Christ, the Center of Christian Literacy Tony Reinke San Diego Christian College, Rivendell Sanctuary Program (Salon) November 22, 2013 (6:30 8:30pm)

Transcription

1 Christ, the Center of Christian Literacy Tony Reinke San Diego Christian College, Rivendell Sanctuary Program (Salon) November 22, 2013 (6:30 8:30pm) [Note: This manuscript was written for verbal presentation and is unedited.] INTRODUCTION I m very honored to be a part of this salon this evening. As I understand it, salons were established in seventeenth century Italy, and became popular in eighteenth century France. Salons were parlors in mansions opened for conversation among friends, conversation that escaped the ear of the establishment, a place to talk openly and freely about what was sometimes improper and unorthodox within the establishment, namely, the Church. In the eighteenth century the salon was largely where intellectuals gathered to escape the jurisdiction of the Church, to escape from the confines of orthodox Christianity, and there to explore more open thoughts more in the vein of deism and even agnosticism and atheism. Theologian Gerald Bray claims that the rise of secularization in Western Europe, beginning in the early 1700s, can be traced back (at least in part) to the subversive intellectual conversations hosted and encouraged in salons [Gerald Bray, God Has Spoken]. So a salon des refusés was an art exhibit that was rejected by the establishment (for its nudity or something), and so it was excluded from an art gallery and shown instead in a salon. That s a fitting picture. Now, Salons could also be used for frivolous fun, and to enjoy great desserts, and humor, and the company of friends. But they could also incubate revolution. Salons were dangerous to the establishment. Today, I would argue there s a new establishment in America, and it s called post-christianity. Some call it the secular state. Some call it postmodernism. Whatever you call it, the establishment of our day is increasingly a culture in which we are told that Christianity orthodox convictions of biblical substance are insignificant for politics and education and literature. If you believe in Jesus, that s great, just keep that to yourself, don t talk about Christ, -1-

2 and don t make decisions that will affect others based upon your beliefs. Belief has been privatized. Proselytizing is mostly unacceptable. You leave the gospel at home when you enter the world each day. That s the new establishment. And so in keeping with the spirit of the salon, tonight I hope we have fun, and eat well, and I also harbor the hope that we here in the salon can subvert the new establishment, and maybe spark a revolution in the opposite direction. Purpose: I want more than anything else for you to leave here more convinced than ever that in order to excel as a student of literature, to excel as a student at all, will require you to see and embrace the ultimate reality of the death and resurrection of a man who claimed to be God. Or to say it in the negative, I want you to see that the quickest path to becoming an inconsequential reader of literature, is to embrace secularism, or to just thoughtlessly imbibe it, so that the most important things you read make no consequence in your life, or in your counsel to other, or in the work God will call you to. The Bible has a lot to say about literature, and a lot of it is very foundational. So I want to look at a couple of passages with you tonight. I ll begin with Colossians 1:15 20, a beautiful, breathtaking, hymn to Christ, an early song of the very first generation of Christians. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. The premise behind everything else I ll say tonight is that Colossians 1:15 20 contain the most fundamental truth in all the universe. Christ is the very definition of truth, goodness, and beauty. He created all things, he rules over all things, he is the first to be raised from the dead, thus he is supremely to be valued and delighted in above everything else in the universe. He is the center of all education, and he is the sun in a solar system of books and literature. -2-

3 But of course not everybody who reads Colossians 1 on a piece of paper with gilded edges sees the glory of Christ. This is the fundamental question of literacy. Something must happen before we can see the glory of Christ via ink and paper, and this is absolutely essential for understanding Christian literacy. -3-

4 PART 1: THE GOSPEL, GLORY, AND LITERACY Scripture is the most important Book ever written. But owning and even reading a Bible will not necessarily change your life. Owning a Bible will not save you. I know this firsthand. Up until the age of 21, I thought the Bible was little more than a moral code A Theology of Literacy I want to look at a second passage to answer the question I raised earlier. Just because we can see Colossians 1 on a page does not mean by reading the words will transform your life. So I ask you to turn to what is I believe to be the most important text on literacy in the Bible. 2 Corinthians 3:4 4:6. In Corinth the legitimacy of Paul s leadership and ministry was being called into question. So Paul decides to contrast the glory of his ministry (the new covenant) with the fading glory of Moses ministry (the old covenant). The contrast is very interesting, sometimes complex, but I think you ll see the contrast as we go through the text. 2 Cor. 3:4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, [Paul s confidence in ministry results from his own felt in-sufficiency] 6 who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. [The sounds of Sinai begin echo here, and from here on Paul contrasts his ministry with the ministry of Moses at Sinai who brought the stone tablets written by the finger of God the Ten Commandments do you remember that story? The story of God becoming an author? God put pen to paper, or rather finger to stone, and became an author, and what he wrote has been the bestselling book ever since. The profound implications of God s act of self-publishing would require a salon of its own unpack in detail.] 7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses face because of its glory, which was being brought to -4-

