In Cambridge today for the Forming a Christian Mind conference celebrating the launch of Christopher Watkin’s ‘Biblical Critical Theory‘. The day began with Watkin outlining his thesis followed by responses from Jennifer George (Computing, Goldsmith’s), Tom Simpson (Political Philosophy, Oxford) and Richard Winter (Psychiatrist, Former director of L’Abri and professor emeritus at Covenant Theological Seminary) as well as discipline-focussed breakout sessions. Here are some reflections in the form of an ‘auto-interview’
How did Watkin define his project? He pointed to the common denominator of well-known examples of modern Critical Theory in the way that they ‘filter’ the world, calling attention to an issue, often an injustice, depicting its centrality and calling for action on that basis.
What is Watkin seeking to do? I was reminded of Tim Keller’s call in ‘How to Reach the West Again‘ for a ‘Christian High Theory’ (he doesn’t use Critical Theory but sees this as answering to that challenge) which articulates a positive, non-defensive account Christianity suitable for a missionary encounter with a post-Christendom ‘Rome 2.0’ culture. Keller knows that the evangelisation of a post-Christian culture has not been done yet, but ends his short book by pointing out that everything is new once. Watkin takes up the gauntlet with the best part of three decades of professional academic work in Continental Philosophy, impressively matched by diligent personal theological study.
What was new? Watkin’s term ‘Diagonalisation’ meaning cutting across an established divide – for example between the view of humans as machines or as animals – discerning with a Biblical eye the validity of portions of both position. (Tom Simpson helpfully pushed Christopher on how this related to actual decision making in public life).
Any ideas that were worth the price of entry on their own? Watkin’s differentiation of metanarrative and mesonarrative. He asserts that Christianity is the latter because, rather than being an encompassing explanatory story which sits above, beyond, outside and legitimates actions in our reality, it runs through the middle of our reality whilst still acting as the grand narrative. I can see a lot of value in this differentiation (as opposed to attempting to convince post-moderns that they are really hankering after the metanarrative that they have already eschewed).
Watkin says we need deliverance from forms of Christian cultural engagement which champion ‘antithesis’ (no point of contact between redeemed and unredeemed thought) and also those which champion ‘fulfilment’ (pursuing a direction progressively until God is apprehended – i.e. by wisdom). He cites 1 Corinthians 1 as a repeated motif embodying this – by turning away from your wisdom, you are confronted by the seeming foolishness of God which in turn proves to be higher than the wisdom of man.
“21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles“
Many other provocative gems from today and I am really looking forward to reading the book.