창조 타락 구속 - 20주년 확대개정판
알버트 월터스,마이클 고힌 (지은이),
양성만,홍병룡 (옮긴이)IVP2007-02-10
원제 : Creation Regained (2nd Edition)
216쪽
책소개
많은 전문가들이 기독교 세계관에 대한 최고의 안내서로 평가받고 있으며, 실제로 오랜 기간 세계관 운동의 핵심적 기폭제가 되어 온 <창조 타락 구속>의 20주년 확대개정판. 창조, 타락, 구속이라는 세계관의 기본 틀과 '구조'와 '방향'이라는 획기적 교정 렌즈를 소개하는 내용에 더하여, 내러티브와 선교라는 맥락에서 세계관을 고찰함으로써 세계관 이해의 새로운 지평을 내다본다.
목차
개정판 추천사
초판 추천사
개정판 서문
1. 세계관이란 무엇인가?
2. 창조
3. 타락
4. 구속
5. 구조와 방향의 구분
6. 결론
후기
책속에서
성경은 무엇인가를 보려고 고개를 돌릴 때마다 그것을 비춰 주는 광부의 전등과 같다. 조명이 없는 지하의 수갱에서 일하는 광부들은 작업 모자에 부착된 전등 없이는 작업을 할 수 없다. 그들은 전등이 없으면 무기력해지기 때문에 전등이 정상적으로 작동하는지 주의 깊게 살펴야 한다. 그러나 일하는 동안 그들은 전등이 아니라 광석에 주의를 집중한다. 전등은 광부들이 일하는 주위 환경을 조명해 줌으로써 그들 앞에 있는 흙과 암석과 광맥과 모암을 구별하게 해준다. - 본문 73~74쪽에서 접기
저자 및 역자소개
알버트 월터스 (Albert M. Wolters) (지은이)
칼빈 칼리지와 맥매스터 대학교, 암스테르담의 자유대학교(Ph.D.)에서 수학하였으며, 토론토의 기독교학문연구소에서 철학사 연구원을 지낸 후 리디머 대학교의 종교ㆍ고전어 교수로 있다.
최근작 : <창조 타락 구속> … 총 5종 (모두보기)
마이클 고힌 (Michael W. Goheen) (지은이)
저자파일
최고의 작품 투표
신간알림 신청
근본적인 신앙전통에서 자란 마이클 고힌은 일주일에 한 번 신약을, 한 달에 한 번 구약을 통독할 정도로 성경을 즐겨 읽었다. 성경을 공부하면서 선교에 관심을 갖게 되고, 성경번역 선교사가 되기 위해 웨스트민스터 신학대학교에 입학한다. 졸업 후에 다른 나라보다 바로 자신이 사는 캐나다가 척박한 선교지임을 깨닫고는 교회 개척을 시작한다. 이러한 교회 사역의 경험은 복음과 전통에 깊이 뿌리내리면서도 현재의 상황에 적실한 교회론을 연구하는 원동력이 되었다. 이후 20세기 최고의 신학자이자 선교사인 레슬리 뉴비긴의 선교적 교회론을 연구하며, 뉴비긴에 대한 가장 방대한 연구서인 As the Father Has Sent Me, I Am Sending You를 저술하게 된다.
하지만 고힌은 연구와 교수 사역을 하면서도 교회 사역으로부터 동떨어져 있지 않았다. 이는 선교적 교회가 세상 한가운데 살아가는 회중의 지평에서 현실화되지 않으면 안 된다는 그의 굳은 확신 때문이었다. 고힌은 지속적으로 말씀 사역과 교회 개척에 참여하면서 기존의 전통적인 교회를 선교적 교회로 탈바꿈시키며 성장시켰다. 뿐만 아니라 성도들의 실제적인 삶의 물음에 답하기 위해 성경 이야기에 기초한 세계관을 가르치고, 그들의 선교적 소명을 이루어 가도록 도와주었다. 이러한 경험을 토대로 수많은 대학에서 학생들이 실용주의적인 목회 현실에서 벗어나 성경적 교회를 지향하도록 가르쳐 왔다.
