The Gospel Coalition

Last year, I challenged Kingdom People readers to set a reading goal in 2010 and I offered some tips for how to reach that goal. Because I chose a high number (100) in the post title, I received some pushback from readers who thought my challenge was unrealistic or unhelpful. I responded by affirming the benefit of setting a goal and clarified that the actual number is not what is important.

This year, I’m not asking the question “Can you read 100 books in 2011?” Instead, I’m asking a different question: “Should you read this many books?” Is it wise to set a high reading goal? Is it beneficial?

John Piper thinks there is benefit in reading less. He encourages us, not to spend less time reading, but to spend more time with fewer books. In Brothers, We Are Not Professionals, Piper writes:

I [do not] want to give the impression that I think there is virtue in reading many books. In fact one of my greatest complaints in seminary was that professors trained students in bad habits of superficial reading because they assigned too many books. I agree with Spurgeon:

• “A student will find that his mental constitution is more affected by one book thoroughly mastered than by twenty books which he has merely skimmed, lapping at them.”

God save us from the allurement of “keeping up with Pastor Jones” by superficial skimming. Forget about “keeping up.” It only feeds pride and breeds spiritual barrenness. Instead devote yourself to boring in and going deep. There is so much soul-refreshing, heart-deepening, mind-enlarging truth to be had from great books!

God forbid I be a Pastor Jones who is feeding pride and breeding spiritual barrenness by challenging people to read more books! Piper’s caution certainly gives me pause. Perhaps instead of challenging you to pick up 100 books, I should encourage you to dig deeply into ten. Pick the best books and live in them for awhile.

Still, there is something about Piper’s counsel that doesn’t sit well with me. I have a nagging sense that reading a large number of books, far from being a superficial and pride-forming habit, can and should be seen as an act of good stewardship. Here are some truths to keep in mind:

1. We are literate.

Compared to many people throughout church history, we are already blessed beyond measure in that we can read at all. Even today, large numbers of Christians do not know the thrill of a daily quiet time in the Word. Reading has long been the privilege of an elite group of people. Today, more and more of us have access to this privilege. We should not take it for granted.

2. We have books.

In the past, literacy didn’t necessarily ensure that you had a shelf full of books. Most readers had a very small library, leading them to cherish the few books they had. When your resources are limited, you return to books. You build a relationship with them over time. You read them again and again, each time finding connections you hadn’t noticed before.

It is very possible that you have more books in your home or office (or Kindle!) than Jonathan Edwards had in his personal library. Try to wrap your mind around that fact! Some of the greatest thinkers in the world have had access to a relatively small number of resources. Yet they knew how to drink deeply and become a fountain of deep thinking for others.

So there’s something very right about Piper’s caution against reading too much. There’s something to be said for immersing ourselves in a just a few sources of fresh, purified water instead of craning our necks to drink as much as possible from the tap. Piper’s mindset is: “You only need a certain amount of water to be refreshed. Choose the water wisely.”

3. Native English Speakers Have a Major Advantage

Still, I can’t shake the idea that for most of us, responsible stewardship will be exercised in our reading of many books. Perhaps a little personal history might shine light on my motivation.

While I was living in Romania, a great love for reading captured my mind and heart. The Christian university I attended had a large library with thousands of good, theological books – most of which were in English. As an American student in a Romanian university, I found it difficult to write essays in my new language (Romanian). However, I quickly realized that I had a great advantage in research: I could absorb information much faster than my colleagues because the best resources were in my native tongue. Gradually, it dawned on me: I was blessed to be literate, blessed to have access to great books, and blessed to be a native English speaker at a time in history when the majority of helpful books were written or translated in my language.

Books were so precious in Romania that the library did not allow us to check them out. They had to remain on the premises. So… during class breaks when everyone else would chill out, I was drawn like a magnet to the library where I would pick up a book and start reading right where I had left off. I still remember where I was sitting when I read The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind by Mark Noll. I remember the desk I sat at while reading The Jesus Quest by Ben Witherington. I remember the months I spent in Jesus and the Victory of God by N.T. Wright, and the couch I sat on as I read D.A. Carson’s The Gagging of God. I perused the sermons of Charles Spurgeon, the works of Francis Schaeffer, the novels of Dostoevsky and the big books of primary source material from the church fathers.

I can’t imagine someone telling me back then to read fewer books. Standing in a large library full of (metaphorically) chained books, I was overwhelmed by the incredible privilege of having access to so many great books in my native language. For me, reading was (and still is) an act of stewardship.

Different Ways to Read

At one level, John Piper’s advice to read more from fewer books resonates with me. We should be on the look-out for superficiality and deep-seated pride in reading. But I wonder if other factors come into play here, particularly – what it means to be a good steward of resources, and how much personality and temperament influences this discussion. While I can’t imagine John Piper reading two or three books a day, I can’t imagine D.A. Carson doing otherwise.

