What do you think?
Rate this book
What Are Biblical Values?: What the Bible Says on Key Ethical Issues
An illuminating exploration of the Bible and many of our most contentious contemporary issues
Many people today claim that their positions on various issues are grounded in biblical values, and they use scriptural passages to support their claims. But the Bible was written over the course of several hundred years and contains contradictory positions on many issues. The Bible seldom provides simple answers; it more often shows the complexity of moral problems. Can we really speak of “biblical values”?
In this eye-opening book, one of the world’s leading biblical scholars argues that when we read the Bible with care, we are often surprised by what we find. Examining what the Bible actually says on a number of key themes, John Collins covers a vast array of topics, including the right to life, gender, the role of women, the environment, slavery and liberation, violence and zeal, and social justice. With clarity and authority, he invites us to dramatically reimagine the basis for biblical ethics in the world today.
Many people today claim that their positions on various issues are grounded in biblical values, and they use scriptural passages to support their claims. But the Bible was written over the course of several hundred years and contains contradictory positions on many issues. The Bible seldom provides simple answers; it more often shows the complexity of moral problems. Can we really speak of “biblical values”?
In this eye-opening book, one of the world’s leading biblical scholars argues that when we read the Bible with care, we are often surprised by what we find. Examining what the Bible actually says on a number of key themes, John Collins covers a vast array of topics, including the right to life, gender, the role of women, the environment, slavery and liberation, violence and zeal, and social justice. With clarity and authority, he invites us to dramatically reimagine the basis for biblical ethics in the world today.
296 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 6, 2019
87 people are currently reading
163 people want to read
About the author
John J. Collins
106 books47 followersJohn J. Collins is Holmes Professor of Old Testament at Yale Divinity School. A native of Ireland, he has a doctorate from Harvard University, and earlier taught at the University of Chicago, and the University of Notre Dame. He has published widely on the subjects of apocalypticism, wisdom, Hellenistic Judaism, and the Dead Sea Scrolls and served as president of both the Catholic Biblical Association and the Society of Biblical Literature.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 13, 2021
By and large I enjoyed this book. Required reading for the Education for Ministry course, I was already familiar with Collins through his overview on the Hebrew Scriptures.
According to the author, his charge was to review what the Bible said (says) regarding topics such as gender, race, slavery, violence, social justice, abortion etc. as difficult as achieving that sort of objectivity is, he does a good job. There are instances where his opinions,leak through but not enough to bias the work.
A couple of highlights...
He demonstrates the danger of a people claiming to be “chosen” as a justification for conquest including the current state of affairs in Israel. The current annexation of land is eerily similar to the treatment of canaanites as they were occupied in the Book of Joshua.
Another highlight was the effort he mounted in explaining how apocalyptic Christianity became an excuse for ignoring the environment, caring for our neighbor etc. all emphasis is on being saved leaving little motivation, or accountability, for that matter regarding one’s behavior in the world
According to the author, his charge was to review what the Bible said (says) regarding topics such as gender, race, slavery, violence, social justice, abortion etc. as difficult as achieving that sort of objectivity is, he does a good job. There are instances where his opinions,leak through but not enough to bias the work.
A couple of highlights...
He demonstrates the danger of a people claiming to be “chosen” as a justification for conquest including the current state of affairs in Israel. The current annexation of land is eerily similar to the treatment of canaanites as they were occupied in the Book of Joshua.
Another highlight was the effort he mounted in explaining how apocalyptic Christianity became an excuse for ignoring the environment, caring for our neighbor etc. all emphasis is on being saved leaving little motivation, or accountability, for that matter regarding one’s behavior in the world
August 31, 2020
In this book, Collins attempts to introduce the reader to the practice of critical biblical study.
He does this by breaking down exactly what the scriptures actually say in reference to an assortment of topics that have risen to some prominence in the Church recently. In many cases he demonstrates that the layman must exercise caution when appealing to Biblical authority on issues of morality and ethics; because while in some places the scriptures may be seen to support this view or that, they are not always in agreement, or may not have the meaning we attribute to them.
He closes the book with a valuable reminder that the Bible is not a magical book of answers, but is instead a collection of writings; written by men of their age in an attempt to better understand God.
If you are an adherent of Sola Scriptura, I caution you that this book will upset you.
He does this by breaking down exactly what the scriptures actually say in reference to an assortment of topics that have risen to some prominence in the Church recently. In many cases he demonstrates that the layman must exercise caution when appealing to Biblical authority on issues of morality and ethics; because while in some places the scriptures may be seen to support this view or that, they are not always in agreement, or may not have the meaning we attribute to them.