뉴비긴에게서 얻은 서구 교회에 대한 현실 인식과 통찰을 바탕으로, 지난 20여 년간 목회와 교직 현장에서 선교적 교회를 현실에 구현하기 위해 씨름해 온 노력의 결실이 바로 이 책 「열방에 빛을」이다. 이제까지 공저 형식으로 책을 써 온 고힌에게는 이 책이 첫 단독 저작이자 그의 대표작이라 할 수 있다. 이 책의 말미에도 적었듯이 그는 이 땅에서 하나님이 선교를 마치시는 날, 곧 주님이 다시 오시기까지 선교적 비전을 회복하는 교회와 하나님 백성의 모습을 꿈꾸며, 교단과 강단에서 그의 부르심을 좇아 살고 있다.
현재는 밴쿠버에 있는 트리니티 웨스턴 대학과 리젠트 칼리지에서 가르치고 있으며, 동시에 뉴 웨스트 크리스천 개혁교회에서 설교목사로 섬기고 있다. 공저한 책으로 「창조 타락 구속」「성경은 드라마다」「세계관은 이야기다」(IVP)가 있다.
접기
최근작 : <그리스도인을 위한 서양 철학 이야기>,<열방에 빛을>,<세계관은 이야기다> … 총 23종 (모두보기)
양성만 (옮긴이)
저자파일
최고의 작품 투표
신간알림 신청
고려대학교 철학과 대학원을 졸업하고(철학박사), 현재 우석대학교 교양학부 교수로 재직하고 있다.
최근작 : <신일철, 그의 철학과 삶>,<하나님을 사랑한 철학자 9인> … 총 5종 (모두보기)
홍병룡 (옮긴이)
저자파일
최고의 작품 투표
신간알림 신청
연세대학교 정치외교학과와 동 대학원을 졸업했으며, IVP 대표간사를 지냈다. 캐나다 리젠트 칼리지와 기독교학문연구소에서 수학했으며, 현재 아바서원의 대표로 있다. 기독교 세계관, 평신도 신학, 일상생활의 영성, 신앙과 직업 등이 주된 관심사이며, 옮긴 책으로는 『성경과 편견』(성서유니온), 『정의와 평화가 입맞출 때까지』(IVP), 『완전한 진리』(복있는사람), 『일과 창조의 영성』, 『주일 신앙이 평일로 이어질 때』, 『G. K. 체스터턴의 정통』(이상 아바서원) 등 다수가 있다.
최근작 : <문서 선교사 웨슬리 웬트워스>,<확신> … 총 120종 (모두보기)
---
Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview 2nd ed. Edition, Kindle Edition
by Albert M. Wolters (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
with a Postcript coauthored by Michael W. Goheen
In print for two decades and translated into eight languages, Albert Wolters's classic formulation of an integrated Christian worldview has been revised and expanded to reach new readers beyond the generation that has already benefited from this clear, concise proposal for transcending the false dichotomy between sacred and secular. Wolters begins by defining the nature and scope of a worldview, distinguishing it from philosophy and theology. He then outlines a Reformed analysis of the three basic categories in human history -- creation, fall, and redemption -- arguing that while the fall reaches into every corner of the world, Christians are called to participate in Christ's redemption of all creation. This Twentieth Anniversary edition features a new concluding chapter, coauthored with Michael Goheen, that helpfully places the discussion of worldview in a broader narrative and missional cont
Editorial Reviews
Review
Nicholas Wolterstorff
-- Yale University
"This is the best statement I have come across of the 'reformational' Christian worldview. It is lucidly written, includes a lot of helpful analogies and illustrations, and is throughout generous in its spirit."
Christian Scholar's Review
"Translates the central insights and categories of the neo-Calvinist tradition into fresh, nontechnical language and clarifies them with a generous sprinkling of apt illustrations and images. . . . Highly recommended to all those desiring a crisp introduction to a Christian worldview in general or the neo-Calvinist tradition in particular."
Calvin Theological Journal
"Outstanding. . . . Deserves a wide readership not only in a specifically academic context among teachers, preachers, and students, but also among the larger group of believers who are concerned with issues involving Christian worldview, theology, and philosophy."
