God and His World: Creator, Creation and Creature

by John Webster, Hywel George

John Webster's 2009 Hayward Lectures on the doctrine of creation. Not for the faint of heart.

In this profound exploration of theology and divine mystery, God and His World captures the brilliance of Rev. Dr. John Webster’s 2009 Hayward Lectures at Acadia Divinity College.
With scholarly depth and pastoral warmth, Webster delves into the doctrine of creation under three Creator, Creation and Creature. Bridging contemporary faith with classical theology, the series helps believers contemplate and worship the Trinity and consider how they are to live for him in the world he has made.
This book is a testament to Webster’s legacy as one of the most influential theologians of our time, teaching timeless truths to a modern world.

132 pages, Paperback

Published December 6, 2024

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Reviews

[Riley Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a very lightly edited transcription of Webster’s 2009 Hayward Lectures. It’s classic Webster. Sustained attention principally to the agent of creation, and only then moving to the act creation.

What I found most illuminating is how the doctrine of creation ex nihilo is fundamental in demonstrating the utter difference between creator and creature. Webster argues at length the notion that God is not simply the biggest thing in the universe alongside all kinds of other things that exist. Instead, the bountifully replete creator belongs to a completely different order of being.

It’s challenging (impossible) to conceive of what God even is. But our tendency is to quickly conclude that He is something the way that we are something. Webster helpfully challenges our tendency to think of God in this way. Instead, along with the best of the tradition, Webster demonstrates that a careful dogmatic approach to creation forces the church to think better about “this one”, the perfect creator that establishes being when there was none prior.

[curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breathtakingly good, as I've come to expect of John Webster. His rigorous insistence upon grounding every theological discourse in the deep things of God, the eternal and self-sufficient felicity of the Holy Trinity, continues to engross me and challenge me at every turn.

[John Funnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wonderful little book argues for a moral theology of human dignity that begins with the study of God as the creator. An area of theology that Webster correctly states is already beyond us as we are limited by our created intelligence.

The aseity of God that undergirds Webster’s thesis of human dignity defies the modern zeitgeist. Human dignity derives not from our desire for independence, as any attempt at self-autonomy is limited because we are created beings. Rather, human dignity is innate to us as created beings when we live this reality out, beyond ourselves, without restriction, in full and free dependency on God. Our liberation from this fallen assumption of self, allows us to be reconciled to our Creator, in Christ, practised through the Church.

Deserting the corporate expression of the Christian life is to degenerate into a lower form of existence. Rejecting God’s approval to stand alone as a mere product of His initial cause.

“God the Perfecter completes the dignity of creatures by gathering them into the fellowship of the saints and empowering them actively to testify to God’s protection over human dignity.”

[Chandler Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t even know what to say about this book. This transcription of Webster’s three lectures on the doctrine of creation is simply incredible. Such a thought-provoking and challenging read on how to think about a theology of creation. Webster shows us that any talk about creation and creatures must always begin with talk about God, the Triune Creator, who is utterly distinct from and transcendent over his creation. Indeed, talk about God’s outer work of creation must begin with a discussion of the inner life and work of God in himself. Webster also reframes the dignity of the creature not as an innate thing within human beings, but something derived completely from God. In this way, Webster lays out a truly and properly theological anthropology in these lectures.

I am also struck by Webster’s ability to faithfully blend and capture confessional, historical, and moral theology into a presentation on the dogmatics of creation. It is truly admirable to watch and makes the reader want to imitate his approach. The first lecture in this book also contains some profound insights on the task of theology. One thing that stood out to me: Webster is not only a moral theologian and Christian ethicist, I also picked up on elements of Webster’s project that make him a true metaphysical or philosophical theologian. If there are any critiques, this transcription did have some notable typos at certain points, and Webster’s third lecture was a little hard to follow at times in terms of how he progressed his argument.

“A doctrine of creation is gospel precisely because God's life as creator is in itself full, perfect and wholly blessed before the life of creatures; and only as such is it a work of love.”

[Greg Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightfully dogmatic account of creation, and accordingly of the God who creates and the dignity of the created. Will be the first book I recommend to those wanting to think about creatio ex nihilo. I wish there was more in this format from Webster.