Covenant and Commandment at first seeks to establish that the heart of Hebrew faith and thought is a vision of God as one who makes covenants - with Israel, with all humankind, and, indeed, with the whole creation. As a covenant-maker, God binds himself through his promises. It is Israel's conviction that God is the kind of God who makes promises and keeps them. This conviction, as Christian contends, has given creative power and shape to the whole of Hebrew and Christian history.As the books continues, C. W. Christian contends that the Hebrew law, especially that expression called the Ten Commandments, can best be understood as a joyful response to God's covenant grace, a response that embraces every aspect of our being: community with God, with each other, and with God's world. Each of the commandments is then examined to discover how it may provide guidance in living unto God and in human community.Covenant and Commandment is ideal for either personal or group study on the nature and use of the Ten Commandments. A study guide with relevant questions is provided for reflection and discussion.

The founders of the United States were well aware of religious differences in the new nation. Oppression had forced varied European religious groups to seek homes elsewhere, some in the new world of America. Governmental pressures toward conformity in religion had in the past led to corruption and civil strife. Thus, Congress made a dual assertion in its First Amendment to the Constitution: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." However, the ethical foundations of American society--and therefore its laws--intermingle with the moral codes of religions, including the Judeo-Christian Ten Commandments. This handbook helps bring understanding and meaning to the controversies that have arisen in present day society over the application of the Ten Commandments to public law and moral problems. Applications can be logical and legal, or can violate the separation of church and state called for in the First Amendment. Part One provides background on the Ten Commandments. It gives the various versions found in the Old Testament, and explains the non-Israelite influences on those versions (the Hammurabi Code, for example). The moral thinking of the ancient Mesopotamian, Egyptian and Hebrew cultures is examined. The modern Jewish tradition is detailed, as well as the different interpretations placed on the Ten Commandments by Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans and other Protestants. Part Two focuses on the modern controversies, assessing the differing sides of each. Among the many controversies covered are government funding of faith-based charities, posting the Ten Commandments in public buildings, science versus religion in schools, prayer in public places, blue laws, stem cell research, cloning, euthanasia, capital punishment, abortion and war, racial profiling and covenant marriages.

Can you find a proven source for lasting standards and values? God revealed the heart of His standards--the Ten Commandments--long ago at Mount Sinai. But what sets them apart from man-made rules and guidelines? What do they reveal about nature of God Himself. In this booklet you'll discover the answers to these questions and more. Inside this booklet:- The First Commandment: What Is Our Greatest Priority?- The Second Commandment: What Is God Like?- The Third Commandment: From Profanity to Praise- The Fourth Commandment: Key to a Relationship With Our Creator- The Fifth Commandment: A Foundation for Success- Sixth Commandment: Life Is a Precious Gift- Seventh Commandment: Protect the Marital Relationship- Eighth Commandment: Practice Giving Rather Than Getting- Ninth Commandment: Truth as a Way of Life- Tenth Commandment: True Righteousness Comes From the Heart- Does the New Covenant Abolish the Commandments?[ View or download other free booklets at www.ucg.org ]

Of those that even start at Church; Most start at a Sunday Church of some kind. Some start out at a Sabbath Church - Some go on to explore the Hebrew roots of the Christian faith. You will soon find that there's a 'mix' everywhere you go - the recipes are different; but it's a 'mix' nonetheless. The Church (Sunday & Sabbath) tend to ignore the OT (specifically Torah) in favor of the NT. But they keep Sunday and Holidays a resemblance of the law (ref. Lev.23) as if it was the law. Most Sabbath Churches keep the Sunday style calender religious Holidays just the same, justifying to ignore Yahweh's "mow'edim." The Judeao-Christian Church (in general) has divorced itself from its Hebrew roots. And those that do explore the Hebrew roots are faced with another set of un-discerned truth and errors. Most Messianics are enamored by anything 'Jewish.' In this book you will discover the Truth about the Covenant to go forward in your quest for it.

Deuteronomy is a book about a community being prepared for a new life. Hardship and the wilderness lie behind; the promised land lies ahead. But in the present moment, there is a call for a new commitment to God and a fresh understanding of the nature of the community of God's people. Though the scene is set more than three thousand years in the past, Deuteronomy is still a book of considerable contemporary relevance. The book of Deuteronomy, however, is not only a book of contemporary relevance. It has been, and continues to be, one of the most important and debated works in modern biblical scholarship. - Author's preface.

God’s Love Story: A Canonical Telling traces the metaphorical theme of God’s love relationship(s) that spans the entire Bible. God lovingly pursues humankind in relationship that is robustly satisfying and salvific. Like many relationships, God’s love story with God’s people is both transcendent and tragic, messy and mercy-filled, raw and redemptive. Not merely a series of events relegated to the past, God’s love story is an ongoing, present phenomenon—a salvation-relationship into which God invites all peoples to (collectively) be the spouse of God.

The Book of Covenants is a fresh perspective on the story of redemption as found within the covers of the Christian Bible. God did not choose religion to accomplish His goals, but instead, He carried out His masterful plan of salvation through a series of covenants. Biblical covenants offer great insight into the nature, character, and faithfulness of Yahweh, the covenant-keeping God. These relational covenants give us assurance of Gods blessings and promises while establishing a clear path to eternal life in Jesus Christ. Knowing the terms of these covenants will help the believer live a life pleasing to God with peace and confidence through understanding their expectations of being in a covenant relationship with God.

The St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology and Dr. Scott Hahn present the ninth annual edition of Letter & Spirit with the theme "Christ and the unity of Scripture". The seven highly-readable articles explore, from the Gospels of Matthew and John, to the letters of St. Paul, how the seemingly disparate themes and images are unified - and therefore properly understood - in Christ. The articles, while academic in nature, are easily accessible to the average reader and can be read with great profit, both spiritually and in coming to learn the truths of the Catholic faith more deeply.