Randy Alcorn
— author of Heaven and The Treasure Principle
"Biblically and philosophically sound, Creation Regained offers an understanding that is both refreshing and satisfying... Regardless of your theological leanings, you have much to gain from reading his great book. I highly recommend it."
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
About the Author
Albert M. Wolters is professor of religion and theology and of classical languages at Redeemer University College, Ancaster, Ontario
Michael W. Goheen (PhD, University of Utrecht) is director of theological education and scholar in residence at the Missional Training Center-Phoenix. He is also Jake and Betsy Tuls Professor of Missiology at Calvin Theological Seminary, Senior Fellow of Newbigin House of Studies, and minister of preaching at New West Christian Reformed Church in British Columbia. He is the author or coauthor of several books, including "The Drama of Scripture", "Living at the Crossroads", "A Light to the Nations", and a work on Lesslie Newbigin's missionary ecclesiology. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
From the Back Cover
with a Postcript coauthored by Michael W. Goheen
In print for two decades and translated into eight languages, Albert Wolters's classic formulation of an integrated Christian worldview has been revised and expanded to reach new readers beyond the generation that has already benefited from this clear, concise proposal for transcending the false dichotomy between sacred and secular. Wolters begins by defining the nature and scope of a worldview, distinguishing it from philosophy and theology. He then outlines a Reformed analysis of the three basic categories in human history -- creation, fall, and redemption -- arguing that while the fall reaches into every corner of the world, Christians are called to participate in Christ's redemption of all creation. This Twentieth Anniversary edition features a new concluding chapter, coauthored with Michael Goheen, that helpfully places the discussion of worldview in a broader narrative and missional context.
Praise for the first edition"This is the best statement I have come across of the 'reformational' Christian worldview. It is lucidly written, includes a lot of helpful analogies and illustrations, and is throughout generous in its spirit."
-- Nicholas Wolterstorff, Yale University"Translates the central insights and categories of the neo-Calvinist tradition into fresh, nontechnical language and clarifies them with a generous sprinkling of apt illustrations and images. . . . Highly recommended to all those desiring a crisp introduction to a Christian worldview in general or the neo-Calvinist tradition in particular."
-- "Christian Scholar's Review"Outstanding. . . . Deserves a wide readership not only in a specifically academiccontext among teachers, preachers, and students, but also among the larger group of believers who are concerned with issues involving Christian worldview, theology, and philosophy."
-- "Calvin Theological Journal --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edit
---
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Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview
by Albert M. Wolters, Michael W. Goheen
4.05 · Rating details · 1,090 ratings · 102 reviews
In this brief and straightforward examination of Christians' basic beliefs, Albert M. Wolters spells out the structure of a reformational worldview and its significance for those who seek to follow the Scriptures. Wolters begins by defining the nature and scope of a worldview, distinguishing it from philosophy or theology, and noting that the Christian community has advanced a variety of worldviews. He then outlines a Reformed analysis of the three fundamental turning points in human history – Creation, the Fall, and Redemption – concluding that while the Fall might reach into every corner of the world, Christians are called to participate in Christ's redemption of all creation. (less)
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Paperback, 155 pages
Published November 10th 2005 by Eerdmans (first published January 1st 1985)
Original TitleCreation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview
ISBN0802829694 (ISBN13: 9780802829696)
Edition LanguageEnglish
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Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview
Creation Regained: Biblical Basics For A Reformational Worldview
A Criação Restaurada: Base bíblica para uma cosmovisão reformada
Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview
A Criação Restaurada: Base bíblica para uma cosmovisão reformada
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Randy Alcorn
May 01, 2012Randy Alcorn added it
Shelves: theology-and-apologetics
Several years ago, while researching the New Earth for my book Heaven, I stumbled online upon Creation Regained. I ordered it based on its title alone (which often proves to be a big mistake). From its opening chapter on worldview, I knew I had discovered a treasure. As I read what Al Wolters had to say about creation, fall and redemption, I found myself repeatedly exclaiming “Yes!”
