Psalms of, who?

I recently finished a book about the Psalms and it was frustrating work. The author has some really good insights and observations but in some passages I wondered if he and I were reading the same Bible. He spends a lot of time suggesting and offering the best thoughts of the latest scholarship and is very careful not to disagree too strongly against any wind of doctrine, but I was almost finished with the book before he hinted at his opinion. One popular thought among the scholars suggests (because they always suggest) David didn't write any of the Psalms.

These academics say the "sweet Psalmist of Israel" could not have written the Psalms attributed to him because he could not have been as sophisticated and theologically advanced as the Psalms attributed to him are, or so they say. Because critics don't really believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, they can spend their days teaching us why it's wrong. Many of the same scholars do not believe the history of the Old Testament can be trusted so they developed the "form-critical" view of the Psalms that categorizes groups of songs of praise or lament, and views them through that context. Why? Because they believe we can't trust the history of the Bible to get the context, so this is an alternative lens to read the Psalms. They view the Scripture, not as God's Word, but a historical text to preside over in judgment. These same men give credence to extra-biblical records and histories and those histories trump the Bible. The Psalms are an academic puzzle to be solved rather than God's truth to be believed.

I, for one, believe David wrote a good portion of the Psalms (Psalms 72:20). I'm standing apart from many of the learned, I know, but I think I stand in good company. Jesus believed David wrote Psalms (Luke 20:42;Mark 12:36). Peter believed David wrote Psalms (Acts 1:16; 2:25). Paul believed David wrote Psalms (Romans 4:6). The author of Hebrews believed David wrote Psalms (Hebrews 4:7). Not only did the New Testament writers believe this, but the author of Hebrews attributes a Psalm to David that doesn't have a title AND tells us it was God speaking through David as He was moved by the Holy Ghost (Hebrews 3:7). I'll believe the Bible.

This is why we must be discerning as we read the thoughts of men, no matter how much schooling they have under their belt. The best of scholars are men and all men are liars. Writing and publishing thoughts doesn't elevate thoughts and a seminary education doesn't sanctify them. A book is merely a one-sided conversation of someone's ideas and some ideas are trash. You may not read these scholars. But you might listen to men preach who have read them and are under their influence. My advice is to read the Bible with faith and read every book written by men like a textual critic, and preside over their works with suspicion.