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Description
“Reading the morning newspaper is the realist’s morning prayer.” —G. W. F. Hegel
Whenever we reach for our phones or scan a newspaper to get “caught up,” we are being not merely informed but also formed. News consumption can shape our sense of belonging, how we judge the value of our lives, and even how our brains function. Christians mustn’t let the news replace prayer as Hegel envisioned, but neither should we simply discard the daily feed. We need a better understanding of what the news is for and how to read it well.
Jeffrey Bilbro invites readers to take a step back and gain some theological and historical perspective on the nature and very purpose of news. In Reading the Times he reflects on how we pay attention, how we discern the nature of time and history, and how we form communities through what we read and discuss. Drawing on writers from Thoreau and Dante to Merton and Berry, along with activist-journalists such as Frederick Douglass and Dorothy Day, Bilbro offers an alternative vision of the rhythms of life, one in which we understand our times in light of what is timeless. Throughout, he suggests practices to counteract common maladies tied to media consumption in order cultivate healthier ways of reading and being.
When the news sets itself up as the light of the world, it usurps the role of the living Word. But when it helps us attend together to the work of Christ—down through history and within our daily contexts—it can play a vital part in enabling us to love our neighbors. Reading the Times is a refreshing and humane call to put the news in its place.
Endorsements and Awards
“This book is like the best class you ever took in college. Big ideas are delivered in a winsome and enticing way. We all know we are consuming bad news and it is eroding our society. Bilbro identifies the problem, shows how it’s likely worse than you imagined, and offers hope. Reading the Times helps us think about time itself and how beauty, faith, and simple human practices can shift our perspective in healthy, God-honoring ways that will, in the end, enable us to read and respond to news wisely.” —Ned Bustard, author, illustrator, and founder of World’s End Images in his blurb for the Award of Merit for Christianity Today’s Culture and the Arts category.
“There may not be any greater need in this moment—for both the church and the larger culture—than a practical theology of the news. Reading the Times is a book that addresses a discipleship crisis of our day. It may be a generation too late, but it’s not a moment too soon.” Karen Swallow Prior, author of On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books
“Reading the Times is essential reading for today’s Christian. Jeffrey Bilbro helps us recognize the philosophical and epistemological narratives underlying current headlines and debates, and he gives his readers a deeper understanding of the life we’re cultivating for ourselves when we pick up our newspapers or scroll through our news feeds. Centered on the gospel and its timeless beauty, this book proffers a far better vision for our news consumption and public witness, showing us how we can begin to cultivate sound minds and lives of grace.” Gracy Olmstead, journalist and author of Uprooted: Recovering the Legacy of the Places We’ve Left Behind.
“I am so grateful for a book that steps back from the flash and distraction of headlines to think deeply about the purpose of the news and how Christians are called to engage. In Reading the Times, Jeffrey Bilbro provides readers with a theological framework for our contemporary discourse. … Like a teacher, Bilbro questions readers about our ways of responding to media, and he leads us to consider how our participation with contemporary news forms us and our community. By contextualizing our reading of the news within kairos, Bilbro shows Christians how, as T. S. Eliot writes, ‘to apprehend the point of intersection of the timeless with time.’ A relevant and timeless book about how Christians should belong in but not of this world.” Jessica Hooten Wilson, Louise Cowan Scholar in Residence at the University of Dallas, author of Giving the Devil His Due: Flannery O’Connor and The Brothers Karamazov.
“Jeffrey Bilbro’s Reading the Times makes a compelling sweep of material, technological, and philosophical history, helping Christians ask pressing contemporary questions: How do we attend faithfully to the news? To what political, moral, social, and spiritual ends do we scroll Twitter, check Facebook, and scan the morning headlines? Attention deficit, hyperpartisanship, and misinformation are familiar problems in our current media landscape, but Bilbro goes beyond these standard diagnoses. In the Augustinian tradition, he examines not just media consumption but media appetite. I find his work both practical and prophetic: one foot in chronos, one in kairos, Bilbro begs us to fight for better media habits and rightly ordered media loves. I hope people will gather together around these pages and attend to them slowly, prayerfully, resolutely.” Jen Pollock Michel, author of A Habit Called Faith and Surprised by Paradox.