He closes the book with a valuable reminder that the Bible is not a magical book of answers, but is instead a collection of writings; written by men of their age in an attempt to better understand God.
If you are an adherent of Sola Scriptura, I caution you that this book will upset you.
October 10, 2020
Excellent overview of Biblical Ethics. By and large, Collins sticks to solid biblical exegesis but he also brings in other historical works to provide the cultural and historical context of biblical writing. This is a balanced and helpful introduction to the notion that the Bible is a historical document more than a set of fixed rules and regulations. Furthermore, Collins rightly emphasizes that all ethics which are drawn from the Christian Scriptures (Hebrew or New Testament) need to be read in light of Jesus's Two Great Commandments (love of God and love of neighbor).
August 1, 2024
Quite good. A series of lectures that received their final form as a book. The chapters certainly feel like lectures, but that's not necessarily bad (also, plenty of notes in each chapter, enough to get you started on digging more into that particular topic).
I will most definitely come back to give it a more attentive read, but the Introduction and final chapter are worth the time. It gripped me because of his (honest) approach to reading and engaging with the Bible.
"To treat the Bible as a magical book of answers to modern problems amounts to a refusal to grapple with it seriously."
I will most definitely come back to give it a more attentive read, but the Introduction and final chapter are worth the time. It gripped me because of his (honest) approach to reading and engaging with the Bible.
"To treat the Bible as a magical book of answers to modern problems amounts to a refusal to grapple with it seriously."
February 6, 2023
While Collins provides no definitive answers on the subjects he covers, he does provide a thorough overview of both the context Bible passages used to defend different positions were written in and urges much thought and caution with “cherry picking” or blindly accepting the Bible as inspired infallible truth. It’s a critical text that forces one to really think and examine one’s beliefs on different “values” and what the Bible ACTUALLY has to say on them.
August 5, 2023
A great book to show how biblical values are not what we think they are. The Bible is shocking when it comes to war, genocide, abortion, the right to life, women’s rights, slavery, and protecting the environment.
October 31, 2024
Another reading assignment, so even though I’ve read John J. Collins before (also for a class, and that was a textbook), that’s probably irrelevant to my decision to read him again. But this one, while academically inclined, is not a textbook, but rather a critique of politicians and other people who justify their positions and policies on hot-button ethical and social issues (gender, gay marriage, abortion, climate change, etc) by claiming they’re based on “Biblical values”. The problem, argues Collins, is that the people who say this sort of thing either cherry-pick their “values”, or apparently haven’t studied the Bible very deeply. Or possibly both.
Collins looks at what the text of the Bible has to say about the above topics, plus things like violence, social justice and slavery, with the caveat that his objective isn’t to declare which side is right, but to highlight the problem of relying on what is in essence a complex and often contradictory anthology of writings – what Collins describes as less of a unified, cohesive treatise and more of a running argument written and edited by dozens of different people over the span of a few thousand years – to justify a given modern-day position.
Overall, Collins makes a good case that (1) anyone who wants to talk about Biblical values in any meaningful way must at the very least engage with that text in depth with a reasonably open mind to identify consistent and objective “values” from the text, and (2) anyone who does so may find themselves surprised to find how little support the Bible may provide. Obviously, what the reader makes of this will largely depend on how literally they take the Bible in the first place. Others may be put off by Collins declining to settle scores for them. For me, I got a lot out of it, but then I’m not a fundamentalist, and I also agree with one of his key points: “To treat the Bible as a magic book of answers to modern problems amounts to refusing to grapple with it seriously.”
Collins looks at what the text of the Bible has to say about the above topics, plus things like violence, social justice and slavery, with the caveat that his objective isn’t to declare which side is right, but to highlight the problem of relying on what is in essence a complex and often contradictory anthology of writings – what Collins describes as less of a unified, cohesive treatise and more of a running argument written and edited by dozens of different people over the span of a few thousand years – to justify a given modern-day position.
Overall, Collins makes a good case that (1) anyone who wants to talk about Biblical values in any meaningful way must at the very least engage with that text in depth with a reasonably open mind to identify consistent and objective “values” from the text, and (2) anyone who does so may find themselves surprised to find how little support the Bible may provide. Obviously, what the reader makes of this will largely depend on how literally they take the Bible in the first place. Others may be put off by Collins declining to settle scores for them. For me, I got a lot out of it, but then I’m not a fundamentalist, and I also agree with one of his key points: “To treat the Bible as a magic book of answers to modern problems amounts to refusing to grapple with it seriously.”
