Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Press, 2017.    

Summary

Reading Genesis 1 and 2, we are tempted to see only problems to solve. Yet these two chapters burst with glorious truths about God, our world, and ourselves. In fact, their foundational doctrines are among the richest sources of insight as we pursue robust, sensitive, and constructive engagement with others about contemporary culture and ideas.

With deftness and clarity, Christopher Watkin reclaims the Trinity and creation from their cultural despisers and shows how they speak into, question, and reorient some of today’s most important debates.

 

Endorsements

“This is a remarkable book, from a top flight expert in post-structuralist French philosophy-meaning he understands our current cultural context.”

—Timothy Keller, founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York City, and author The New York Times bestselling title The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism.

 

“If theology is the application of God’s Word to all areas of life,  then we have to understand not only Scripture but the world in  which we live and move and have our being. Cultural studies are  all the rage in secular universities, but Chris Watkin here sketches  the contours of a distinctly biblical and Christian theory for interpreting our contemporary culture with theological categories, such  as Trinity and creation, doing the heavy lifting. Watkin does much  more than round up the usual proof texts: he also calls our attention  to biblical patterns that diagonally cut through taken-for-granted  false dichotomies such as the fact-value distinction. In so doing,  he convincingly shows that Genesis 1 and 2 offer much more than  fodder for debates about creation vs. evolution. Their enduring contribution has as much to do with ways of human thinking and  being in the world (culture) as with cosmological origins (nature).  Modern theory may have disenchanted the world, but Watkin’s  book, like the world that God created good, is ‘enchanted’ in the  best sense: run through with Word, song, and meaning. Take up  and take heed.”

—Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Research Professor of Systematic  Theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Editor, The Cambridge Companion to Postmodern Theology

 

“I  give  a  high  endorsement  to  Christopher  Watkin’s  little  book  Thinking through Creation. It is a fine contemporary example of  the kind of Christian thinking that connects biblical teaching and  historic Christian orthodoxy with the challenges of contemporary  culture, but does so in a way that does not resort to proof-texting  or to the shibboleths of the contemporary culture wars. Instead,  it uses Scripture to break through the many false dilemmas that  bedevil much contemporary thinking, both secular and Christian.  Thoroughly conversant with a broad range of contemporary and  classical thinkers, Watkin offers a radical and trenchant critique of  contemporary culture and a well-grounded alternative shaped by the  Christian Scriptures. I regard this slim volume as a seminal work, and  I predict that it will become a classic of its kind.”

—Albert M. Wolters, Emeritus Professor of Worldview and  Biblical Studies, Redeemer University College; author,  Creation Regained (1985, 2005)

 

“This is one of the most refreshing books I have read in a long  time. With deceptive simplicity, Watkin defends exegetical, theological, and philosophical verities that are much needed in today’s  discussions. Rather than being embarrassed by Christian doctrines  such as creation ex nihilo, the Trinity, and the Sabbath, he sees  them as unique strengths in the quest for truth. Among his most  helpful strategies is diagonalizing, which we used to call the third  way: a corrective to scores of false dichotomies, such as functionality vs. beauty, corrected by the meaning of God’s creation; fact as  objective vs. value as subjective, corrected by the ‘and there was . . .  and God saw that it was good’ of Genesis 1; and nature vs. culture,  corrected by the cultural mandate. For those who thought that all  had been said about Genesis, philosophy, and culture, this marvelous book will convince them otherwise, and it will inspire them to  explore further.”

—William Edgar, Professor of Apologetics, Westminster  Theological Seminary, Philadelphia

 

“Christopher  Watkin’s  Thinking  through  Creation  could  not  be  more aptly named. Here is another excellent tool for contemporary Christians as they confront the challenges of postmodern culture.  Watkin  bores  in  on  one  of  the  nonnegotiable  elements  of  the biblical narrative—the idea of creation. Of course Christians  want to use the Bible and its teaching in the first two chapters of  Genesis—but how? Especially when secularists have co–opted the  term with their focus on the three Ds—dinosaurs, Darwin, and the  days of creation? Watkin answers by insisting that we develop a  clear understanding of the doctrines of the Trinity, human nature,  and culture. The Trinity and creation are not irrational ideas to be  rejected as embarrassing and outmoded. Just as Charles Cochrane in  his enduring work Christianity and Classical Culture demonstrated  how Augustine’s Trinitarianism replaced the classical Greek worldview, Watkin deftly unpacks how a fresh understanding of the  Trinity enables Christians in the twenty-first century to avoid the  trap of debating the three Ds and instead to discover the riches of  biblical teaching. But Watkin goes further than simply developing these ideas; he insists that we think with them. His creative use of  diagonalization offers a fresh way of resolving apparent dichotomies  that has captured contemporary thinking. Watkin’s work deserves  to be in the hands of pastors as well as all students—from college  freshmen to seminarians.”

