With the passage of ACT
573 (2025), every public classroom in Arkansas—from elementary schools to universities—
must now display printed copies of the Ten
Commandments. This engaging course invites
participants to explore the origins and meanings of these commandments as presented in
Exodus 20, while comparing them to the alternate accounts in Deuteronomy 5 and Exodus 34. Together, we’ll trace the long-standing debates
over how exactly the Ten Commandments are
identified and numbered across Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant traditions, examining how
interpretation shapes theology and practice.
Through closer reading, discussion, and interactive analysis, participants will investigate not
only the ancient context of these texts but also
their modern implications.
Finally, the course turns to the legal and constitutional dimensions of ACT 573, analyzing the
act’s religious symbolism and its potential conflict with the Establishment Clause of the First
Amendment. Led by Dr. Spencer L. Allen, Teaching Assistant Professor in the Department of
History at the University of Arkansas’s Fulbright
College, this course offers an intellectually rich
and thought-provoking exploration of scripture, law, and the boundaries between church
and state. (Box lunch provided in class fee.