January 18, 2021
The author discusses a number of topics (role of women, marriage, the environment, slavery, violence, social justice) that are found in the bible and discusses how there are contradictory viewpoints. He gives the reader perspective when it was written and whether some of the events actually occurred. This is a definite must read for all those who quote the Bible to make their case by choosing a quote that may be just one view point or taken out of context for their agenda.
For example, The author discusses how the story of taking land from the Canaanite neighbours has been used by colonial power as a justification to take land from others as well as how slave owners used the bible as a justification for owning slaves.
There is a lot of information here and the author gives some recent examples ( Jeff Sessions cited the Apostle Paul as justification for the policy of separating the children of illegal immigrants from their parents but had he read further into Romans 13 he would have read "Love they neighbour as thyself".
One thing pointed out by the author is that not everything in the Bible can be accepted as divine command. There is no archaeological evidence for some of the events that happened in the Bible (e.g., violent conquest of Canaan). The biblical texts were written by humans and shaped by their purposes.
For example, The author discusses how the story of taking land from the Canaanite neighbours has been used by colonial power as a justification to take land from others as well as how slave owners used the bible as a justification for owning slaves.
There is a lot of information here and the author gives some recent examples ( Jeff Sessions cited the Apostle Paul as justification for the policy of separating the children of illegal immigrants from their parents but had he read further into Romans 13 he would have read "Love they neighbour as thyself".
One thing pointed out by the author is that not everything in the Bible can be accepted as divine command. There is no archaeological evidence for some of the events that happened in the Bible (e.g., violent conquest of Canaan). The biblical texts were written by humans and shaped by their purposes.
October 13, 2020
The author, John J. Collins, has really done his homework. For each of the contemporary issues he examines, he mines the Hebrew bible and the Christian New Testament, for texts that are relevant. He proves, to my satisfaction, that the bible is a "running argument" as opposed to a book with definitive final statements about the issues. Context and interpretation leave the reader with a good sense of the various positions on issues and the need for further consideration and discussion. This is why the Bible is a living document and not a dead artifact.
September 28, 2021
Respectful and also thoughtfully provocative
Collins highlights how the Bible has a dialogue with itself in many areas. He also points out how the Bible occasionally has ideals higher than those that it meets in practice. His is a respectful yet provocative discussion. He celebrates the diversity of a book that was written by many authors over hundreds of years, and yet provides the basis for both the deepest levels of the Christian and the Jewish traditions.
Collins highlights how the Bible has a dialogue with itself in many areas. He also points out how the Bible occasionally has ideals higher than those that it meets in practice. His is a respectful yet provocative discussion. He celebrates the diversity of a book that was written by many authors over hundreds of years, and yet provides the basis for both the deepest levels of the Christian and the Jewish traditions.
December 12, 2019
Excellent read
The scholarship is extremely sound. And it is written so masterfully that it is accessible to all. This is probably one of the best books on the Bible that I’ve read in a long time.
The scholarship is extremely sound. And it is written so masterfully that it is accessible to all. This is probably one of the best books on the Bible that I’ve read in a long time.
September 22, 2024
It is interesting how values I hold dear, were indeed influenced by how individuals in the Western Tradition would read and interpret the Bible, and yet the Bible itself, when viewed from a critical scholarly perspective, often says very little on the matter and has plenty of contradicting material.
Much more is tied in with the interpreter (meaning their own cultural values and circumstances were major drivers) of a handful of verses, than with the Bible consistently expressing ethical themes in an unambiguous manner.
Collins points out that the scriptures clearly support many things that we today find reprehensible, and yet often, Christian values and our positions in the culture wars have hardly any support whatsoever in the bible (abortion, for example). There are a handful of issues though, like the concern for the poor that are admirable from a modern perspective.
That humanity is created in the image of God, having inherent value and rights, is, for example, only referenced one other place, where ironically, capital punishment is instituted. If the correct interpretation of the imago dei is the inalienable worth of people, we would wish to see this exhibited elsewhere in the bible. All throughout the Old Testament, most humans have very little value--children are to be punished for the sins of their parents, and God is often depicted as a short-fused rage-oholic who when set off, will indiscriminately kill innocent men, women and children and animals. A God who had to put a rainbow in the sky to remind himself not to kill everyone in a fit of passion--having recognized he went a little bit overboard. A being who incites David to take a census as an excuse to kill 70,000 people. life is incredibly cheap in the OT. The New Testament presents more of a mixed picture.
So much of the New Testament ethic, however, seems to be contingent on Jesus coming back in their lifetime. Now that we live 2000 years later, what exactly are we to do with it?
Paul who argued that homosexuality was against nature, also said nature itself said it was a shame for man to have long hair and it was against nature for women to pray without their heads covered.
