There is nothing new under the sun

I have been involved in many different hobbies in my life and there is one constant to all hobbies- they each have at least one magazine dedicated to that hobby. One of the first things I do when I get involved in a new hobby is to subscribe to the magazine so I can learn the lingo, learn who the principle players are, and learn new techniques or trends in the hobby. Another common thread is that after you have subscribed for two years, you essentially have read everything that is pertinent to the hobby. You see the same old articles repackaged in a new way, but really there is not anything new or groundbreaking. Occasionally I have found old volumes from 5 or 10 years before I got involved and when I looked at them I found essentially the same subjects in those magazines I was reading in the current magazines. The only things changed were the new models the manufacturers were promoting this year which will make last year's innovations obselete.

With few exceptions, I am finding the same thing to be true with most Christian publications. I read something I think might be new, and make a note of it. Then I read something written by one of the theologians of the early 20th century and find the same truths, just phrased a little differently. The truth of the Bible remains the same. Read Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It was written in the 1930's and the truths contained in this small book read like those of the current day "innovators". When I read it, my first thought was, "Bonhoeffer was ahead of his time." In reality, it has been this time for a long time.