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- Herausgeber: Booksell-Verlag
- Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
- Sprache: Englisch
In "Weighed and Wanting: Addresses on the Ten Commandments," Dwight Lyman Moody offers a compelling exploration of the moral imperatives encapsulated in the Decalogue. Throughout this collection of addresses, Moody employs a direct and engaging literary style, marked by clarity and an earnest appeal to the reader's conscience. Contextually situated within the broader scope of the 19th-century revivalist movement, the work reflects Moody's mission to communicate Christian doctrine in relatable terms, emphasizing the relevance of these ancient commandments to contemporary moral dilemmas. Dwight Lyman Moody (1837-1899) was an influential American evangelist and publisher, known for his passionate approach to Christian teachings. His unconventional education and working-class beginnings imbued him with a profound empathy for the struggles of ordinary believers. Moody's life experiences and fervent commitment to evangelism inspired him to address the spiritual deficiencies he perceived within society, making the Ten Commandments a focal point for moral reasoning in his ministry. With its thoughtful insights and practical applications, "Weighed and Wanting" is an essential read for anyone seeking to delve deeper into the intersection of faith and morality. Moody's addresses challenge readers to reflect on their own lives in light of these timeless principles, making it a valuable resource for both personal study and group discussion. In this enriched edition, we have carefully created added value for your reading experience: - A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes. - The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists. - A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing. - A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings. - Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life. - Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance. - Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021
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Weighed and Wanting: Addresses on the Ten Commandments
Table of Contents
Introduction
Confronting readers with the moral weight of the Ten Commandments, this book contends that character is measured not by sentiment or reputation but by the steady alignment of will, word, and deed with a standard that exposes complacency, summons honest self-examination, and insists that the claims of divine law speak directly to the anxieties, ambitions, and compromises of modern life.
Weighed and Wanting: Addresses on the Ten Commandments is a work of religious nonfiction by Dwight Lyman Moody, the American evangelist, composed as a series of public addresses on the Decalogue. Emerging in the late nineteenth century, it belongs to the tradition of practical homiletics shaped by revival preaching and lay instruction. Rather than a scholarly treatise, it is a pastoral exposition designed for ordinary readers and hearers, reflecting the era’s emphasis on clear proclamation, moral urgency, and the application of biblical teaching to everyday conduct and conscience.
The premise is straightforward yet probing: each commandment is explored as a living word that tests inner motives as well as outward behavior. Readers encounter a voice that is direct, earnest, and plainspoken, favoring clarity over ornament, illustration over abstraction, and persuasion over debate. The mood is searching but hopeful, marked by appeals to conscience and by a strong practical orientation. The experience is akin to sitting under a sustained series of sermons, where the cumulative effect is not merely to inform thought but to press for a decision about how one lives.
Key themes include the enduring authority of moral law, the unity of belief and behavior, and the exposure of hidden forms of idolatry, falsehood, and injustice that can masquerade as respectability. The addresses dwell on conscience, responsibility, and the relational dimensions of ethics: honoring God, safeguarding truth, protecting fidelity, and respecting life and property. Equally prominent is the inwardness of morality, where desires, intentions, and loyalties matter alongside deeds. Throughout, the work portrays the commandments as both boundary and pathway, restraining harm while guiding a constructive vision of human flourishing.
For contemporary readers, the book’s relevance lies in its conviction that clarity about right and wrong is not an obstacle to compassion but a foundation for it. In an age of competing authorities and shifting norms, Moody’s insistence on moral coherence challenges evasions and easy rationalizations. The work invites readers to examine where personal advantage overtakes integrity, where busyness displaces reverence, and where private choices ripple into public consequences. It also situates moral demands within the wider Christian message of repentance, renewal, and hope, connecting ethical seriousness with spiritual transformation.
Situated in the currents of nineteenth-century evangelical life, the addresses carry the cadence of revival meetings and the didactic aims of lay teaching. The style is brisk, illustrative, and exhortational, aiming to reach the conscience more than to resolve academic debates. Scriptural cross-references, everyday examples, and practical tests of character allow complex principles to become intelligible and actionable. That historical context helps explain the book’s blend of urgency and accessibility: it is designed for readers who seek clear guidance amid changing social conditions, without sacrificing depth or moral gravity.
Approached slowly or in sequence, the collection offers a framework for reflection, conversation, and self-assessment. Its structure invites readers to pause at each commandment, consider concrete habits, and imagine the personal and communal goods safeguarded by moral boundaries. The tone remains pastoral rather than punitive, aiming to awaken rather than to crush, to clarify rather than to complicate. In presenting the Ten Commandments as a comprehensive moral grammar, Weighed and Wanting offers a way to think and live that is rigorous, humane, and remarkably resilient across time.
Synopsis
Dwight Lyman Moody’s Weighed and Wanting presents a series of addresses on the Ten Commandments, arranged to move from the law’s foundation to its practical demands and final spiritual purpose. Moody frames the Decalogue as God’s enduring moral standard, using the biblical phrase “weighed in the balances” to underscore the seriousness of divine judgment. He maintains that the law reveals human shortfall and points to the need for grace in Christ, while also guiding conduct in personal, family, and civic life. Each address blends biblical exposition with contemporary examples, aiming to show how ancient commands speak to modern habits, duties, and social responsibilities.
