Dr. John J. Collins, Holmes Professor Emeritus of Old Testament Criticism and Interpretation at Yale University, delivered the 44th Annual Newell Lectureship in Biblical Studies at Anderson University. In this lecture, he examines the relationship between divine command theory and modern conceptions of human rights, asking whether biblical moral reasoning naturally aligns with contemporary universal rights language—or whether tension between the two frameworks is inevitable.
Rather than offering simplistic harmonization, Collins carefully traces how moral authority grounded in divine command has shaped ethical thought historically, while also probing the limits of importing modern human rights categories into ancient biblical texts. The result is a rigorous and nuanced exploration of how Scripture, theological tradition, and contemporary ethics intersect—sometimes coherently, sometimes uncomfortably.
We strongly encourage readers to watch the full lecture directly through the official YouTube publication:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS6HrIVkRfg
You can explore additional lectures in this distinguished series through Anderson University’s Newell Lectureship in Biblical Studies page:
https://anderson.edu/theology-christian-ministry/newell-lectureship-in-biblical-studies/
We are grateful for the scholarship made publicly available through this series and encourage readers to support the official channel and institution hosting the content.
