The Moral Vision of the New Testament

One of the best and most useful Christian books available, working through the process of shaping the life of Christians through serious engagement with the New Testament. Hays deals with individual NT authors then from these diverse materials moves to the synthetic task. Harmony is not sought in some theme such as 'love' due to Hays' appreciation of narrative: that the various traditions tell and re-tell the same basic story with different focuses on themes and events. Hays finds a continuity across the NT in three main themes; shorthand descriptions of vital elements of God's redemptive drama:\\r\\n\\r\\nCOMMUNITY: """"The church is a countercultural community of discipleship, and this community is the primary addressee of God's imperatives. """" \\r\\n\\r\\nCROSS: """"Jesus death on a cross is the paradigm for faithfulness to God in this world. """" \\r\\n\\r\\nNEW CREATION: """"The church embodies the power of the resurrection in the midst of a not-yet-redeemed world. """" \\r\\n\\r\\nWithin these themes there are many tensions not 'resolved' through some false harmonisation or balancing out. The diversity of the materials is respected while a strong narrative-thematic unity is maintained. Hays interacts with five approaches to the NT and then finishes with five case studies that highlight his methodology. Disagreements with his particular stances need to engage as seriously as he does with the moral vision of the New Testament rather than simply react.…