Until then, I had read only a few other books that resonated with the vast redemptive scope of Matthew 19:28, Acts 3:21, Romans 8:18-23, and other Scriptures. Regrettably, I have seen few since. For too long we have reduced and distorted the gospel to the snatching of souls from earth to a distant and intangible realm suitable for angels, not people. Yet the Bible shows that in His unfolding drama of redemption, God is at work to reclaim not just our souls, but our bodies, and not just our bodies, but the Earth from which that first human body was made, and over which God purposed us to reign.
Al Wolters concisely and persuasively demonstrates that God’s plan for righteous humanity to live on and reign over an uncursed earth was not thwarted by Satan or by man’s sin. (How small a God he would be if that were the case.) He never revoked or abandoned his original great commission for us to rule a good earth to his glory. The last chapters of the Bible promise that God’s original design revealed in the first chapters, greatly enhanced and magnified through Christ’s work, will indeed be fulfilled on a New Earth. Having fallen on mankind’s coat-tails, the earth will rise on our coat-tails, so that resurrected humanity will occupy and rule a resurrected Earth. This is the full gospel of the kingdom, and it is one that is vital to a biblical worldview. It alone explains the Bible’s description of Christians as those who are “looking forward to a new heaven and new earth.”
Creation Regained is biblically and philosophically sound, and offers an understanding that is both refreshing and satisfying. It will be for many a paradigm shifting perspective, one desperately needed by today’s churches and families. The penetrating insights Al Wolters brings will help us to stop redefining the gospel in narrow and shallow and individualistic terminology and assumptions which discredit the breadth and depth of God’s redemptive plan. Readers of this book will celebrate a central and liberating truth that has become tragically obscure: God has no more given up on the rest of his creation than he has given up on us.
The new Postscript to Creation Regained brings together and clarifies key elements of this vital discussion. It’s an insightful and welcome addition to the book. Regardless of your theological leanings, you have much to gain from reading this great book. I highly recommend it. (less)
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Brian Collins
Dec 20, 2011Brian Collins rated it it was amazing
Summary
Basic to Wolters' argument is that all people function with a comprehensive worldview that covers every aspect of life. If a person's worldview ought to be shaped by Scripture, then Scripture must speak to every area of life. In other words, since worldviews are comprehensive, Scripture's authority and scope must be comprehensive as well. In the remainder of the book Wolters sketches what a comprehensive Christian worldview looks like.
The Christian worldview is summarized under the categories of creation, fall, and redemption. In the chapter on creation, Wolters emphasizes that God created the world with laws. One may speak of laws of nature. These were put in place and are upheld by the creator God. The same is true for norms. There are certain moral norms, relational norms, or norms that practitioners of various disciplines must adhere to. Wolters brings laws and norms together under the umbrella of creational law. These norms, relevant to all aspects of life, are discerned through wisdom. In some of these areas, Scripture speaks directly. In others it provides the corrective lens by which the Christian can properly understand general revelation. At the root all creation (and the norms that govern it) is good.
Yet there is a major problem: the fall. The effects of the fall are comprehensive: no area of life is untouched. It is for this reason that Scripture uses the term world to refer to “the totality of unredeemed life dominated by sin outside of Christ” (64, citing Ridderbos). Wolters concludes from this that worldliness cannot be restricted to a secular realm of life. It is a danger in every aspect of life.
Wolters’ emphasis on the comprehensiveness of the fall may seem to stand in tension with his claim of the comprehensive goodness of creation. He introduces the categories of structure and direction to deal with this tension. Structure refers to the essence of a thing, and it is rooted in creational laws. Direction refers to the degree to which a creational entity (and given Wolters' broad view of creation this can refer both to the natural order and to human institutions) is perverted by the fall or is being brought back to conformity to creational law.
The solution to the problem of fall is redemption. Wolters argues that "redemption means restoration" (69). Furthermore, the scope of the restoration is as wide as the scope of the fall. The man, Jesus, plays the key role in restoring creation. The establishment of his kingdom is the evidence that redemption or restoration has begun. And yet the kingdom is not yet consummated. In this already-not yet time, Christians are to attempt to live redemptively in every area of life, that is, they are to live consistent with the restoration that Christ is accomplishing in them and that he will one day fully accomplish in the world.
