How old is God? How old are the scriptures, each of the two Testaments?
How far back must we go in history to consider the Book of Acts and first of Jesus' disciples?
Consider the same regarding the church fathers and mothers.
Look, I admit to being old :) and as my Wendi has said "You were born old" meaning I think like an older dude. My Dad married in his early 40's and I was the 3rd and last child, and his friends and many business associates were 6 to 10 years older than he was so of course I learned about "elders", old folks and how they thought and lived and why though I was naturally far younger than them all.
In my many studies of both Black and Native American/First Nations histories something that leaps out repeatedly is a lack of ageism, that is, respect for older folks is quite common and that moreso tha often among white people in both my studies and personal experience. The Grandmas and Grandpas and beyond actually knew (know) things young 'uns have not yet learned.
This post is not about defending myself nor anyone else, rather the point is that experience over long years IF it's also part of a stew including love, wisdom and grace, well that's one nutritious meal everyone needs to cook and consume! Part of the recipe? Read on please.
A proverb from Native Americans often pops up in my social media: "When an elder speaks, listen."
Elders can be and have been wrong, racists, ignorant of issues in areas which they talk, write, preach -of course! Same for young peeps, no?
So a verse that comes to me often are Jesus' words: "And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” -Matthew 13.52
It's both/and.
Some of us find it harder to decipher meaning from older people's use of the English (or whatever yours may be) language. Effort in reading a book or longer article from such authors can seem a pain. Getting to their meaning and we having to use discernment and careful sussing out ideas and concepts, doctrine and theology by taking what we read to God's Word for clarity and whether or not to accept, reject or a mix of both is work -and I think sometimes professing Christians are lazy, "too busy" and perhaps even disinterested to the extent a sort of "spoon fed", "I'll sit in a room on Sunday and hear what pastor or the guest speaker has to say" or "I'll read my fave [peer or nearly so] author or blog or social media pundit, thank you" and therefore blow off the incredible load of brilliant written work His disciples have left us.
A videocentric people may not wish to sit and quietly read choosing rather to watch/listen "on demand". I get that and don't think it wrong at all -and yet so much of the old, deep and often incredible truth-bearing from disciples of Jesus long gone from this earth is left out of their/our spiritual diet.
I have often gone to contemporary quotes, articles and books but as time passes people such as Andrew Murray, A. W. Tozer, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, John Wesley, Fenelon, Jessie Penn-Lewis and more stir me spiritually and bring not only to my memory but in quite fresh ways, things the Holy Spirit confirms and not only educates but brings light and depth to my own walk with the Lord. Yes, sometimes even more than much of the present day spiritual pundits of the churches, I admit it.
If it were only about my own sense of the familiar or mere comfort I'd question this but the truth is it does take some work to find, study and really consider what (in earthly terms) "past" saints had to say, studying the lives they lived and how they served God, the Church and others beyond it.
I often go to Oswald Chambers and Spurgeon (both online and easy to find) as well as a load of quotes by a long, long list of authors who have inspired thousands and inspire me now, today.
So there is my pitch that we do not neglect the deep, deep well of wisdom and spiritual insights of those gone to Jesus before us.
In closing, here's just one of many sites I frequent: https://ccel.org
As always, thanks for stopping by! -Glenn
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