Christopher Watkin

The Bible is a fuller and richer story than we might tend to think. Within it, all other stories find their place. But is it possible to truly make sense of the world with a biblical perspective?

Introducing professor and author of Biblical Critical Theory, Chris Watkin. As a scholar in the relationship between the Bible and philosophy, his groundbreaking book seeks to place biblical ideas alongside the cultural theories of our day.

Chris joined the podcast for a conversation on the power of stories, philosophy and disrupting culture’s disagreements. He chatted with Jo and Peter as they explored some of the ideas of Biblical Critical Theory, a book that the late Tim Keller had “eagerly anticipated for years”.

Interested in reading Biblical Critical Theory or more of Chris’ work? Head to thinkingthroughthebible.com

Part one (00:00)
02:20 – How do ideas become viable, visible and valuable to us? Introducing critical theory and the way it shapes the stories we tell and our view of the world.
06:23 – Discovering the kinship between Christians and philosophers. Whether we agree or disagree, it's important to make space to ask the big questions of today.
09:23 – The God story isn’t just one story added alongside the many others trying to explain our world. Rather, it is the story within which all other stories exist.
11:08 – How do we make sense of the world with a biblical perspective – do we need a lens or a map?

Part two (15:09)
15:55 – How does the Bible disrupt our culture’s comfortable dichotomies? When there is a tendency to pit human dignity against human humility, the Bible balances them in harmony.
21:57 – Is it possible to tell the story of sin in a way that makes sense in cultural conversations?
26:35 – The Christian story ‘out-cynics’ the cynic and ‘out-hopes’ the optimist.

Part three (30:54)
31:05 – The implications of new creation and revelation. What are we being redeemed for?
34:01 – Putting this into practice: what difference can biblical critical theory have in our daily lives?