This is an intense post for anyone who loves Scripture in our day and age, in the Evangelical culture of paranoia (an understandable reaction to the other culture–the one of compromise–but no more pleasing to God). Read the whole thing, but here is a highlight

All this is a build-up to an expression of gratitude — gratitude for four men that I would vote against in a presbyterial ordination exam were they, by some mishap, to find themselves sitting for one. I would vote against them because their views of Scripture range from troubling to outrageous. And yet, I still owe an immeasurable debt to them. These things are hard to quantify, but it is at least clear to me that the shape of a great deal of what I see in Scripture has been radically affected by what these men have pointed out to me. And once they have pointed it out, there it is, right there. Right on the top of the suitcase, with a sunbeam shining on it. These men are, in order, C.S. Lewis, N.T. Wright, Robert Farrar Capon, and Rene Girard. I owe them all a great deal, as I said, even though all of them say appalling things, especially Capon. But there it is anyway.

A friend loaned me Girard but I haven’t started yet.

So then, as of right now, who would my four be? This is what comes to mind off the top of my head:

• N. T. Wright
• Richard Hays
• Austin Farrar
• Marcus Borg

Of course, my top four will change. The first two will probably stay in place but the last two can probably be knocked out of position. And one shouldn’t think that these are all on the same level, for good or ill.

There there it is, my four.

Who are in your four? For those who didn’t follow the link to the Wilson post, I mean four whose view of Scripture you find lacking but whose observations about Scripture you have found incredibly enlightening.

Let me know, if you would:  What four men like this are you thankful to God you encountered to help you understand the Bible?