Moody begins with the first commandment, asserting that allegiance to God alone is the cornerstone of moral order. He broadens idolatry beyond carved figures to include ambitions, wealth, reputation, and any loyalty that displaces ultimate devotion. The address emphasizes that true worship orients all priorities—work, family, and civic engagement—around God’s sovereignty. By inviting hearers to examine what governs their choices, Moody seeks to demonstrate how misdirected worship destabilizes both character and community. The commandment, he argues, calls for exclusive trust and a realignment of the heart toward the source of life and authority.
Turning to the second commandment, Moody warns against substituting human inventions for the living God. He views images and imaginative distortions as attempts to contain or control the divine, which, in practice, leads to superstition and empty forms. The address urges worship governed by God’s self-revelation rather than cultural tastes or traditions. Moody highlights how communities can inherit misrepresentations that obscure God’s character, and he stresses the influence of parental instruction in either perpetuating or correcting such errors. He encourages reverence that is inwardly sincere and outwardly simple, aligning worship with truth rather than spectacle or sentiment.
Addressing the third commandment, Moody argues that honoring God’s name includes more than avoiding profanity. It encompasses truthful speech, reverent prayer, and integrity in promises and oaths. He cautions against casual invocations of the divine, flippant religious talk, and commercial practices that trade on sacred language. The address sets speech ethics within daily life: contracts, testimonies, and conversations all bear moral weight. Moody presents careful, honest words as a safeguard for personal credibility and communal trust. By disciplining the tongue, he says, one honors God publicly and privately, making reverence measurable in ordinary interactions and commitments.
Moody’s treatment of the fourth commandment emphasizes the Sabbath as a gift designed for rest, worship, and renewed perspective. He links weekly rest to the rhythm of creation and to justice for workers, families, and the poor. While warning against legalism or mere rule-keeping, he advocates positive practices—gathered worship, Scripture reading, and acts of mercy—that refresh the soul and strengthen community. The address connects Sabbath observance to social well-being, arguing that a culture of relentless labor and distraction erodes moral focus. Moody portrays the day as a stabilizing force that reorders desires, protects the vulnerable, and sustains spiritual vitality.
On the fifth commandment, Moody explores honoring father and mother as the foundation for respect toward rightful authority. He discusses duties of children—obedience, gratitude, and care—as well as responsibilities of parents to instruct, nurture, and model integrity. The address extends the principle to teachers, civil authorities, and elders, anchoring social stability in the health of the home. Moody highlights consequences when generational bonds fray: impatience, contempt, and neglect weaken civic life. He presents honor not as blind submission but as a moral posture that supports responsibility, cherishes wisdom, and promotes continuity of virtue from one generation to the next.
Combining the sixth and seventh commandments, Moody first affirms the sanctity of life, condemning murder and the roots of violence found in hatred, cruelty, and reckless living. He urges self-control, peacemaking, and protection of the vulnerable, noting how anger and intemperance corrode communities. Turning to adultery, he upholds faithfulness within marriage and purity in conduct and imagination. The address warns against indulgence in seductive amusements, degrading speech, and secret compromises that betray covenants. Moody frames both commands as safeguards for human dignity—preserving life from harm and the home from infidelity—while calling for inward transformation that restrains destructive impulses.
Addressing the eighth and ninth commandments, Moody treats theft broadly: not only taking goods, but also dishonest weights, evasive debts, pilfered time, and schemes that exploit trust. He insists that honest labor and transparent dealings foster community confidence and personal character. On false witness, he condemns perjury, slander, gossip, and insinuation, emphasizing the grave damage done to reputations and justice. The address commends careful listening, fair judgment, and restraint in speech as protections for truth. Together, these commands establish a moral economy in which property is respected and testimony is reliable, ensuring that commercial and civic life remain equitable.
Moody concludes with the tenth commandment, focusing on coveting as disordered desire that seeds violations of the other laws. He commends contentment, gratitude, and generosity as remedies that redirect the heart from restless comparison to constructive service. The closing addresses tie the whole Decalogue together: the law functions as a mirror, revealing moral deficiency and silencing self-justification. Moody maintains that divine grace in Christ provides pardon and a new heart, enabling obedience not as a means of earning favor but as evidence of renewed life. The final appeal invites self-examination, repentance, and steady practice of the commandments for individual and social good.
Historical Context
Dwight Lyman Moody’s Weighed and Wanting: Addresses on the Ten Commandments emerged from the urban, industrial United States of the late nineteenth century, with Chicago as its practical setting and sounding board. Published in 1898 by Fleming H. Revell, the volume distilled sermons Moody had preached in the 1880s and 1890s amid explosive metropolitan growth, mass immigration, and contentious public morals. Chicago’s population soared from 298,977 in 1870 to 1,099,850 in 1890, transforming neighborhoods, labor patterns, and social relations. In that milieu of railroads, factories, and new fortunes, Moody framed the Decalogue as an enduring moral law to measure the nation’s conscience, confronting materialism, corruption, and the strains of modern city life.
