Rating: 
Summary: Wanting for Authority
Review: Richard Hays has undertaken a highly important project. He is attempting to devise a system of morality for the modern era based on New Testament ethics. He approaches the subject systematically, attempting to discern what exactly it was that New Testament writers thought on a variety of subjects, from abortion to violence. Sometimes, his conclusions are exactly those of the writers themselves. However, on homosexuality, his conclusions are a bit forced. He does not seek to discourage it (though several NT authors do, most notably Paul in Romans), perhaps out of fear of offending some within society. But, he does not encourage it either. In the end, he effectively eliminates the possibility of homosexual union, but does not go so far as to impose abstinence on such persons, regardless that the Bible (more than just the NT) regards the practice as an "abomination." Therefore, Hays loses an opportunity to take a definitive stand on a subject. His inability to follow a strict line of interpretation therefore throws into doubt the rest of his conclusions, not for their lack of validity, but simply by association. In that regards, while Hays has taken an important step to get us thinking about such matters, he has more or less failed to provide anything of any real substance because on one point he refuses to draw his conclusions based on a strict biblical exegesis.
Rating:
Summary: Wanting for Authority
Review: Richard Hays has undertaken a highly important project. He is attempting to devise a system of morality for the modern era based on New Testament ethics. He approaches the subject systematically, attempting to discern what exactly it was that New Testament writers thought on a variety of subjects, from abortion to violence. Sometimes, his conclusions are exactly those of the writers themselves. However, on homosexuality, his conclusions are a bit forced. He does not seek to discourage it (though several NT authors do, most notably Paul in Romans), perhaps out of fear of offending some within society. But, he does not encourage it either. In the end, he effectively eliminates the possibility of homosexual union, but does not go so far as to impose abstinence on such persons, regardless that the Bible (more than just the NT) regards the practice as an "abomination." Therefore, Hays loses an opportunity to take a definitive stand on a subject. His inability to follow a strict line of interpretation therefore throws into doubt the rest of his conclusions, not for their lack of validity, but simply by association. In that regards, while Hays has taken an important step to get us thinking about such matters, he has more or less failed to provide anything of any real substance because on one point he refuses to draw his conclusions based on a strict biblical exegesis.
Rating: 
Summary: A very convincing presentation of the NT's Ethics
Review: This book is really a jewel, not only because it is filled with scholarship and beautifully written but, above all, because it provides a comprehensive and convincing account of the way the New Testament builds its own moral vision, in coherence with the life and death of Christ. This utterly honest presentation of the organic link beetwen Christian narrative and Christian ethics changes your vision of the field and makes you feel enriched. A book that will not quit your desk...
Rating:
Summary: An almost overwhelming accomplishment...
Review: This is an amazing book - solid scholarship and well thought-out interpretation delivered with a sense of urgency and sincerity. If you are at all interested in Ethics or the state of New Testament scholarship, this book is an absolute necessity.Hays sees distinct (though overlapping) tasks in the process of "doing ethics" and is able to explain and apply them clearly. His emphasis on seeing ethical questions through the "focal lenses" of Cross, Community and New Creation is a wonderful guidepost for anyone concerned with faithful, Spirit-driven scholarship. He stresses that an "integrative act of the imagination" is required to be able to apply the Scripture to our world and suggests methods for achieving it. Hays analyzes 5 theologian/ethicists in light of his approach (including Barth, Hauerwas, and Schussler-Fiorenza) and, in doing so, further clarifies how his approach can be used by others. The final section of the book applies Hays' approach to contemporary issues. Partly because of his obvious authority in Greek and New Testament scholarship, and partly because of his honest, passionate approach, his conclusions are bold and very persuasive. This book will likely be very influential in both the fields of Ethics and New Testament Studies. Students, professors and church communities alike will be dealing with (and indebted to) this book for years to come.
|