5 an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory. The Ten Commandments and the rest of the Law are holy, righteous, and good (Romans 7:12). It is eternally true it remains glorious. But the Law can only show you your sin and you it cannot make you righteous before God. Only the gospel (the new covenant) can do that. You may look at the Ten Commandments and attempt a do-it-yourself righteousness like I did for many years. But the reality is that for sinners, the law can only brings death and condemnation. The Mosaic Law could not save it wasn t intended to save anyone. The Law cannot give you life (Galatians 3:21). In effect: the law is a death dispenser to all who sin (Romans 7:11 14). For salvation there must be a glory more glorious than Moses and his law! The greater glory is Christ. 3:12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, 13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 14 But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. [If you open your Bible and all you see are rules and laws and regulations you re tragically stuck in a bad place you are veiled to the greater glory.] 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. [Speaking here of devout religious people, orthodox Jews who gather every Sabbath Saturday to hear the Old Testament.] 16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. [The greater glory is Christ!] 4:3 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has -5-

6 blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. [These are people who read Moses and their OTs! They are veiled to the greater glory in Christ.] 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus sake. [Now Paul goes back to the creation account.] 6 For God, who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. [Here we see the brilliant New Creation power of the gospel.] To be blindfold = to be ignorant of the gospel. To see the glory of Christ = the blindfold has been removed. And once you see the glory of Christ, how you read the Bible is unalterably transformed forever. It is possible to study every word in the Bible and totally miss the main point Christ. It is possible to read Colossians 1 and it be nothing more than glory-less ink on paper passing before your nose. Jesus was speaking to devout Jews in John 5:39 40 when he said You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. This is the tragedy of the gospels the people with the Messianic prophecies of the OT by and large missed the Savior. This is a literacy problem of massive proportion. But this is what happens when we read from behind the blindfold. Or, when the glory of Christ shines on your life, by the grace of God, passages like Colossians 1 moves you to the core of your being. The main point: When you believe in the gospel when the radiant face of Christ breaks into the darkness of your life your literacy is permanently and forever altered. From that point on, you are given the mind of Christ. Our entire outlook on life is shaped by an awareness of Christ and all of our thinking is now beginning to be calibrated by the person and work of the Savior (1 Corinthians 2:14 16, Philippians 2:5). We encounter the gospel, and that encounter reshapes how we read the Bible. In Christ we see the law for what it is a tutor preparing us to see the glory of Christ. And when we see Christ, his glory becomes brilliant to our hearts. He becomes the functioning center of our lives and the functioning center of everything that we read whether we read -6-

7 Moses writings, the Ten Commandments, the New Testament, or a new book release we found featured at the local Barnes & Noble bookstore. This is why I don t think there is a more important text in the Bible on books, reading, and literacy than 2 Corinthians 3:14 4:6. Thankfully others have seen this truth. The founders of Harvard College, Rules and Precepts Observed at Harvard College, published Sept. 26, 1642: Let every student be plainly instructed, and earnestly pressed to consider well, the maine end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternall life, John xvii. 3, and therefore to lay Christ in the bottome, as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning. And seeing the Lord only giveth wisdome, let every one seriously set himselfe by prayer in secret to seeke it of him. (Prov. ii. 3) Here s where Colossians 1 intersects with Christian education and books and literature. Special Revelation & General Revelation So we should only read our Bibles then, right? I like to ask questions like this. If the Bible is inspired and sufficient, revealing the mind of God, what need do we have for other books? God speaks to us most clearly in his Word. But God also speaks in creation and in the creatures he has made, through mankind, created in God s image and who image forth his divine attributes and glory in various ways. This is the theological point that prevents me from saying that Christians should only read their Bibles. God has chosen to reveal himself to some extent outside of Scripture as well. I think we can say Scripture is both sufficient revelation and yet not exclusive revelation at the same time. We need special revelation (the Bible), and general revelation (what can be learned from the created order). If you hold an egg out and let go over concrete, it splatters on the ground. That s -7-

