Quiet Wisdom for Christians Engaging the Loud Media
By Bruce McKanna
Many pastors say their congregants are being discipled by the news media more than the Bible. Should we be surprised, when so many Americans see their preferred channel as the source of inerrant truth and tribal identity? How do we, as Christians, counteract this media-driven distraction and division?
Jeffrey Bilbro has written Reading the Times to help us. Bilbro, a professor of English at Grove City College, does not offer yet another critique of media bias. Rather, his aim is “to think theologically about how Christians should consume the news,” focusing on three considerations: attention, time and community. For each, he offers three chapters addressing the current media environment, a better theological response and practical steps for healthier habits.
Bilbro repeats the maxim of Henry David Thoreau: “Read not the Times. Read the Eternities.” Yet, as Thoreau demonstrated, this is not a call to retreat from the events and issues of our day. In this way, Bilbro calls for a different kind of engagement, citing voices and artwork from the past. He stretched my mind, imagination and attention span, and I needed this.
[This book] is a welcome respite from the clickbait and hot takes that fill our news feeds.
Besides his role in academia, Bilbro is the editor of the localist and communitarian website Front Porch Republic. This comes through in many of his prescriptions, whether urging a “faithful joining” to churches and community organizations or simply walking your neighborhood to foster relationships beyond the virtual world. As a pastor in the rural Midwest, I resonate with these values which are not as common as they used to be, even in small towns among self-proclaimed conservatives.
Sadly, I fear that those who most need this book—those who are most enamored by and absorbed in their preferred news media—will not find this book very interesting. It is not a targeted attack on political enemies and “fake news.” There is little discussion of sobering statistics on attention deficit or rising rates of anxiety and depression. Instead, Bilbro authors a quiet and thoughtful engagement with intellectuals and mystics from long ago—Augustine, Pascal, Merton and more—who offer wisdom for our moment.
And that’s why, for those who are patient enough to listen, Reading the Times is a welcome respite from the clickbait and hot takes that fill our news feeds. Though not a long book, it encourages slow, meditative reading and introduces perspectives that we may have forgotten or overlooked. It’s not a comprehensive analysis of today’s news media, but Bilbro’s work provides the gift of attention and time that it commends. If you read and discuss it with others, it may bless you with community as well.