In his final chapter Wolters attempts a practical outworking of “discerning structure and direction” in both societal and personal arenas. Before he works through his examples, however, he makes an important distinction between “revolution” and “reformation.” According to Wolters, the Christian ought not use violence to effect a revolution in the hope of ushering in a utopia. No utopia is possible before the return of Christ. Instead the Christian seizes on what is good in a particular order and strengthens it; he seeks to bend fallen aspects of life back toward the correct creational norms.
The second edition of Creation Regained includes a postscript coauthored by Wolters and Michael Goheen. They are concerned to locate this talk of worldview in the Bible's storyline. Because the Christian lives in the era in which the kingdom has been inaugurated but not yet consummated, this is a time of witness. It is not a time in which Christians will finally triumph. In fact, the already-not yet means that Christians presently undergo suffering and conflict because the antithesis between the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world is sharpened in this period. This means that the Christian must struggle with the tension of applying the gospel to his specific culture while not allowing his culture to compromise the gospel. The difficulties in living out a Christian worldview are beyond the abilities of Christians, but the Spirit of God is given to empower obedience and faithfulness.
In sum, Wolters argues that creation extends to all that God creates and maintains (it includes the natural order and structures humans develop in obedience to the creation mandate), fall affects every aspect of creation, and redemption extends as far as the fall to restore creation. This is not a triumphalist gospel in the present, for in the time between the ages there is sharp conflict between the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world as God's people seek to live redemptively in this fallen world.
Evaluation
Strengths
Wolters gathers under the rubric creational law natural laws, the law revealed in Scripture, and God’s specific purposes for creation or individuals. He supports this view by highlighting Scripture passages in which these seemingly diverse concepts are brought together (2 Peter 3:5, 7; Ps. 148:8; 147:15-20; 1 Tim. 4:3-4; Rom. 13:1-2; 1 Pet. 2:13; Ps. 19:1-4; Acts 14:17; Rom. 1:18-20; Rom. 2:14-15). On the theological side, the payoff is that this approach to creational law strengthens the canonical links between the Pentateuch and wisdom books by showing that the law and the wisdom books (especially Proverbs) demonstrate the concrete application of creational norms to specific cultural situations. The other benefit of this approach is that it forces Christians to realize that various aspects of fallen culture struggle against creational law. This is obvious on matters such as homosexual “marriage” about which Scripture clearly speaks, but it may also be occurring on matters such as modern art or certain musical styles. Thus awareness of creational law can put Christians on-guard against uncritically accepting fallen aspects of culture; it alerts Christians to the need of applying Scripture with Spirit-guided wisdom to every aspect of life.
Structure and direction may be the most broadly useful of Wolters’ concepts. If all of creation is good, and if the fall has affected all of creation, how does the Christian discern what is good and what is bad. Or, if a missionary must contextualize his ministry in a new culture, how does he discern what is legitimate and what is compromise? Wolters' discussion of structure and direction does not answer these questions, but it provides categories that make answering these questions possible. The basic structures of God’s creation are good, but these structures may be twisted in a bad direction or bent back to the good purposes that God has for them. The Christian must therefore wisely discern what is structural, what is directional, and how to live in the right direction.
Salvation as restoration is a key point of disagreement between Wolters and two-kingdoms theorists such as David VanDrunen. Wolters is in the right on this issue. Whereas, VanDrunen sees the resurrection body as the only point of contact between this world and the new earth (66), Romans 8:18-25 ties the renewal of the world and the resurrection of the body together. Genesis 8:21 and 2 Peter 3:10-12 are misunderstood if they are deployed to deny restoration. It is part of God’s glory that he reverses the effects of sin rather than throwing away creation and starting over afresh.
Those who agree with Wolters that all of creation needs to be redeemed may be tempted to overthrow the present order and seek to establish the ideal. Wolters’ distinction between reformation and revolution guards against this however. Wolters notes that Christians do not have authorization to effect a revolution. Furthermore, “no given societal order is absolutely corrupt” (92), and no ideal is attainable in this age. Thus, the Christian should do his best to strengthen what is good and undermine evil when he has opportunity. Thus Wolters combines modesty in effecting cultural change with the encouragement for Christians to attempt to improve culture as they are able in their situation.
