A Vision for a Life Well Lived

Richard Hay’s Moral Vision of the New Testament represents a major undertaking on the subject of New Testament ethics. At the same time, it serves as an important advancement in the area of Biblical hermeneutics (the study of interpreting scripture).

Hay’s Moral Vision is an important work widely recognized as one of the most important in the field of New Testament ethics. NT Wright determined that the work was “not just a breath of fresh air, but a hurricane!

However, it would be difficult to underscore just how dangerous this book is!

Dangerous may sound shocking to the reader of any review, but Hays’ work will challenge the assumptions of all seeking to understand the text of the Bible. If you do not desire to be stretched, pushed, challenged, and ultimately changed then stay away from this book. But, then again if you are that committed to your current understanding of the God’s vision for us then how far can your Christianity go? Simply put, the book is dangerous to anyone wanting to remain unexamined in his or her approach to the biblical canon.

Hays moves past labels of liberal and conservative and offers and independent and ultimately refreshing and helpful reading of the New Testament.

There is no shortage of need in the community of faith for helpful readings of the text and more precise understanding of how to do so. By helpful readings, I am not suggesting we find the meaning that works (pragmatism) or that is least offensive. Rather, I am suggesting that we become less dogmatic about “our” reading and more conversant with brothers and sisters across the spectrum of evangelicalism.

Hays offers precision in the attempt to understand the text. Many will argue that the work is not accessible to the average reader. The criticism is fair to an extent. Without a working knowledge of technical terms and deepening theological understanding, readers may struggle in ways. But, hard reading is good reading and books worth our time are worthy of our effort. The book is not for the novice reader or student of the Bible or the study of ethics.

However, for those who have a desire to go deeper in the ability to expound, understand, and utilize the biblical text in developing the moral life, The Moral Vision of the New Testament is indispensable.

The best section of The Moral Vision offers an answer to the objection of inaccessibility. The pragmatic task offers readers an up-close look at how a trained and humble pastor and professor takes up his advice. Moving from such issues as abortion, homosexuality, passivism, and women in the Church, Hays treats each issue with sound understanding and trained precision.

Hay’s understanding of the New Testaments sexual ethic is perhaps the best I have ever read. With humility, he offers a historical reading of the canon but does so with a posture that will challenge those that are more dogmatic on the issue.

One need not necessarily agree with Professor Hays in order to appreciate his wisdom or his approach to the text and ethics. Hays closes his work with a challenge to the church on the sharing of possessions. I am still undone by the writing there and processing the wisdom. I believe it may be one of the more needed corrections to consumerism and capitalism that has besieged the American church!

Any leader that seeks to understand the scriptures role in shaping the moral life will find Dr. Hays’ work as an important ally in such a venture. The previous statement, while bold, cannot be underscored enough.

Modern culture is replete with executives, educational bureaucrats, politicians and ministry leaders that seemingly have no moral underpinnings or who at the very least struggle to have a coherent and consistent system for developing such.

It may be the thing of fantasy to suggest that these individuals would turn to such work. Hays’ Moral Vision would be worthy of their intellect and up to the task of building a coherent and freeing system for New Testament ethics and thus, the moral life.