Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview
second edition
Albert M. Wolters
with a Postscript coauthored by
Michael W. Goheen
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
Grand Rapids, Michigan / Cambridge, U.K.
© 1985, 2005 Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
All rights reserved
First edition 1985
Second edition 2005
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
2140 Oak Industrial Drive N.E., Grand Rapids, Mich. 49505 / P.O. Box 163, Cambridge CB3 9PU U.K.
ISBN 978-0-8028-2969-6
sine qua non
5 Discerning Structure and Direction
postscript: Worldview between Story and Mission
This little book of mine has now been in print for twenty years, has been translated into some eight different languages to date, and continues to be widely used in Christian academic settings worldwide. Its success has taken me completely by surprise, and leaves me with a deep sense of wonder and gratitude.
In this second edition of the book the body of the text has been slightly revised (mainly in the direction of softening the way I describe the distinctiveness of the reformational worldview in comparison with other Christian traditions), and has been supplemented with a “Postscript” coauthored by my friend and colleague Michael Goheen. This postscript links the discussion of worldview to both the grand narrative of Scripture and the centrality of mission, and is especially indebted to the work of N. T. Wright and Lesslie Newbigin. More than anything, it was Newbigin’s reaction to the first edition of Creation Regained (which he wrote up in an unpublished memo in 1994 after Mike had arranged for him to listen to the book on tape) which persuaded me that my discussion of worldview needed to be put in this broader context to be properly understood. For facilitating that connection, and in general opening my eyes to the importance of Newbigin’s work, I owe a great debt to Mike, and I am delighted that he joins me as coauthor of this second edition. In its new form Creation Regained now forms an excellent companion volume to Craig G. Bartholomew and Michael W. Goheen, The Drama of Scripture. Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story (Grand Rapids, Baker, 2004).
I also want to record my continued gratitude to Bob and Mark Vander Vennen, father and son, who initially encouraged and facilitated the writing of this book in the early 1980s.
Finally, what I owe to my wife, Alice, is best expressed by once again dedicating this work to her, with all my love.
Al Wolters
It is a rare privilege to have the opportunity to contribute to an expanded revision of a book that has had a powerful influence on my life. I read Creation Regained shortly after it was first published. It arrived at an opportune time, and shaped my own worldview deeply. It immediately affected my family’s life, my pastoral ministry, and has since shaped my academic ...
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About Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational WorldviewIn print for two decades and translated into eight languages, Albert Wolters’ 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. |
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