Honorable Mention for the Gospel Coalition’s Public Theology & Current Events 2021 book awards.
Runner-up for a 2021 For the Church book award.
Interviews and Symposia
I recorded a set of video lectures based on the book for Grove City College’s Life of the Mind series.
The Gospel Coalition published an excerpt from the first section.
Ken Myers interviewed me for Mars Hill Audio Journal.
Warren Cole Smith interviewed me for Listening In.
Skye Jethani interviewed me for the Holy Post Podcast.
Alan Cornett interviewed me for Cultural Debris.
Michial Farmer interviewed me for Christian Humanist Profiles.
Patrick Miller interviewed me for Ten Minute Bible Talks.
Cathy Grossman interviewed me for Publishers Weekly.
Gabe Lyons interviewed me for Q Ideas.
Andrew Bertodatti interviewed me for ERLC.
Alexis Busetti interviewed me for That Makes Total Sense!
Michael Porter interviewed me for Edge of Faith.
Mark Combs interviewed me for Churchology.
Carmen LaBerge interviewed me for Mornings with Carmen LaBerge.
Traci DeVette Griggs interviewed me for Family Policy Matters.
J.R. Briggs interviewed me for Monday Morning Pastor.
Joshua Pauling interviewed me for Modern Reformation.
Todd Wilken interviewed me for Issues, Etc.
Michele McAloon interviewed me for Cross Word.
Monsignor Ron Lengwin interviewed me for Amplify.
Jason Thacker interviewed me for Weekly Tech Podcast.
Ken Keathley and Benjamin Quinn interviewed me for Christ and Culture.
Matthew Hall and Ben Dockery interviewed me for Leading Forward.
Collin Hansen interviewed me for Gospel Bound.
Ezra Byer and David Hartkopf interviewed me for The Monday Christian.
Andy Hale interviewed me for the CBF podcast.
Dr. Jeff Myers interviewed me for the Dr. Jeff Show.
Tom O’Boyle and Nate Devlin interviewed me for The Scattered Seeds Podcast.
Brendan Romigh and Dr. Bob Robinson interviewed me for Reintegrate.
Daniel Ray interviewed me for Apologetics Profile.
Kirk Miller interviewed me for Church Theology.
Chris McAlilly and Eddie Rester interviewed me for The Weight.
Aaron Weinacht interviewed me for New Books Network.
Andrew Black interviewed me for the Academy Podcast.
Chris Brooks interviewed me for Equipped with Chris Brooks.
Jay Watts interviewed me for Merely Human Things.
Craig Thompson interviewed me for Ordinary Christian.
An essay adapted from this book launched a Theopolis Conversation with several responses.
Anselm House hosted an event titled “Faith in the News? Christianity and Journalism in the New Media Economy.” Ruth DeFoster moderated this discussion between Emma Green, Josh Good, Bonnie Kristian, and myself.
Reviews
Daniel Ritchie reviewed the book for Christianity Today.
Mindy Belz reviewed the book for The Gospel Coalition.
Trevin Wax wrote a multi-part review of the book for The Gospel Coalition (part 1, part 2).
Marvin Olasky reviewed the book for World Magazine.
Casey Chalk reviewed the book for University Bookman.
Art Hunt III reviewed the book for Front Porch Republic.
Andrew Spencer reviewed the book for Ethics and Culture.
Nathaniel Williams reviewed the book for Intersect.
Eric Black reviewed the book for the Baptist Standard.
Hayden Kvamme reviewed the book for Fare Forward.
Greg Williams reviewed the book for Sojourners Magazine.
George Wood reviewed the book for Influence Magazine.
David Mathis reviewed the book for Desiring God.
David Marshall reviewed the book for Anglican Compass.
Cort Gatliff reviewed the book for Englewood Review of Books.
Bruce McKanna and Thomas Cackler reviewed the book for EFCA.
Gregory E. Reynolds reviewed the book for Ordained Servant.
Mark Brians II reviewed the book for Themelios.
Todd Statham reviewed the book for Christian Courier.