I keep coming back to the thought that there are some books you read, and then there are other books you read. For example, I am currently working my way through G.K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy. I’m in no hurry. Each page demands my full attention. I would be cheating myself if I read through this book too quickly, and therefore, I will linger in this book for several months. Piper is right. Some books need to be lived in for a time in order to fully come to grips with the glorious truths contained therein. Works by Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Edwards and Barth are not for speed-readers.

On the other hand, there are books that can be digested quickly. In fact, I would be cheating myself if I were to read them too slowly. In the case of many (if not most) books, the reader can quickly come to grips with the main point, consider the author’s perspective, and then move on. Some books deserve careful attention and reflection. But many are practical and easy-to-comprehend. Get what you need and go on.

It’s a shame to wolf down a Ruth’s Cris steak in five minutes. It’s also a shame to spend two hours on a Big Mac. You may enjoy both meals, but you (hopefully) enjoy them in different ways. It’s the same with reading. So…

Be a good steward.

Read to the glory of God.

Thank Him for giving you access to so many good resources.

Use the mind He has given you.

Ask God for wisdom regarding the books you choose to read.

Once you’ve made your choice, maximize the time (whether short or long) you spend in those books.

Tullian posts a helpful illustration that reminds us of our freedom from accusation if we are in Christ. Remember the Duck!:

This story told by my friend and former professor, Steve Brown, illustrates well the radical discrepancy between the ways in which we hold other people hostage in their sin and the unconditional forgiveness that God offers to us in Christ.

Douglas Gresham writes of his relationship with his stepfather, C.S. Lewis, in Guideposts:

More than that, he knew exactly how to talk to a child. He was straightforward and took me seriously, not like some grown-ups, who get cutesy and condescending around children. He asked me what I liked to read and told me his favorite childhood books, including the Bea­trix Potter stories, which he said he still loved as an adult. Most of all we talked about Narnia. We often spoke of it as if it were a real place, as if a faun or a centaur might appear in the woods at any moment. It was a delightful game.

How to make a decent cup of tea – Ignore Yoko Ono and John Lennon, and heed George Orwell’s advice!

Video essay from PBS News showing comparisons between 2000 and 2010. Included are pictures of the Oval Office (from Clinton to Obama), the polar ice cap (guess what – it’s smaller), pocket PC and the iPhone, and more…

Here at LifeWay, several of us guys meet once a week to discuss the books we’ve been reading. I am blogging about our conversation as a service to readers of Kingdom People. At our first meeting, we talked about books by John Grisham, John Piper, H.G. Wells, and more. Here is the rundown of our second meeting, where we talk about Narnia, the power of media, and the “Catholic Perspective” on Paul.

The Magician’s Nephew
C.S. Lewis

Micah Carter announced that he was (for the first time!) reading through The Chronicles of Narnia. Before he could tell us much about The Magician’s Nephew, we had a discussion about the order one should read the Narnia books. Both Philip Nation and I agreed that the Narnia books should be read in the order they were published, not in the chronological order that Lewis endorsed later on in his life. It may not seem like a big deal, but we believe that a reader will enjoy The Magician’s Nephew much more if he or she already knows the story of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Regarding the Narnia stories, Micah made the point that we theologian-types always analyze stories for their theology. Instead, we ought to be able to read the stories as just stories, terrific tales that sweep us up into the narrative. Ironically, after we all agreed on the power of the story as mere story, we began discussing the theology in The Magician’s Nephew!

Micah noticed traces of the doctrine of effectual calling in this book. When Aslan calls Polly, Lewis writes: “She felt sure it was a call, and that anyone who heard that call would want to obey it, and (what’s more) would be able to obey it, however many worlds and ages lay between.”

But this beautiful picture of effectual calling goes hand in hand with human responsibility for rebellion. Speaking of Uncle Andrew, Aslan says, “He has made himself unable to hear my voice. If I spoke to him, he would hear only growlings and roarings. Oh, Adam’s sons, how cleverly you defend yourselves against all that might do you good!” And when it comes to heaven or hell, Aslan says “All get what they want; they do not always like it.”

Our discussion of Narnia brought up the book, Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C. S. Lewis by Michael Ward. Philip and Micah were skeptical that someone could “unlock” a secret interpretation of the Narnia books. I assured them that Planet Narnia isn’t so much about secret interpretations as much as it is about discerning the “mood” and “atmosphere” of each Narnia tale – a mood which corresponds to the seven heavens.

As I began the book, I too thought, “What’s so compelling about pointing out some veiled references to Jupiter or Mars?” But the more I read, the more I realized that Lewis’ astrological awareness combined with Ward’s massive amount of evidence makes for a very solid case.

