Biblical Critical Theory: How the Bible’s Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life and Culture, by Christopher Watkin. Zondervan Academic, 2022, 648 pages, $26.99.

Public discourse has been occupied by discussions of critical theories for the last ten years in the U.S. They have been dominating Western academia far longer. These predominantly Hegelian Marxist cultural analyses interpret cultural realities through the lenses of power structures, the strong and the weak, the oppressor and the oppressed, the abuser and the abused, the dominating authority and the dominated subject, the superior and the inferior. Whether it is in public institutions, social arrangements, or cultural presuppositions, these theories aim to find deep-seated problems and provide the solutions. Apart from being too reductionistic and simplistic, since the human problem is sin, and sin is far more pervasive than critical theorists give credit for, these social evaluations often fail to dissect and analyze the culture fairly. What often follows are lopsided solutions and thus pseudo remedies. What if we had a trustworthy source that could critique the modern world faithfully? What if we had the right analyses, the most helpful and healthy solutions, and more beautiful and wonderful hopes?

In Biblical Critical Theory, Christopher Watkin sets out to answer these questions positively: We do have a trustworthy source that could critique the modern world faithfully. The aim of the book is to reveal the deep cultural flaws in our modern world with its sinful patterns, rhythms, and behaviors, unveil its true thirsts, yearnings, and longings, and apply the rich gospel beauty and clarity from the Scriptures to counter apologetically the apparent truth tension in our culture. Watkin’s primary goal, then, is to confront and expose the culture, and provide the remedy from the Bible to console it. Encouraged by Blaise Pascal, Watkin desires to show that the Christian faith is not only good and true, but also so beautiful that everyone should hope that it is true.[1] In other words, he wants to out-narrate from the Bible all the other alternative meta-narratives. This is not merely to tell a more gripping and satisfying story, but a bigger story within which every story finds its true footing, place, and counterpart to its sehnsucht (21, German, longing). In fact, according to Watkin, this book is organically about the “so what” of the Christian faith (2).

The inspiration for the book comes from Augustine’s magisterial work, The City of God, which Watkin sees as the first major cultural analysis from a biblical perspective.[2] Watkin’s work is an effort to meet the need for such a help in our modern culture. At the center of Watkin’s approach is what he calls diagonalization. In the world of dichotomies and binary choices, Watkin argues, the Bible does not settle for poorer reflections and evaluations but presents something richer than what two options or views can imagine. It climbs above them for a deeper analysis and more conclusive remedy. In fact, the Scriptures diagonalize, that is, cut across and rearrange false dichotomies to show that they are distorted versions of biblical ideas, and put forth a better way (15). The author insists that this is not so-called Middle Wayism, “a safe compromise option,” but it is a third way or Biblical Wayism, “a radical intervention, subverting accepted common places and challenging us to reconsider our assumptions, leaving the initial dichotomized options appearing distinctly bland and unappetizing by comparison” (19).

For example, the modern man, who often identifies himself as spiritual but not religious, often sets forth a false dichotomy between a God of love and a God of wrath. The Bible does not force us to choose between the God of love and the God of justice. The Scriptures diagonalize and present a God who is truly loving and truly just. In fact, over and against the false dichotomy between a God of love and a God of wrath, the Bible gives us the true God whose love burns so hot that he was willing to take on flesh and die for us to give us life, and whose wrath burns so hot that he executes perfect justice on all wrongs. It is good that he is love for we receive life through his eternal love. And it is good that he is just for all wrongs will one day be righted for which we deeply yearn (19). Or we do not have to choose between one and many behind all created things as we observe the unity and diversity in the world. God, the uncaused Cause, the immovable Mover, is One and Three at the same time, which explains the oneness and harmony in the world on the one hand, and generous and gratuitous diversity in creation on the other hand (42–44). The reader must examine carefully and decide if this diagonalization truly works in all cultural and theological considerations and is itself not too simplistic, but the purpose of the author is to present the more wonderful way of the Bible.

Even though the topics are systematically argued, the outline of the book follows the biblical theological redemptive progression of the gospel story, which makes this work unique among other similar academic efforts. So while the reader will learn much about and benefit from the systematic loci such as the doctrine of God, the doctrine of creation, the doctrine of man, or the doctrine of last things, they will do so following the unfolding story of the gospel in the Bible from protology to eschatology. Watkin’s interaction with a wide array of theologians, philosophers, and anthropologists is a welcome help and a great resource for anyone who desires to study these matters more deeply. The study question sections at the end of each chapter make it even easier for serious small groups to read and discuss the arguments of the book. Even though Watkin strives to make this book a resource for everyday Christians, the book stays somewhat limited to those with more academic interests. One wishes that Watkin provided more practical ways in each chapter to engage the secular views apologetically in the marketplace.

However, this book is a very valuable resource for anyone who is interested in serious discussions with modern cultural ideas, assumptions, and beliefs from a biblical perspective.

Endnotes

[1] Blaise Pascal, Pensées and Other Writings, trans. Honor Levi (Oxford University Press, 1999), 12; pensée 46.

[2] Saint Augustine, Concerning the City of God against the Pagans, trans. Henry Bettenson (Penguin Classics, 2003).

Z. Bulut Yasar, a minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, is pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church in St. Augustine, Florida. Ordained Servant Online, September–October, 2026