Who Owns the Ten Commandments? Mark Glanville on Power and Sacred Symbols

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: [email protected] June 2024, Louisiana passed a law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom—reviving old debates about church-state separation and moral authority. But what if we’ve misunderstood the Ten Commandments all along?Dr. Mark Glanville, Old Testament scholar, jazz pianist, and director of the Centre for Missional Leadership at UBC, joins the podcast to reframe how we read scripture in public life. Drawing on his essay “Ten Commandments, Zero Context,” Glanville explains how these ancient laws were never about symbolic domination or individual morality, but about shaping a just, compassionate community freed from oppression.From biblical law’s roots in slave emancipation to today’s debates over Christian nationalism, immigration, and public theology, this episode asks: What kind of society are we really trying to build? And whose law are we following—Pharaoh’s or God’s?🎧 Listen in, then share this episode with a friend or pastor.📬 Subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of faith and politics.Guest Bio:Dr. Mark Glanville is an Old Testament scholar and the Director of the Centre for Missional Leadership at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. A professional jazz pianist and theologian, Glanville is the author of Improvising Church and Preaching in a New Key. He also hosts the Blue Note Theology podcast—“the only theology podcast hosted from a grand piano.”🔗 Resource LinksImprovising Church: Scripture as the Source of Harmony, Rhythm, and Soul: https://bookshop.org/a/112456/9781514007457Mark Glanville’s Website: https://www.markglanville.org/ Support Sarah Stankorb’s work and preorder Damned If She Does: Why Women Quit Church and What It Means for the Future of Religion, Releases September 15, 2026.  Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/112456/9798889837091Website: https://www.sarahstankorb.com/Support the showKeep the conversation going.Want to learn more about Faithful Politics, suggest a future guest, or connect with us directly?Visit our website:faithfulpoliticspodcast.comBrowse our bookstore, featuring books from many of our guests:faithfulpoliticspodcast.com/bookstoreSupport the show and help us keep these conversations going:patreon.com/cw/FaithfulPoliticsSubscribe for behind-the-scenes content, reflections, and updates:faithfulpolitics.substack.comContact the hosts:Josh Burtram, Faithful Host: [email protected] Wright, Political Host: [email protected] Faithful Politics:Instagram: faithful_politicsFacebook: FaithfulPoliticsPodcast