—Andrew Hoffecker, Professor of Church History Emeritus,  Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson

 

“On a dramatic and unprecedented scale, historic Protestantism is  today a global phenomenon, and its maturing presence in countries and cultures far and vastly different from its native contexts  is an urgent call to pursue biblical wisdom on what it means to be  an image-bearer in God’s world. Chris Watkin’s Thinking through  Creation takes up this task with winsomeness, style, and insight. His  approach to Scripture combines humility with rigor, and his theological offerings make free use of a vast range of explanatory tools  and concepts that he commands with ease and deploys with didactic  mastery. This is a delightful, easily accessible text, which promises a  fruitful and enjoyable encounter with the wealth of the Word of God  for Christian living and witness today.”

—Nathan D. Shannon, Assistant Professor of Systematic  Theology, Torch Trinity Graduate University, Seoul; editor,  Great Thinkers series

 

Chris Watkin explores two controversial and often-overlooked doctrines (the Trinity and Creation) in order to tear down false dichotomies in philosophy and lift up treasures of truth just below the  surface of our creedal affirmations. This book helps us to inhabit  biblical worlds of thought so that we can see, interpret, and reach  our world with the gospel.

—Trevin Wax, Bible and Reference Publisher, LifeWay  Christian Resources, author of Eschatological Discipleship,  This Is Our Time, and Counterfeit Gospels

 

Media

Thinking Through Creation featured on the May 26, 2018 broadcast of the Apologetics.com Radio Show. Find the episode page here or download the mp3 directly from this link.

Reviews

Review at “Christian Reflections” blog:

I hope it will quickly became a classic among those, like in AFES, who are seeking to equip Christians to think deeply and Christianly.

The book would be a great training text for uni students, MTS apprentices or theological students. It would also be enriching reading for the tertiary-educated Christian keen to keep thinking deeply. The would would serve preachers as a great companion book for sermon preparation, to help apply theological concepts to everyday life.

 

Review by Andrew Moody, at The Gospel Coalition Australia:

Heirs and debtors of Francis Schaeffer rejoice; the tree of reformed presuppositional apologetics has put forth vigorous new shoot in the person of Christopher Watkin.

Watkin writes in his conclusion that he has tried to write the book that he “wanted to read as an undergraduate student.” I too wish I’d had access to a book that was as well-informed, theologically clear and well-written when I was starting out at university. This is great book for students and student workers. But it’s also an excellent resource for ministers, and any Christian who wants a better understanding of the Christian worldview.

 

Review at the InterVarsity Fellowship Emerging Scholars Blog:

With Thinking Through Creation, Chris Watkin succeeds brilliantly in providing a short, clear and accessible volume that sets the reader on a path towards his stated goal of developing a biblical “interpretive grid” to understand culture (p. 3).

Overall, this book is a wonderful resource for provoking thoughtful discussion. It provides clear and accessible summaries of the doctrines of the Trinity, creation and image of God, and the useful diagrammatic tool of diagonalization to help readers of various academic levels think about how Christian doctrine might engage with western culture. Watkin also provides useful discussion questions and bibliographies at the end of each chapter, and a glossary at the end of the book. He concludes with an inviting challenge to readers to pause and process these ideas more deeply. From the perspective of a university campus pastor who works with Christian graduate students, it’s an ideal group discussion book that I look forward to introducing to my students.

 

Review at MurrayCampbell.net:

He has the rare ability to write about monumental concepts with great care and clarity. In an age where nuance often loses out to polarisation and false dichotomies go unchallenged, Chris offers a humble yet rigorous critique of culture through the lens of the Bible.

 

Review at SojoTheo.com:

Watkin has written a worldview masterpiece established upon some of the most well-known passages of Scripture—using Genesis 1-2 as worldview lenses to critique and inform cultural engagement.

Thinking Through Creation is a fascinating volume. Watkin is a first-rate thinker and presents a clear and persuasive case for recognizing Genesis 1-2 as a vital passage for Christian worldview analysis. The approach is presented in a thoroughly Reformed manner and Watkin has done the reader a great service as he practically applies presuppositional thought to the subject matter.