Ethical Ambiguity, Biblical Vigilantes, and Dr. Shira Weiss (CHT Fellow)

Scripture is full of stories of people who commit morally suspect acts. While sometimes they are explicitly rebuked, often the narrator leaves no direct positive or negative comments on their actions. Sometimes these morally dubious actors prosper—seemingly condoned or even praised by the Biblical authors. How should we read the ethical ambiguity of these narratives?

In this episode, Dr. Dru Johnson talks with Dr. Shira Weiss about her research on biblical ethics, the sticky ethical stories of Scripture, and why the biblical authors do not give us easy answers about morality. Perhaps, instead of seeing the stories as black-and-white, obviously prescriptive, or moralistic, we can read them as intentionally complex and requiring skilled discernment to navigate in order to make sense of the ethical nuances of Scripture.