Though Wolters advocates a role for Christians in the restoration of the world, he does not do so in a triumphalist manner or in one in which humans are at the center of bringing about the promised redemption. Instead, in this age, the Christian who presses for redemption can expect persecution and suffering. With this emphasis Wolters taps into a major biblical theme: Christians as sojourners in this present evil age. It is a strength that Wolters is able to maintain this emphasis alongside his emphasis of Christian attempts to live redemptively in the culture.
Weaknesses
Wolters’ extension of creation into areas of human endeavor such as marriage, farming, education, and business is intriguing. He has presented convincing biblical evidence in terms of marriage and farming (and the latter example lends itself to extension in other areas). There also seems to be historical evidence to support his hypothesis. For instance, communism seems to fail because it violates certain creational norms. The same could be said of certain educational theories or business practices. And yet what does it mean to call agriculture, economics, or science "creation"? Is it the norms that are creational? Are the actions, the structures, and/or the products creational? Some additional clarity on this point is needful.
Wolters rightly views redemption as restoration, but because of his broad definition of creation, he argues that the “products of human culture” will be purified and brought into the new creation. This goes beyond the biblical evidence and seems unnecessary even in a redemption-as-restoration paradigm. Clarification on the extent of creation will help in this matter.
Wolters is willing to speak of Christians advancing the kingdom in such areas as "advertising, labor-management relations, education, and international affairs" (76). A Christian who is in a labor union or on a management team must not dichotomize his work from his submission to Christ as Lord, but is working in such a way that the direction of these activities is bent towards their creational norms really advancing the kingdom? In some cases, perhaps. Part of his sanctification (that is, part of his redemption) is to conduct himself as befits a citizen of Christ's kingdom in all of these areas. But while he may have a sanctifying effect on his lost co-workers in these matters (along the lines of 1 Cor. 7:14), it seems too expansive to say he is establishing God's kingdom or that he is redeeming certain areas of culture. It would be better to say that he is acting in ways that anticipate the consummation of the kingdom or in ways that are consistent with redemption.
Wolters work would be strengthened by discussion about the role of the church. His book is most helpful for enabling Christians to live Christianly in their vocations six days a week. Yet that is not where the stress of the New Testament lies; its stress lies on the church. It is not wrong to focus elsewhere; indeed theologians have often found it necessary to emphasize things the Bible does not either to defend parts of Christianity that are under attack or to apply Scripture to situations not directly addressed by Scripture. Nonetheless, greater discussion of these areas would strengthen Wolters’ work.
Conclusion
In sum, Creation Regained is full of concepts that will enrich many aspects of Bible study: creational norms, structure and direction, the kingdom, worldliness, and the overlap of the ages. Wolters' primary weakness is the speculative nature of some of his ideas. The insights he has, however, far outweigh the weaknesses. This is the kind of book that repays repeated, careful, and thoughtful reading.
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Kevin McClain
Mar 09, 2011Kevin McClain rated it it was amazing
This book changed my life; God used it to speak the Gospel to me afresh.
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Justin Burkholder
Sep 01, 2020Justin Burkholder rated it it was amazing
One of the best and clearest explanations I’ve ever read of the scope of Gods redemption in creation.
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Andy Littleton
Jan 01, 2020Andy Littleton rated it it was amazing
Worthwhile especially for Christians who want to understand what God’s redemptive and restorative plan might mean for their everyday lives. A great corrective to the prevailing Christian ideas that separate the secular and sacred and plan ahead in terms of God superseding his beloved creation.
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Seph
Feb 14, 2011Seph rated it it was amazing
Two themes that stuck with me:
First, this book gives the proper questions for interpreting culture. "What about this is structural?" and "What about this is directional?" I have found these to be among the most important questions I've learned to ask in discerning culture.
Second, Wolters explains God's redemption cosmically. "God does not create junk, and God does not junk His creation."
With these two themes in hand, I walked away from the book thinking much more broadly about my calling to be redemptive in all that I do.
