--- title: Being Human S4 E05 - Christopher Watkin date: 2023-08-31T06:00:00+01:00 author: Emma sowden canonical_url: "https://www.eauk.org/what-we-do/initiatives/being-human/being-human-podcast-season-four/being-human-s4-e03-2-2" section: Pages --- The Bible is a fuller and richer story than we might tend to think. Within it, all other stories find their place. But is it possible to truly make sense of the world with a biblical perspective? Introducing professor and author of *Biblical Critical Theory*, Chris Watkin. As a scholar in the relationship between the Bible and philosophy, his groundbreaking book seeks to place biblical ideas alongside the cultural theories of our day. Chris joined the podcast for a conversation on the power of stories, philosophy and disrupting culture’s disagreements. He chatted with Jo and Peter as they explored some of the ideas of *Biblical Critical Theory*, a book that the late Tim Keller had ​“eagerly anticipated for years”. Interested in reading *Biblical Critical Theory* or more of Chris’ work? Head to [think​ingth​roughthe​bible​.com](http://thinkingthroughthebible.com/) --- [](https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/being-human/id1496941438 "Listen on Apple Podcasts") [](https://open.spotify.com/show/7q1mD7LHIQ8KMIKFykjA6x "Listen on Spotify") [](https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL2VhdWsvZmVlZC54bWw= "Listen on Google Podcasts") --- **Part one (00:00)** 02:20 – How do ideas become viable, visible and valuable to us? Introducing critical theory and the way it shapes the stories we tell and our view of the world. 06:23 – Discovering the kinship between Christians and philosophers. Whether we agree or disagree, it’s important to make space to ask the big questions of today. 09:23 – The God story isn’t just one story added alongside the many others trying to explain our world. Rather, it is the story within which all other stories exist. 11:08 – How do we make sense of the world with a biblical perspective – do we need a lens or a map? **Part two (15:09)** 15:55 – How does the Bible disrupt our culture’s comfortable dichotomies? When there is a tendency to pit human dignity against human humility, the Bible balances them in harmony. 21:57 – Is it possible to tell the story of sin in a way that makes sense in cultural conversations? 26:35 – The Christian story ​‘out-cynics’ the cynic and ​‘out-hopes’ the optimist. **Part three (30:54)** 31:05 – The implications of new creation and revelation. What are we being redeemed for? 34:01 – Putting this into practice: what difference can biblical critical theory have in our daily lives? [ ![About Being Human](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271%27%20height%3D%271%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ![About BH](https://eauk.org/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,quality=90,width=400,fit=cover/https://cdn.eauk.org/About-BH.png) ](https://www.eauk.org/what-we-do/initiatives/being-human/about-being-human) [#### About Being Human ](https://www.eauk.org/what-we-do/initiatives/being-human/about-being-human) The Being Human project helps everyday Christians to live out and share the biblical vision of what it means to be human. [ Find out more ](https://www.eauk.org/what-we-do/initiatives/being-human/about-being-human) [](https://www.eauk.org/what-we-do/initiatives/being-human/about-being-human) [ ![Being Human S4 E04 - Karen Swallow Prior](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271%27%20height%3D%271%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ![BH S4 E Aweb banners 1](https://eauk.org/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,quality=90,width=400,fit=cover/https://cdn.eauk.org/BH-S4-EAweb-banners-1.png) ](https://www.eauk.org/what-we-do/initiatives/being-human/being-human-podcast-season-four/being-human-s4-e03-2) [#### Being Human S4 E04 - Karen Swallow Prior ](https://www.eauk.org/what-we-do/initiatives/being-human/being-human-podcast-season-four/being-human-s4-e03-2) We are welcoming author, professor and activist Karen Swallow Prior back to the podcast. [ Listen now ](https://www.eauk.org/what-we-do/initiatives/being-human/being-human-podcast-season-four/being-human-s4-e03-2) [](https://www.eauk.org/what-we-do/initiatives/being-human/being-human-podcast-season-four/being-human-s4-e03-2)