Be Careful Whom You Read

There is in our modern day this attitude that views open-mindedness as the highest of intellectual achievements.  What some would call synergy, many view as true enlightenment.  Instead of holding to the faith handed down by our fathers, we are invited to draw bits of truth from all available sources.  That, it would appear, is true wisdom.  While I do believe in learning anything that is worth learning from anyone from whom you can learn it, I also believe that we should be cautious when opening our minds to information and influences.  For some this is more important than for others, as some are more easily led astray, but all Christians should be careful about what they allow into their minds.  This is particularly true when someone is causing you to read the Bible in a way that is new and innovative.  When you stumble across something new and exciting that seems to be entirely plausible, and when the source of that new and exciting idea comes from a source that seems scholarly and trustworthy, there are a few questions you should ask yourself before diving in head first:

1) What is this person's view of Scripture?  Many of the new and exciting ideas that modern theology has to offer are really just rejections of the authority of Scripture and of a clear interpretation of it.  If the person you're reading interprets a passage in a way that is new, not only to you, but to all of Christendom, it may be because they don't actually view Scripture as the inerrant word of God.  Two things commonly happen when a theologian tacitly rejects the abiding authority and applicability of the Bible: a) he twists Scripture to fit whatever preconceived notion he wants to maintain in spite of it being opposed to God's Word; or b) he bases his views on some traditional authority outside of the Bible.  These are both destructive to one's faith.  If a theologians view of Scripture is suspect, his interpretation thereof is as equally suspect.

2) What is this person's view of Church history?  Not only is it important to see how a theologian views Scripture, but it's also important to see how he views Church history.  Does he disregard it, interpreting Scripture in a way that no one has in 2000 years of Church history?  Does he give it too much credence, disregarding the Word to maintain a view that has no greater authority than that of uninspired men?  Either extreme is dangerous.  If a theologian will not humbly respect the fathers of the faith, while carefully maintaining the proper distinction between God's Word and Tradition, his interpretation of Scripture should be viewed with extreme caution.  

3) What is this person's life like?  Finally, you should take a look at how this person has lived his life.  How has he interacted with his fellow believers?  What is the condition of his family?  Has he practiced what he preached or has he hypocritically used the ministry/theology to fund a licentious lifestyle?  Most importantly, has his novel interpretation of Scripture been intended to extenuate his own sin?  If a theologian's life is marked by scandal and sin, his teaching, while not necessarily entirely false, should be entertained with added discernment.

As I said, I believe you can learn something from many different sources.  Roman Catholics, the Amish, Quakers, Baptists, Orthodox, etc. all have emphases that Reformed folks, such as I am, would do well to heed.  Even liberal theologians are occasionally useful.  Nevertheless, Christians who espouse a strict view of the authority of Holy Scripture must be cautious when reading, listening to, or conversing with those whose fundamental beliefs, and the foundation for those beliefs, are so widely different.