Christians are often all about family values, but Jesus and family values did not really mix. He told people they had to leave their families, and if they did not, that they were not worthy of him. That he came to bring a sword, to divide families. He commends his disciples for leaving wives behind to follow him. Jesus chillingly sounds like a cult leader in this regard.
Even though it was conceivable to be against slavery (The Essenes, who were Jesus' contemporaries, did not have slaves for ethical reasons), Christians had no such stance. Most of Jesus' parables contain slaves. Slaves are commanded to obey their masters. They could have said Christians should not have slaves, but it does not do so.
Anyhow, the bible is such a mixed bag, a mix of the good, the bad, and the ugly, and contradicting material on ethical matters, that terrorists, who in zeal blow themselves up in order to kill the heathen, because they hate those who are the enemies of God, could be equally upholding "biblical values" as a Mother Teresa is upholding biblical values.
Much more is tied in with the interpreter (meaning their own cultural values and circumstances were major drivers) of a handful of verses, than with the Bible consistently expressing ethical themes in an unambiguous manner.
Collins points out that the scriptures clearly support many things that we today find reprehensible, and yet often, Christian values and our positions in the culture wars have hardly any support whatsoever in the bible (abortion, for example). There are a handful of issues though, like the concern for the poor that are admirable from a modern perspective.
That humanity is created in the image of God, having inherent value and rights, is, for example, only referenced one other place, where ironically, capital punishment is instituted. If the correct interpretation of the imago dei is the inalienable worth of people, we would wish to see this exhibited elsewhere in the bible. All throughout the Old Testament, most humans have very little value--children are to be punished for the sins of their parents, and God is often depicted as a short-fused rage-oholic who when set off, will indiscriminately kill innocent men, women and children and animals. A God who had to put a rainbow in the sky to remind himself not to kill everyone in a fit of passion--having recognized he went a little bit overboard. A being who incites David to take a census as an excuse to kill 70,000 people. life is incredibly cheap in the OT. The New Testament presents more of a mixed picture.
So much of the New Testament ethic, however, seems to be contingent on Jesus coming back in their lifetime. Now that we live 2000 years later, what exactly are we to do with it?
Paul who argued that homosexuality was against nature, also said nature itself said it was a shame for man to have long hair and it was against nature for women to pray without their heads covered.
Christians are often all about family values, but Jesus and family values did not really mix. He told people they had to leave their families, and if they did not, that they were not worthy of him. That he came to bring a sword, to divide families. He commends his disciples for leaving wives behind to follow him. Jesus chillingly sounds like a cult leader in this regard.
Even though it was conceivable to be against slavery (The Essenes, who were Jesus' contemporaries, did not have slaves for ethical reasons), Christians had no such stance. Most of Jesus' parables contain slaves. Slaves are commanded to obey their masters. They could have said Christians should not have slaves, but it does not do so.
Anyhow, the bible is such a mixed bag, a mix of the good, the bad, and the ugly, and contradicting material on ethical matters, that terrorists, who in zeal blow themselves up in order to kill the heathen, because they hate those who are the enemies of God, could be equally upholding "biblical values" as a Mother Teresa is upholding biblical values.
October 5, 2022
I read this for Education for Ministry year 2 and it was alright. It loses a star because I just did not like the book. It also loses a star because Collins is an idiot who doesn't understand/know a lot of American Christians (he may know some). In chapter 6 "Slavery and Liberation" he writes:
That's wrong. It may no longer be bluntly stated on Sunday morning in mega churches, but it is talked about in small groups bible studies, how do I know this... because I've heard people use this argument. In chapter 9 "The Authority of the Bible" Collins writes:
How the f*ck can write that with a straight face about conservative American Christians? Beth Moore left the Southern Baptists in 2021 because woman could not lead men in that denomination.
He was so wrong on those points - that any good point he made was washed away.
Slavery is no longer a matter of public debate. No one would now argue that because it is accepted in the Bible it should be accepted in modern society.
That's wrong. It may no longer be bluntly stated on Sunday morning in mega churches, but it is talked about in small groups bible studies, how do I know this... because I've heard people use this argument. In chapter 9 "The Authority of the Bible" Collins writes:
The strictures of 1 Timothy that a woman should learn in silence and that she must not teach or have authority over a man are no longer socially acceptable.
How the f*ck can write that with a straight face about conservative American Christians? Beth Moore left the Southern Baptists in 2021 because woman could not lead men in that denomination.
He was so wrong on those points - that any good point he made was washed away.
