Reading the Times

When I first picked up Reading the Times: A Literary and Theological Inquiry into the News by Dr. Jeffrey Bilbro, I expected to learn how to better engage with the news which surrounds us via our social media feeds and constant access to the internet. What I found was that this recently published book from InterVarsity Press provided so much more.

After an introduction on "Reading the News in Order to Love Our Neighbors," which is worth the price of the price of the book, Dr. Bilbro, an English professor, focuses on the concepts of attention, time, and community and how they related to our new consumption. Each part contains three chapters which describe the concept, how it relates to our news consumption, and then addresses how to incorporate these new habits into our lives in chapters titled "Liturgies of" the concept. This pattern allows Bilbro, and his readers, the opportunity to dive deep into the concept and then determine how the concept can be implemented in their life. The thesis throughout the book is that Christians should interact with the news seeking to discover how should we love our neighbors and how should we live faithfully in light of eternity. Approaching news with this mindset, allows us to focus on what truly matters but also requires us to reconsider who is our neighbor and where or what is our community. While not anti-technology or social media, Bilbro reminds readers that too often community is formed based on what news media you consume and devolves into taking sides rather than being based on where you live, who are your neighbors, and how can you show Christ's love to them.

Bilbro draws from a variety of interdisciplinary subjects including philosophy and history as well as literature and theology to explore attention, time, and community. He pulls in examples from history and current events and his research is well-documented via extensive footnotes. As such, this book could be used as a textbook or supplementary reading in a variety of courses. Beyond the classroom, Reading the Times is highly recommended to any Christian who wishes to read the news, and the times, from a theological point of view.

I received a complementary copy of Reading the Times from InterVarsity Press via NetGalley. I am not required to provide a positive review.