The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture:
How Media Shapes Faith, the Gospel, and Church
Shane Hipps (2005)

Philip Nation brought a book by Shane Hipps that was released in 2005 when the Emerging Church conversation was at its peak. We talked about all the changes that had taken place since 2005, not only regarding theological movements (the EC is over in many respects) but also technology. Though this book about media came out just five years ago, there is nothing here about Twitter or smart phones. Technology is progressing by leaps and bounds, changing our lives at a pace too rapid to fully comprehend.

Hipps is an advocate of the idea that “the medium is the message.” He makes the point that the task of God’s mission is given to the church, not mere individuals.  Philip was particularly impressed by Hipps’ insight that people find it difficult to believe in or understand a meta-narrative because we are overloaded with disparate sources of information. People aren’t able to take all the information they process and put it together into a coherent framework or worldview.

Hipps also recommends we consider the ecology of media by asking four questions:

1. What does the medium extend?
2. What does the medium make obsolete?
3. What does the medium reverse into?
4. What does the medium retrieve?

Hipps sounds a lot like Andy Crouch in the way he seeks to analyze the cultural impact of new media. When it comes to preachers beaming themselves through video screens to other congregations, Hipps makes a point that made us all a bit uncomfortable, even as we recognized there is some truth to it:

“The medium itself  [video venues] nurtures an elite priestly class in which the preacher is set apart from the people. With video venues we can say goodbye to the priesthood of all believers and hello to the papacy of celebrity.” (152)

Philip cautioned that a book like this needs to be read discerningly. Still, he found some very helpful insights here.

The Catholic Perspective on Paul:
Paul and the Origins of Catholic Christianity
Taylor Marshall

I brought with me a book by Taylor Marshall, a convert to Catholicism who credits the theology of N.T. Wright and other New Perspective authors with becoming a bridge to Catholicism. In the Acknowledgements, Marshall says, “I am grateful to N.T. Wright, E.P. Sanders, and James D.G. Dunn for dismantling the Protestant consensus regarding Saint Paul.” These are charged words. People like Peter Enns, Richard Gaffin, and Peter Leithart may be surprised to find themselves acknowledged too.

The Catholic Perspective on Paul is an attempt to ground Catholic theology and practice in the letters of Paul. He sees the doctrine of participation at the heart of Paul’s theology. He accuses Martin Luther of doctoring the text in order to make “faith alone” more prominent. Each chapter of the book seeks to trace Catholic theology back to Paul, including doctrines like baptismal regeneration, Purgatory, transubstantiation, priestly celibacy, etc. The book ends with an appendix in which Marshall includes 10 questions for N.T. Wright regarding Catholicism and its distinctions from Protestantism.

I knew when I received this book that I would be reading an apologetic for Catholic theology. What surprised me was how much this book confirmed my Protestant beliefs! In an indirect way, Marshall’s case reaffirmed my Protestantism by demonstrating how much of the Catholic theological edifice is built upon brief texts, mere phrases, or words whose original meanings are obscure. (Example: The full-blown doctrine of Purgatory is assumed and built upon elaborate interpretations one or two vague references). In the end, Marshall’s apologetic reminded me of the importance of seeking to study Scripture without imposing a theological framework (whether it be Calvinism, Dispensationalism, Catholicism, etc.) upon the text.

Andy Crouch lists the ten most significant cultural trends of the last decade:

Here are ten significant trends in North American culture that accelerated dramatically in the 2000s—almost always for better and for worse at the same time.

Tenth Presbyterian Church (PCA) Philadelphia calls Liam Goligher as Senior Minister:

After studying in Belfast, Liam pastured churches in Ireland, Canada and his native Scotland. Since 2000, he has been Senior Minister at Duke Street church in Richmond. Liam has also been involved in student ministry in the UK and Eastern Europe. Liam is a trustee of Keswick Ministries and is the author if several books including ‘The Jesus Gospel’.

Moralism’s cruel stick and carrot:

There’s a common misnomer floating around that Christianity is about morals. It’s not. While moral living is often a byproduct of faith in Jesus, it’s not the basis for it. Salvation is not earned by keeping the commandments—the commandments were already kept perfectly on our behalf.

John Piper reports on his leave of absence:

This report is a tiny fraction of what needs to be said, and what, Lord willing, will be said over the next months in conversations and sermons and blogs and books. I will mainly speak for myself here in the expectation that in various ways Noël will speak of her own experience. I know she is thanking God with me for the value of these months. She has read this report, made tweaks, and given approval.

Ten unforgettable stories history forgot (HT)

I ask the Lord…

• that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,
• so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him,
• bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God.

May you be strengthened with all power,
according to his glorious might,
for all endurance and patience,
with joy giving thanks to the Father,
who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light.

- Colossians 1:9-12