June 27, 2024
This is not a very indepth look into Biblical Values, but it is enlightening nevertheless. In recent years I've had major problems with the bible with regards to slavery and divinely sanctioned genocide. This book does not do away with those problems. It acknowledges them. Yet, the Bible is also unique in its concern for the widow, orphan, and alien. Though aliens definitely were second class citizens at best, there is also an aknowlegment of the plight of the poor. There may not be a demand for a change to society, but there is an appeal to Heavan for such a change--as expresses in the prophets and Revelation.
I like how the book leaves off by framing the Bible as a running dialogue. The ideal is love of God and neighbor as oneself, but the Bible itself doesn't live up to that ideal. I also liked how criticism of the government and current society is framed as a Biblical Value even though Paul and Jesus and early Christians ultimately preached obeying government authority. Arguably, Christianity would not've lasted if they had not.
I like how the book leaves off by framing the Bible as a running dialogue. The ideal is love of God and neighbor as oneself, but the Bible itself doesn't live up to that ideal. I also liked how criticism of the government and current society is framed as a Biblical Value even though Paul and Jesus and early Christians ultimately preached obeying government authority. Arguably, Christianity would not've lasted if they had not.
October 13, 2023
John Collins has written a readable, well-researched and well-reasoned book on what the Bible says on key ethical issues. They cover the range from "right to life", gender, marriage and family, the environment, violence, social justice. It's so interesting to read that in many cases, the Bible has very little to say about some issues (such as gender, marriage, right to life). Yet it's not uncommon to hear public figures quoting the Bible to make a point supporting their view. Often the quote is taken out of context or the entire quote is not repeated, thus leading listeners to believe the speakers' point of view. This book should be required reading for anyone who has heard something attributed to the Bible and thought to themselves "hmmmm, I wonder if that is what it really says/means?"
February 21, 2025
This is a timely book, particularly for Americans, given the conflating of modern American conservatism with Christian/biblical values. At the very least, I think this book lays out a case that this assumption is not so clear cut with an honest assessment of the Bible. Some may claim the author cherry picks bible verses to suit an agenda, but I feel that he does not make any strong proclamations one way or another so I don't know how accurate this statement may be.
Stylistically, the author cites many verses in his chapters. This may be due to my reading sometimes unfocused but I think it would have been nice to have a summary paragraph at the end of each chapter going over his main points. I think this book is a worth a read for anyone interested in the topic of religion and society.
Stylistically, the author cites many verses in his chapters. This may be due to my reading sometimes unfocused but I think it would have been nice to have a summary paragraph at the end of each chapter going over his main points. I think this book is a worth a read for anyone interested in the topic of religion and society.
October 9, 2022
It is a good resource to find verses fitting unsavory criteria. There is a systematic presentation that I have not seen elsewhere, so that is why it is a good resource. But ethics books always leave me hanging. Yet, that is ethics. Ethics books never deep engage in discussion; they state their perspective and move on. Ethics is not a a deciding place anyways; it is the presentation place. Decisions are to made in specific contexts. He presents the other side and then quickly states rather dismissive summaries. Basically, no real solutions but good foundation of where and what to start from.
April 15, 2025
Fun light read that encourages you to think about the Bible with greater balance. Collins manages to point out several modern political matters that the Bible is silent, explicit or ambiguous on. He ends the 220-page book by remarking "[t]he Bible is important as a reminder that our history, and indeed our present, is flawed, even as it also reminds us of the higher ideals to which we should aspire." This encourages people who disagree on the biblical narratives to find peaceful ways to aspire for the greater ideals to live by side-by-side.
May 22, 2025
I had Dr. Collins as a professor about 40 years ago so I thought I'd pick up this book to see how his thoughts have progressed. It's a good book and well documented but sometimes a bit short on detail--perhaps to be expected when one tries to cover several "hot button" issues. I did appreciate his statements that the Bible does contradict itself and that "proof-texting" without analysis is a bad idea. I'm not sure he'll convince some believers to be less literal in their approach to Biblical texts but he may help those in the middle with their journey of faith.
April 17, 2020
Collins offers the values the Bible displays in the life’s and stories of it’s characters. He offers little to none objective truth as to what God teaches us concerning the topics at hand. Although this is true he does give a look into the liberal Christian opinions concerning said topics which I deem beneficial for witness.
March 11, 2020
Clearly written, good about not reading much into the text, not very in depth, based on assumptions I don't share.
October 11, 2021
Interesting
Read
December 29, 2021I liked this much more than others in our EfM Group did.
September 25, 2022
Read for EfM. Thought provoking. Great book for a “Bible Study” group since it provides many avenues for discussion.
Read
October 31, 2022Enlightening even when you consider yourself already pretty well informed.
May 2, 2025
Surprisingly, the biblical values that the author believes are biblical are not the ones most people commonly believe as such.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews