A review of “Biblical Critical Theory” by Christopher Watkin

Christopher Watkin (PhD) is an academic philosopher by trade. He’s a lecturer at Monash University in Australia, a renowned (and secular) institution. He’s written books on French existentialists, critical theorists, phenomenology, and even atheism. He often engages with Foucault, Sartre, Derrida, Deleuze, and Merleau-Ponty, the French originators of modern critical theory, postmodernism, and existentialism. 

So, from the outside, he’s probably the last person you’d expect to be a Christian. But without exaggeration, Watkin’s 2022 book Biblical Critical Theory is shaping up to be one of the most influential in my faith. 

So what makes Biblical Critical Theory worth reading? 

What is critical theory? 

First, a quick definition of critical theory. I unpack this philosophical idea in “What is Critical Race Theory?” In short, critical theory claims that society is built on subjective social norms, not natural law or objective ethics. Instead, they argue that the powerful arbitrarily establish moral rules for their own benefit under the guise of reason or goodness. This would include traditional institutions like marriage, for example. 

Ultimately, critical theory is a state of action more than a theoretical view; it “deconstructs” theories, values, arguments, and social institutions and sees itself as a liberating force against oppression. 

As I argue in the white paper, critical theory is a mixed bag, and the ideology has historically been aligned against Christianity. They believe religion, by making claims about absolute truth and being a majority view in many cultures, mostly oppresses its adherents. 

What is biblical critical theory? 

Dr. Watkin is steeped in this critical theory literature, but emerges with an entirely different answer than his fellow critical theorists. Instead, Dr. Watkin wants to show how the Bible critiques all levels of society by offering radical ways forward that don’t fall into the extremes of worldly culture. In each chapter, he presents two polar-opposite ways of worldly thinking, then shows how the Bible offers a third, better approach. 

Dr. Watkin’s introduction opens with dense, rich prose—academic but clear—referencing dozens of great Christian and non-Christian thinkers to unpack his method. A central theme is the process of what he calls “diagonalization.” This cultural critique involves taking two polarities (points that appear to be in opposition) and showing how the Bible reconciles the tension between them. 

In Dr. Waktin’s analysis, the biblical way isn’t always “in the middle” or “balanced;” instead, the Bible usually shows a third, sometimes seemingly paradoxical, approach. 

For example, Dr. Watkin unpacks two polarities in Western culture: the position of (1) determinism, instinct, evolution, and appetite on one side and (2) the ideal of absolute freedom, self-determination, and pure reason on the other. 

He then “diagonalizes” the biblical response: “God’s sovereignty is the condition of possibility of my responsibility.” He draws upon stories from Lamech to Noah and unpacks St. Augustine, G.K. Chesterton, Dr. Richard Pratt, and other academics to support his argument. 

Take another act of diagonalization I found quite compelling. There’s a dichotomy in Western philosophy between what he names the “sacred groves” view (i.e., progressive environmental movements and neo-paganism) and the “trees as facts” view (i.e., capitalist, Enlightenment views of nature as for “use” with no inherent value). 

The diagonalization is found in Genesis 1:28: “Fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion.” Watkin writes, 

So Adam and Eve are not to possess nature, but neither are they merely to conserve it, much less worship it. They are to develop it by continuing the order-bringing work that characterized God’s own creation. The injunction to subdue and have dominion is a grander vision than simply to protect: not less, but certainly more.

Instead of relying on systematic theology, pithy apologetics quotes, or proof-texting, Dr. Watkin relies on biblical, exegetical precision, deep thinking, and clear philosophical arguments. 

The contribution of “Biblical Critical Theory”

Dr. Watkin stands in a tradition of apologists and thinkers who not only critique the culture in a deep, existential way but also promote a profound, orthodox path forward. 

A few examples are 

• Francis Schaeffer in How Should We Then Live? 
• Carl Truman in The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self
• C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity
• Nancy Pearcey in Love Thy Body
• G.K. Chesterton in Orthodoxy 
• Charles Taylor in A Secular Age 

In my view, Dr. Watkin’s unique contribution is the rigor he brings to unpacking humanist philosophies—he’s literally written academic books on the most influential French thinkers of the past few decades. He does not strawman or beat around the bush, and the scope is something to behold. Biblical Critical Theory is 600 pages with a bibliography of around 700 references. 

The volume is sweeping, with chapter titles like “Prophecy and Power,” “Incarnation, Space, and Time,” “The Cross, Asymmetry and Power,” and just “Trinity.” The Bible leads, but he chains together incisive cultural observations with poignant academic citations and masterful renderings of biblical wisdom.  

Should you read “Biblical Critical Theory?”

Don’t be intimidated. Although Biblical Critical Theory is rigorous (and the introduction gets a little technical), it’s written to be readable for the layperson as well. I plan to use the book as a reference in the future —a work to return to for insight into cultural critique, particular issues, and philosophical questions addressed in a biblical manner. 

For any academically oriented person, whether an interested lay reader or a career academic, I recommend this sound-minded treatment of culture above almost any other. It would also make an excellent textbook for Christian classical high schools or universities wanting to teach a biblical worldview. 

Notable quotes

“In fact, [the Trinity] introduces an attractive alternative to the reduction of relationships to will and of will to power. Instead of a will-to-power, Christian Trinitarian theism has a will-to-charity (agape), and this inscribes self-giving rather than the libido dominandi (will-to-power) at the heart of reality.” (51) 

“Modern philosophy, encumbered as it is by its desire for logical certainty, is flummoxed by this generous gratuity [of creation]. The gift eloquently diagonalizes philosophy’s two-speed gearbox: the dungeon of iron certainty and the dice throw of anarchic chance.” (61)

“Walter Brueggemann wrote a book called Sabbath as Resistance. The title is apt: resting on the seventh day draws a line in the sand against the advance of modern workaholism and proclaims a stern ‘thus far and no further’ to the unhealthy excess and superabundance of endless productivity gain, at the same time staking a claim for the healthy excess of praise and thanksgiving for God’s gratuitous world.” (80) 

“When we use the word incarnation, we are claiming something more than is implied by the word materialization. God did not become a generic material thing; he became a particular human, once more affirming the peculiar dignity of human persons.” (364)

“I am not claiming that the Christian life is characterized by a constant sickly-sweet smile; there is plenty of room in the Bible for anger, lament, heartache, puzzlement, frustration, and determination. But when anger is spent, when puzzles have been solved, when frustrations have melted away, and when mourning, crying, and tears have ceased, then the needle returns to the eschatological true north of praise, a doxological delight in the God of superabundant grace.” (601)