Christian thinkers and writers who address Jacques Derrida’s philosophy face two potential pitfalls. One is to recast Christianity in an ill-fitting Derridean mold; the other is to ascribe to Derrida objectionable positions that bear little relation to his writing. To avoid these hazards, Christopher Watkin, a scholar of French literature and philosophy, walks in Derrida’s shoes through the landscape of recent thought and culture, seeking to understand the rationale for Derrida’s philosophical moves in light of his assumptions and commitments in philosophy, literature, ethics, and politics. He then sets these assumptions in the wider context of God’s nature and purposes in history, providing biblical critique. Learn why Derrida says what he does and how Christians can receive and respond to his writing in a balanced, biblical way that is truly beneficial. "Philosopher Stanley Fish once declared, 'Deconstruction is dead in the same way that Freudianism is dead. . . . It is every- where.' Christopher Watkin's remarkable book explains better than any other the nature of Derrida's program and the reasons for its persistence. Watkin corrects misunderstandings and car- icatures. Derrida is easy to dismiss when one takes a few of his thoughts out of context. But a great deal of importance must be highlighted. The author engages in a biblical and Reformed cri- tique, one that 'hold[s] fast what is good, ' while identifying its evils (1 Thess. 5:21-22). Complete with helpful diagrams, the book is a tour de force. I wish I had possessed it while in graduate school."--William Edgar, Professor of Apologetics, Westminster Theological Seminary "Chris Watkin has done what I thought was impossible. He has explained Derrida's deconstruction with lucidity, brevity, and charity. Not only that: he has imagined what it would be like for Cornelius Van Til to go toe-to-toe with Derrida in a discussion about language, logic, and the Logos made flesh, all of which figure prominently in John 1:1-18. And if that were not enough, he has done it in just over a hundred pages. Readers who want to know what all the fuss over postmodernity is about would do well to consult this book. It is an excellent beginning to this new Great Thinkers series."--Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Research Professor of Systematic Theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School "The Reformed community has long sought to stage a dialogue between Jacques Derrida and Karl Barth, but no one before Christopher Watkin has ever considered initiating a dialogue between Derrida and Barth's Reformed critic Cornelius Van Til. Watkin explains Derrida's fundamental ideas very clearly; more, he shows Calvinists some things that might be gained if they read Derrida with sympathy. Not least of all, the Bible might disclose more of its meaning."--Kevin Hart, Edwin B. Kyle Professor of Christian Studies, University of Virginia Christopher Watkin (MPhil, PhD, Jesus College, Cambridge) researches and writes on modern and contemporary French thought, atheism, and religion. Currently, he is a senior lecturer in French studies at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He blogs at christopherwatkin.com, and you can find him on Twitter @DrChrisWatkin.