Fellow of Philosophy and Culture
On 6 April 2023 Dr. Christopher Watkin (CV) was appointed Fellow of Philosophy and Culture at Reformed Theological Seminary in New York City. Dr. Watkin will teach Christian Cultural and Social Theory at RTS NYC as a winter intensive January 2024 and 2025, and give several talks throughout the academic year.
Dr. Watkin is currently an Associate Professor of European Languages at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He is an Australian Research Council Future Fellow. He maintains research interests in new ways of conceiving of the social contract, atheism as a religious and cultural phenomenon, themes of liberation and emancipation across culture, and the philosophical understanding of the human being. An expert in 20th Century French philosophy, Dr. Watkin has written the only comprehensive volume on the thought of Michel Serres, entitled Michel Serres: Figures of Thought. Dr. Watkin recently published the award winning and best selling, Biblical Critical Theory: How the Bible’s Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life and Culture. He his currently working on a major academic monograph on the social contract.
Founding Director
The Center for the Bible extends the ethos and commitments of the classroom at RTS New York City to the community of NYC and the NY Metro region. Dr. Harvey believes that Biblical teaching in the historic tradition of the Protestant Reformation is a rich resource for the church in New York City and the region.
Dr. Jay Harvey developed the concept for the Center for the Bible to make the resources of the the Reformed Fatih more accessible to every New Yorker and to the NY Metro Region. As Assistant Professor of Pastoral Theology and Executive Director at RTS New York City, he noticed that a unique community was emerging at RTS New York City that brought together believers of diverse ethnic, socio-economic, and protestant traditions. The relational foundation of this community was a commitment to the living and active word of God. Prospective students knew that RTS could provide them a world class Biblical and Theological education. The pastoral disposition of the RTS faculty had created a context and reputation where Bible believing students exploring the Reformed faith for the first time knew they would be well received and cared for at RTS New York City.
Dr. Harvey has an undergraduate degree with honors in History, and a Certificate in Russian Studies, from Princeton University (1995). He is a Master of Divinity graduate of RTS Jackson (2002), a Doctor of Ministry graduate of Erkine Theological Seminary (under Dr. Hughes Oliphant Old, 2016), a candidate for the MA in Philosophy at the Graduate Center in New York City, and a candidate for the Ph.D. in Systematic Theology at Aberdeen University under the supervision of Dr. Philip Ziegler.