No one exists in a vacuum, and everyone is dependent on others who have helped form their thinking. That’s why 9Marks has an done us a great service in their article on The Emerging Consequences of Whose Ideas? The article provides the reading list on theology from Emergent Village, considered by many to be one of the leading sites dedicated to a new, post-modern friendly version of Christianity that they call the “emergent church.” The article gives a helpful summary of the theological background of the authors of the recommended books.

The article is very enlightening, although the theological lingo might be a bit thick for some readers. A few additional comments of my own:

• I was surprised to see Hans Gadamer (Truth and Method) in the list. Following Heidegger, he steers us away from seeking for the intent of the author to discover the meaning of Scripture. His approach to interpretation is a long ways from anything that could be labeled Evangelical.
• I have not read George Lindbeck (The Nature of Doctrine), but in when I read Ancient-Future Faith by Robert Webber, I discovered that most of his theological foundation comes from Lindbeck.

It is interesting to note that two of the authors, Nancy Murphy and Miroslav Volf, teach or have taught at Fuller Seminary, which claims to be Evangelical. It is difficult to see how any of the authors of these books could be considered Evangelical according to the historic meaning of the term. Ideas have consequences, and it is important to understand the theological foundation underlying the views of those who wish to tell the church how to reach the next generation.

For an overview of Emergent theology from a solid Evangelical, see this helpful summary by Justin Taylor.

[Sighted on Between Two Worlds]

The Baptist Press cites Thomas R. Schreiner to explain why horizontal preaching is not enough. He argues that a faithful minister must center his message on the Gospel because it is the fulfillment of all of Scripture. Sermons on marriage, raising children, depression and conquering fears have their place, he writes, but all must be understood in terms of Christ, who is the central focus of Scripture.

Two days ago my family returned from a vacation to San Diego. On the morning we left, our last pre-vacation newspaper was delivered. Since we did not have time to look at it, we just put it on the kitchen table. After we returned, I sat down and looked through the now-outdated paper. Although the paper was only 10 days old, many of the news stories already seemed irrelevant.

That got me thinking. I had “missed out” on reading the paper and listening to the news for 10 days, and what had I lost? Most of what I had missed was already out of date. I don’t consider myself to be a real “news junkie,” but I do usually read the news sections (and of course the comics!) in our local paper while I eat breakfast or lunch, and I listen to news radio while driving in my car. What if I stopped doing that, and instead read or listened to something else? What would I lose, and what would I gain?

It is considered axiomatic in our culture that an intelligent person will keep him/herself informed about “current events.” But considering the almost unimaginable quantity of information generated each day, how much does a person need to read to be “informed?” The news that we receive in the paper or on the radio (or on TV, but I rarely watch TV) is highly filtered and contoured by the news editors according to their own understanding of what is important and what will increase the size of their audience. Some stories that get the spotlight are really of trivial importance in the big picture, while other events of great significance in the long run are not included at all. (Do I really need to know the details of a bizarre murder that took place 10 years ago in another state?)

The Internet provides much more complete coverage, but the sheer volume of information on blogs and news sites makes it impossible to even overview the day’s news without spending every waking hour trying to digest the information. I wonder how people managed 200 years ago? They had newspapers back then, although I’m not sure how often they came out. Probably some people read them. But for the most part they could be blissfully unaware of events around the world, or even in the next town. Somehow they muddled on.

I’m no Luddite, and I’m not suggesting that we bury our heads in the sand. But I wonder how productive it is to consume all the news produced by the major media. I have a feeling that we would benefit from being much more selective in what we read and hear (or watch). Manybe the top story of the hour isn’t really worth our time. Perhaps we could spend some time trying to understand truly significant events or trends, but also spend time reading books written before we were born.

That’s one of the frustrations that I have about the world of blogging. Many bloggers take a “news reporter” approach to their writing, and rush to report what is new and cool. Much of what they write is not worth reading a year later. Obviously there are many exceptions, and I strive to be one of them. I want to write articles about timeless spiritual truths that will be worth reading ten years from now (which is an eternity in the world of blogging). A tall order, I know. But is already enough senseless drivel on the Internet.

Meanwhile, I haven’t changed my news reading/listening behavior yet, but I am looking for a more discerning way to learn about what is going on in the world.

Read Phil Johnson’s post on Why “the Emerging Conversation” is going nowhere and Roger Overton’s comments here and here.

Today Roger and Amy of The A-Team Blog have started series based on Wayne Grudem’s book, Evangelical Feminism & Biblical Truth: An Analysis of More Than 100 Disputed Questions with the post A Summary of the Complimentarian Position. Their goal is to blog on a chapter a week.

Tim Challies has an interesting discussion of Christian rap. The discussion in the comments is quite interesting, including a comment by Christian rapper Curtis Allen.