As a student at Yale College, Hays was inspired by school chaplain William Sloane Coffin's faith and the role it played in his social activism.
[1] During his sophomore year, Hays reverted to Christianity after reading a verse from the Gospel of Mark during a Christmas Eve service.
[12] Hays was also vocal about his criticisms of Dan Brown's best-selling The Da Vinci Code for its controversial historical claims.
[13] As a theologically conservative Methodist,[citation needed] throughout the course of his career remained committed to his Wesleyan roots in emphasizing the importance of charity and friendship in the Christian life.
[citation needed] He made his position clear in The Moral Vision of the New Testament, in which he argued that Jesus Christ taught his disciples to be non-violent.
The Word Leaps the Gap: Essays on Scripture and Theology in Honor of Richard B. Hays included contributions from Stanley Hauerwas, E. P. Sanders, James D. G. Dunn, Francis Watson, N. T. Wright, and Ellen F.