So you know that Chris Watkin’s book, Biblical Critical Theory: How the Bible’s Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life and Culture is a must read but at 605 pages it is a high mountain to climb on your own. You know that it has a lot to teach us about using the Bible well in the middle of living in a post-modern, late capitalist culture.
The good news is that a bunch of Brits have done the job of making a reading club guide to Biblical Critical Theory. And they are saying we can use it. Just the other day Dave Benson Director of Culture and Discipleship at LICC, the London Institute of Contemporary Christianity posted “Just tonight we finished part 15/15 of a year-long journey through Dr. Christopher Watkin’s epic. Here’s Benson’s invite slide he used at the beginning of the year.
“Across the course, we had a book club of around 60 people in total, probably 20-40 people attending any given 1-hour conversation, as we grew together, and not only made sense of what the book meant, but what it means for each of us, in everyday life, as whole-life disciples in this cultural moment.
“Across the course, we had a book club of around 60 people in total, probably 20-40 people attending any given 1-hour conversation, as we grew together, and not only made sense of what the book meant, but what it means for each of us, in everyday life, as whole-life disciples in this cultural moment.”
“The reason I’m trumpeting this, is that we’ve decided to make all this available for free, in an ongoing way, through https://padlet.com/licc_ltd/BCT (password: BCT-guide).If you visit that page, you’ll find columns for every 2 chapters of the book, slides, some videos, loads of stimulus, the structure of our studies, so that perhaps you and some friends could do likewise in your own context without needing to ask permission or recreate all this yourself.
“Have fun! We did.”
Dave Benson has sent The Other Cheek some of the reactions from a course participant:
Jane writes: “Just a quick email before we meet for our last ‘Biblical Critical Theory’ Zoom Call, now that I have finished the book (wow! My brain is whirling like a computer that has got stuck on some program – I think it will take a while to process)
“Yes, I have read all 605 pages – some pages I have read more than once. Do I understand it? No, at least not entirely (I have generally struggled to answer the Study Questions at the end of each chapter). Will I need to re-read it again? Yes – although I have a few other books on my list to complete first (see below). Have I been changed by what I have read? Yes, and that change is ongoing.
“As I wrote to a friend earlier this week, reading through Biblical Critical Theory this year has given me a deeper understanding of the Bible lenses through which to view our surrounding culture. I am finding that the biblical figures of superabundance, ‘how much more’, asymmetry, and gratuity are reshaping how I view the world.”
Benson gives permission to customise his course telling The Other Cheek “re: access, I’m happy for the padlet url and passcode to be shared, as I’ve made it ‘read only’ – but people can use padlet as a free tool to duplicate this page and make their own version for running their own group with a similar pattern if they wish, or simply mine the resources from each column (for 2 chapters at a time over the 15 sessions) to better land Watkin’s brilliant thoughts in our everyday context, e.g. songs, sermons, books, clips, etc. That was the hardest part for people to bridge – what does this mean for everyday life, and how to live it out.”
Here’s the promo for the course – that you can adapt or shamelessly rip off
If you’re a thoughtful Christian trying to understand your culture, grapple with complex issues, and live wisely in our time, there’s no better read from the last decade than Biblical Critical Theory.
Join our online community to explore this chunky masterpiece in depth, right across 2024.
Have you heard the buzz? Professor Christopher Watkin, an internationally-respected scholar of European thought, is renowned for making sense of how big thinkers interpret our world. And he’s nailed it with his brilliant book, Biblical Critical Theory: How the Bible’s Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life and Culture.
In it, he shows how the biblical story provides us with incisive, nuanced ways of intervening in debates on everything from science, the arts, and politics to dignity, multiculturalism, and equality. As you read and reflect, you’ll learn how to analyse and engage with artefacts and events in a way that’s both scripturally solid and culturally savvy.
Sounds great, right? But let’s be honest – how many of us have the time and discipline to read a dense 600-page book on our own, even if it is all it’s cracked up to be?
That’s where this community comes in. We can all grow in our faith and become wiser with just a little help from our friends! During 15 short Zoom conversations spaced throughout the year, you’ll be led by a skilled guide and tackle a simple set of questions to help you process what you’re reading. Together with peers from across the UK and beyond, you’ll delve into how Watkins’ analysis applies to your everyday life – and what it means for you to join in God’s redemptive work right where he’s put you.
You don’t need to make it to every date – just commit to attending most sessions as we grow together, building community on Zoom and WhatsApp. If you’re serious about being biblically faithful and culturally relevant, there are few better ways to spend a few hours than reading this book and exploring together what it all means for our lives.
You’ll need to read 50 pages before each session, and come with four things to share:
- A question: What didn’t make sense?
- A challenge: What did I disagree with?
- An implication: If this is true, what does it mean for my frontline?
- An application: What does it look like to practise this in everyday life?
Biblical Critical Theory: How the Bible’s Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life and Culture Christopher Watkin, Zondervan Academic 2022,