Again, good luck getting this past Paul in his letter to the Romans (3:22-23):

the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

Or as Christine Gordon puts it in her commentary on the same passage:

...we may think it is our good morals or daily religiosity that makes us righteous before God. Paul would say to us what he said to the Romans: You are made right with God by God, as a gift from him.

Using a gift to claim moral superiority is likely being born into a wealthy family and telling poor folks that if they want to be successful they just need to work harder.

What a Peculiar Passage

The secondary reason the church should be offended by having the Ten Commandments in schools - it’s a really weird choice in passage.

Even if we think planting scripture in our schools will lead unbelievers to Christ, and this is our big chance to do so...why would we choose the Ten Commandments?

Why not John 3:16?

Why not The Beatitudes?

Why not literally any of the red letters?

Why would we choose an Old Testament, Mosaic Law passage that looks ahead to a coming Messiah, when we know how the story ends? We have a whole new covenant now.

Leading with the Ten Commandments is like pitching your new business idea to prospective customers by reading your Terms & Conditions.

No one signs up for the “rules” for the sake of rules. Again, Paul would tell us that rules alone aren’t life-giving.

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it.

All the more reason to question the goal behind planting scripture in our schools. Is it really coming from a place of compassion and love? Or a moral heavy-handedness?

It seems the passage selection itself likely answers the question.

This kind of situation puts pastors in a weird place. They have to walk a fine line between keeping the peace, shepherding a congregation that includes well-meaning, naive believers, and speaking truth into their flock.

But I believe the strongest criticism should be coming from within the church. And, sadly, I’m not seeing that.

While we aren’t tasked with judging those outside of the church, we are tasked with upholding the commandments of scripture.

But for us. Not everyone else.