An excellent read. (less)
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Mark Jr.
Aug 28, 2011Mark Jr. rated it it was amazing
Shelves: 2011
God created a "very good" structure upon which man was to build. Man fell into sin, distorting that good structure, bending it in the wrong direction. Christ will redeem everything touched by the fall: Grace restores nature.
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mpsiple
Apr 19, 2019mpsiple rated it really liked it
Good book. Wolters offers a pretty simple, but sweeping view of creation - God made all of it, the Fall affected all of it, God will restore all of it. The categories he gives are very helpful for thinking through our engagement with the world around us. I would have appreciated more concrete examples of how this analysis would play out. He admits near the end of the book that his goal isn't to give answers, but to help readers ask the right questions. He does a good job of that.
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Simon
Mar 06, 2017Simon rated it liked it
Shelves: theology
Not especially compelling, although some helpful points. Read for teaching purposes.
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Philip
Mar 24, 2011Philip rated it really liked it
Through the lens of the Gospel, Wolters examines the concept of a worldview. In the first chapter, Wolters previews the topic and discusses the concept and implications of a worldview. The writer answers these and many other questions in the first chapter: What is a worldview? Why is a worldview important? Who has a worldview? Having established these foundational concepts, the following three chapters serve as a guide for a Christian worldview. Wolters uses these chapters (2-4) as the basis of a biblical worldview (viz., Creation, Fall, and Redemption). In all of these areas, the writer guides the reader to the understanding that the cosmic significance of the Gospel has much to do with the moral and ethical choices of the believer. Throughout these three chapters as well as the conclusion, the reader is driven away from poor paradigms (secular vs. sacred, categorically good vs. categorically bad) to a wholly different paradigm (redeemed vs. fallen). In essence, when doing studies in ethics, Wolters would have Christians ask these questions: 1. What was God's creative ideal (law) in this area? 2. In what way has the depravity of fallen man marred this ideal? 3. In what ways can we see the creative ideal restored through the Gospel? These questions will directly affect the life of a believer if their answers are translated into practice. Wolters' conclusion is extremely practical. The summary chapter was very helpful in its added dimensions and explanations.
Overall, the work was an enjoyable and enlightening read. Several flaws may exist in the argument and in the work as a whole. Some of these may be more significant depending on ones' denominational and theological background. First, Wolters stands committedly in the Reformed tradition. One who is outside those bounds may find some disconnect with the views of the writer. For example, Wolters takes a somewhat unfair shot at Dispensationalism (79) by stating that they only hold to the kingdom as millennial. Also, some of the concepts such as a "cultural mandate" and "redeeming culture" are predicated on an understanding of Niebuhr's "Christ and Culture," and his concept of "Christ redeeming culture." Most premillennialists struggle with this position due to what they see as a downturn in morality at the end of the current age, rather than a slow victory in the realm of culture. That being said, dispensationalists will not disagree in whole with the premise of the work. Even the concept of the Church battling towards victory (albeit, not accomplished until after the millennium) in the realm of ethics is supported by most dispensationalists who are more than willing to combat the pessimistic possibilities of their theology.
These concerns are only significant to a select few, so they are of little significance. The book itself is extremely significant. While only an introduction to redemptive worldviews, the work turns the eyes of the reader to the Gospel in order to find the deepest of ethical implications. (less)
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Stephen
Jun 20, 2013Stephen rated it it was amazing
In the tradition of Kuyper, Vollenhoven, and Dooyeweerd, Albert Wolters seeks to describe the framework for a Christian "reformational" approach to the redemption and restoration of the all areas of human life through the power of the Gospel in Jesus Christ. There are two fundamental principles of this often-called "neo-calvinist" position. The first is the rejection of a nature-grace dualism. The natural, created world (pre-lapsarian) has its own integrity. It is inherently good, not good due to an added supernatural category, i.e., grace. In others words, nothing "non-creational" is necessary to make creation good. The fall corrupted nature, and grace is the restoration of nature. The fall was not a removal of grace from nature (and thereby making it corrupt), but the event necessitated grace for nature's restoration. The fall resulted not from a loss of grace; it resulted in the necessity of grace. Thus what Wolter's calls the "structures" of nature/creation (the arts, business, sexuality, cultural institutions, politics, etc.) were in themselves sound, yet humans, through the fall, deviate from their associated norms. Grace is necessary for the correct "direction" or conformity to these norms. But it must be stressed that the goodness of pre-lapsarian creation was not due to the presence of a supernatural grace, but due to a simple declaration by God that it was good. The implication is that any work in an area of human life, such as the work of an artist, is potentially kingdom work. It is not just the salvation of souls, or the works of ministers, or the contemplation of the divine by monks in a monastery. All work is equally good when creation is being redeemed.