The American Civil War (1861–1865) reshaped the nation’s moral vocabulary, binding questions of law, conscience, and sacrifice to public life. Wartime relief organizations such as the United States Christian Commission mobilized evangelical volunteers to camps and hospitals; Moody served extensively through the YMCA and the Commission, ministering to soldiers, the wounded, and bereaved families. These experiences sharpened his insistence on sin, repentance, and the authority of divine law. In Weighed and Wanting, his appeals to the commandments—especially those concerning false witness, theft, and murder—bear the imprint of wartime realism, connecting private righteousness to public duty and invoking a moral order that transcends sectionalism and the contingencies of military victory.
The Great Chicago Fire of 8–10 October 1871 destroyed roughly 3.3 square miles, leveled some 17,500 buildings, left about 100,000 homeless, and killed an estimated 300 people. Moody’s North Side church and home were consumed, and he immediately joined large-scale relief and reconstruction efforts. The catastrophe proved a spiritual watershed: Moody later recalled resolving never again to postpone calls for decision, after a sermon delivered the night the fire began. The stark exposure of human vulnerability, civic fragility, and the vanity of possessions intensified his critique of idolatry, covetousness, and false security. Weighed and Wanting channels that urgency, pressing the commandments as a bulwark against the precarity and temptations of rebuilt, rapidly commercializing Chicago.
Moody’s transatlantic revivals (1873–1875) in the United Kingdom and Ireland—conducted with hymnwriter Ira D. Sankey—drew vast crowds in cities such as Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dublin, and London, where The Times and other papers reported unprecedented attendance. The campaigns drew support from lay evangelicals and reform-minded elites, and they cemented a style of urban mass evangelism centered on direct, practical exposition of biblical law and grace. The international visibility of these meetings reinforced Moody’s conviction that the Decalogue spoke across class and nation. In Weighed and Wanting, the concise, analogical treatment of the commandments reflects methods refined in these arenas: plain speech addressing industrial workers, merchants, and professionals alike.
Chicago became a focal point of Gilded Age industrial tensions. The Haymarket Affair (4 May 1886), following a labor rally near the McCormick works, ended with a bomb explosion, eight policemen killed, and civilians dead and wounded; subsequent trials and 1887 executions polarized the city. The Pullman Strike (1894), led by Eugene V. Debs and the American Railway Union, spread nationwide after wage cuts in the company town south of Chicago; federal troops intervened under President Grover Cleveland, and clashes caused more than 30 deaths. Weighed and Wanting mirrors these upheavals by urging honesty, nonviolence, and justice under God’s law—warning capital against oppression and labor against vengeance—thus invoking the commandments on theft, coveting, and bearing false witness to critique exploitative practices and incendiary agitation.
Temperance and anti-vice crusades structured late nineteenth-century reform. The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (founded 1874, Cleveland) under Frances Willard (president 1879–1898, based in Evanston, Illinois) pursued sobriety, labor protections, and home-centered reform; the Anti-Saloon League (founded 1893 in Ohio) specialized in legislative pressure. Comstock’s federal obscenity law (1873) targeted illicit traffic through the mails. Debates over Sabbath observance crested with Sunday streetcar controversies and the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, where Sunday opening provoked national protests despite popular demand. Courts, including Hennington v. Georgia (U.S. Supreme Court, 1896), upheld Sunday rest laws. Weighed and Wanting explicitly elevates the Fourth and Seventh Commandments, aligning with temperance and purity campaigns while critiquing leisure commercialization and the social costs of alcohol-fueled urban vice.
Immigration and urban poverty reframed Protestant ministry. Between 1880 and 1910, millions arrived from southern and eastern Europe; Ellis Island opened in 1892. Chicago’s ethnic districts and overcrowded tenements prompted philanthropic and civic responses, notably Hull House (founded 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr) and housing/exposure reforms popularized by Jacob Riis’s 1890 work in New York. Moody founded the Chicago Evangelization Society in 1886, renamed Moody Bible Institute in 1889, to train lay workers for city missions, rescue homes, and street preaching. Weighed and Wanting functions within this institutional network, treating the Ten Commandments as a common moral grammar for diverse newcomers and the native-born, while rejecting nativist politics and emphasizing conversion, family order, and economic integrity.
As social and political critique, the book indicts the period’s idolatries—of wealth, speculation, and notoriety—through the first, second, and tenth commandments, exposing graft, sharp dealing, and class contempt that marred Gilded Age governance and business. It rebukes labor exploitation and violent agitation alike, insisting on truthful speech, fair wages, and lawful protest under the eighth and ninth commandments. By defending Sabbath rest, it critiques industrial scheduling that treated workers as expendable. The addresses universalize accountability, collapsing class divides before the Decalogue’s standard. Without endorsing parties, Moody’s arguments furnish a public ethic: civic peace, family stability, temperance, and commercial honesty as prerequisites for a just, urban-industrial republic.
