‘God doesn’t make junk, and He doesn’t junk what He has made.’ The implications of this view of creation and redemption are staggering in their breadth and depth and, if we really took it to heart, could transform the way we view our reality and engage with the world around us.
Creation Regained gives a biblical basis for a reformational worldview, and lays out the significance of such a worldview. As he writes, Wolters appeals to his readers to take the Bible seriously in all areas of life and reality. He begins by showing us that our ‘worldview’ is fundamental to our human existence, before working through the salvation story of Creation, Fall and Redemption, widening and deepening our perspective on each part as he goes, until finally offering practical implications for the Christian life.
Throughout the book, Wolters consistently points out our tendency towards dividing the ‘sacred’ (church life) and the ‘secular’ (rest of life), exposing this dualism as especially inconsistent with a cosmic view of creation and redemption. I was challenged by this afresh, as the book gives specific examples of where this dualism can creep into our thinking and behaviour. For example, if this sacred/secular divide is cut down, it gives dignity to all acts of restoration, in a way that doesn’t restrict ‘kingdom work’ to that of the full time minister, nor dilute it to the point of merely a social gospel. As Wolters emphasises, Christ reclaims all of creation, such that as Christians we see that ‘the contrast is not between two realms but between two regimes’, and we look for the sanctification of all things, for all things to be made holy.
Creation Regained has broadened my perspective on the scope of creation and the totality of our God’s rule and reign, and has left me with a renewed sense of awe at how God has built development into His creation. I find it beautiful that God’s design is such that ‘the creational law is crying out to be positivized in new and amazing ways’. In other words, God didn’t intend His creation to remain static, but gave every area inbuilt potential for development beyond our imagination.
And, if ‘creation’ is cosmic in scope, this includes not only the physical world we see but even societal structures. It means that developments in civilisation are not merely ‘secular’, but part of the display of the wisdom of God in creation. It means that development in education, mass media and business may all form part of God’s purposes for the world. It means that politics, film and scientific research really are all areas where God can be served and glorified.
Wolters’ style can, at times, be hard to navigate. I found some words and meanings to be so painstakingly described and defined that the effect was added noise rather than clarification. There were also occasional apparent contradictions which led to some confusion. For example, Wolters seems clear on the importance of Christian influence in all areas of civil life, emphasising that ‘some element in every situation is worth preserving’ as we look to Christ’s reclamation of all of society. However, later he posits that ‘a certain cultural phenomenon may be so terribly and thoroughly distorted’ that it would be wise to ‘avoid it altogether’. Here the book could have benefited from a word on how to discern the most appropriate course of action.
Creation Regained has a similar perspective to other work on connecting with culture, such as Dan Strange’s Plugged In. Wolters uses ‘structure’ and ‘direction’ to speak of the basic essence and spiritual lean of things in creation, reminding me of the way Strange encourages us to look for what is good, helpful and beautiful in a given area of culture, as well as for what is suppressed and distorted. By delving into creation, fall and redemption, Wolters is able to provide a deeper basis for the reformational worldview, whereas Strange more readily applies the framework to a range of contexts.
But why does it all matter? And why would getting your teeth into Creation Regained equip you to live and speak for Jesus in your own context?
There is nothing neutral in creation: if we are not directed towards God we are directed towards idols. Arguably, this tension is felt nowhere more keenly than the university, where progressive ideas permeate our lecture halls, intellectual principles dominate our thinking, and secular standards define our relationships. Wolters argues that, without a thought-through worldview that connects all aspects of life, we are left to either yo-yo between the ‘sacred’ and the ‘secular’, or be drawn so quickly and deeply into secular thinking that the battle to be a distinctive witness is lost before it has even begun. Instead, if we view our world, including our university experience, through the lens of Scripture, we have a solid framework to make sense of our lives as a whole rather than as isolated pockets. This lens might be countercultural, but the more we see the world through it, the more it resonates with the reality we experience.
With a greater understanding of the cosmic scope of creation, fall and redemption, we will have eyes to see ‘abnormality where others see normality, and possibilities of renewal where others see inevitable distortion’. We’ll see reality in a totally different way! And this shouldn’t make us more intense or prone to overanalyse things, but rather leave us more grounded, more in tune with reality, more able to engage all aspects of life with enthusiasm, and more bold to speak of Jesus in it all.
If you’re looking for some confidence that the Bible really does inform all of our lives, and if you want to be wowed afresh by our Creator God along the way, then grab a copy of Creation Regained and get ready to have your eyes widened. Why not read it with a friend and work through this study guide together?
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