The second fundamental principles is that Christians presently have a mandate to restore all of creation. Wolters never says that the work of Christians will bring the New Jerusalem down from heaven. But he does insist that the work of re-creation or restoration of all aspects of human life, though hindered by sin, is presently a Christian responsibility. Being united to Christ, the Second Adam, and being his ministers on earth, we are to assume our redeemed position in the second Adam and seek to fulfill the work of Adam. In other words, we are to seek to form civilization.
Every Christian must deal with the fact that being a Christian means being united to the Second Adam; and that Adam, being a creature and the God-mandated lord of creation, was part of the created order, the created norms and laws of God. Obeying these laws and norms would produce civilization. What then ought those in the Second Adam do when seeking to obey all that Christ, the manifestation of God's law/character, commands us to do? This is a question we must all answer. (less)
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Tim Hoiland
Mar 27, 2012Tim Hoiland rated it it was amazing
Shelves: faith
Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview (Eerdmans) was originally written in 1985 by Al Wolters, and then re-released twenty years later, with an afterword by Michael Goheen. Wolters defines worldview as “the comprehensive framework of one’s basic beliefs about things,” a definition he then breaks down bit by bit (I won’t spell it out here, but each word is carefully chosen). He believes that a biblical worldview is best understood by the basic scriptural categories of creation, fall and redemption. He also contends that our worldview is to inform all of life; the Bible leaves no room for compartmentalizing certain parts of life into the mutually exclusive categories of sacred (church, spiritual practices, Bible study, etc) and secular (economics, politics, technology, etc)...
- See more at: http://tjhoiland.com/wordpress/2012/0... (less)
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Jeremy
Apr 15, 2012Jeremy rated it it was amazing
Shelves: worldview
Using the Creation-Fall-Redemption-Consummation metanarrative, Wolters describes the Christian's worldview as rooted in affirming creational norms by discerning the structures intended by God and guiding them in the right direction. This is very helpful and perhaps even category exploding for some Christians who have been fed a version of Christianity that perhaps locates the antithesis between the city of God and the city of man somewhere in creation, resulting in a sacred/secular divide that Kuyperians would say effectively seals off portions of God's creation from his sovereign rule. Others may find the content of this book obvious and uninteresting, as cultural discipleship was always an assumed component of their call to obedience in Christ. Really helpful worldview book for me. (less)
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Sarah
Aug 02, 2011Sarah rated it liked it
“Because of their two-realm theory (seeing all things as either “sacred” or “secular”), Christians have themselves to blame for the rapid secularization of the West.
If political, industrial, artistic, and journalistic life, to mention only these areas, are branded as essentially ‘worldly,’ ‘secular,’ and part of the natural domain of ‘creaturely life,’ then is it surprising that Christians have not more effectively stemmed the tide of humanism in our culture?” -pg 54
Excellent, scholarly, philosophical, dry, challenging, convincing. Not for the faint of heart. (less)
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Phillip Nash
Mar 18, 2015Phillip Nash rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
An outstanding book that takes a fresh approach to the idea of a Biblical world view - a term that has some problems with it. Wolters more theologically oriented approach is much more helpful in laying out a framework for Christians to engage in redemptive restoration. His use of Structure and Direction are very thought provoking as a means of understanding that the earth is the Lords yet sin has spoiled what God declared good. An essential read for anyone involved in Christian schooling but probably difficult in style for some. I loved it and found it very helpful. (less)
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