8 true. That s what happens to eggs under the force of gravity. The Bible doesn t tell us that, but it s observable fact it s general revelation. God said, let there be eggs, and let there be gravity. This is why we benefit from books other than the Bible. Books by Christians and non-christians are valuable for our lives because there is a wealth of knowledge about the created order that we can learn. So lets think about this. How does special revelation (Bible) relate to general revelation (books to explain how creation works)? And how does the Bible relate to history, and art, and fiction literature? Herman Bavinck, a nineteenth century Dutch theologian, put this all very beautifully. It s worth quoting him at length. Listen to this magnificent metaphor [Our Reasonable Faith (Eerdmans, 1956), pages 36 8, 44]: It is not the sparkling firmament, nor mighty nature, nor any prince or genius of the earth, nor any philosopher or artist, but the Son of man that is the highest revelation of God. Christ is the Word become flesh, which in the beginning was with God and which was God, the Only-Begotten of the Father, the Image of God, the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person; who has seen Him has seen the Father (John 14:9). In that faith the Christian stands. He has learned to know God in the person of Jesus Christ whom God has sent. God Himself, who said that the light should shine out of the darkness, is the One who has shined in His heart in order to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:6). But from this high vantage point the Christian looks around him, forwards, backwards, and to all sides. And if, in doing so, in the light of the knowledge of God, which he owes to Christ, he lets his eyes linger on nature and on history, on heaven and on earth, then he discovers traces everywhere of that same God whom he has learned to know and to worship in Christ as his Father. The Sun of righteousness opens up a wonderful vista to him which stretches out to the ends of the earth. By its light he sees backwards into the night of past times, and by it he penetrates through to the future of all things. Ahead of him and behind the horizon is clear, even though the sky is often obscured by clouds. The Christian, who sees everything in the light of the Word of God, is anything but narrow in his view. He is generous in heart and mind. He looks over the whole earth and reckons it all his own, because he is Christ's and Christ is God s (1 Cor. 3:21 23). He cannot let go his belief that the revelation of God in Christ, to which he owes his life and salvation, has a special character. This belief does not exclude him from the world, but rather puts him in position to trace out the revelation of God in nature and history, -8-

9 and puts the means at his disposal by which he can recognize the true and the good and the beautiful and separate them from the false and sinful alloys of men. So it is that he makes a distinction between a general and a special revelation of God. In the general revelation God makes use of the usual run of phenomena and the usual course of events; in the special revelation He often employs unusual means, appearances, prophecy, and miracles to make Himself known to man. The contents of the first kind are especially the attributes of power, wisdom, and goodness; those of the second kind are especially God's holiness and righteousness, compassion and grace. The first is directed to all men and, by means of common grace, serves to restrain the eruption of sin; the second comes to all those who live under the Gospel and has as its glory, by special grace, the forgiveness of sins and the renewal of life. But, however essentially the two are to be distinguished, they are also intimately connected with each other. Both have their origin in God, in His sovereign goodness and favor. The general revelation is owing to the Word which was with God in the beginning, which made all things, which shone as a light in the darkness and lighteth every man that cometh into the world (John 1:1 9). The special revelation is owing to that same Word, as it was made flesh in Christ, and is now full of grace and truth (John 1:14). Grace is the content of both revelations, common in the first, special in the second, but in such a way that the one is indispensable for the other. In determining the value of general revelation, one runs the great danger either of over-estimating or of under-estimating it. When we have our attention fixed upon the richness of the grace which God has given in His special revelation, we sometimes become so enamored of it that the general revelation loses its whole significance and worth for us. And when, at another time, we reflect on the good, and true, and beautiful that is to be found by virtue of God s general revelation in nature and in the human world [e.g. on the shelves at Barnes & Noble], then it can happen that the special grace, manifested to us in the person and work of Christ, loses its glory and appeal for the eye of our soul. This danger, to stray off either to the right or to the left, has always existed in the Christian church, and, each in turn, the general and the special revelation, have been ignored or denied. Each in turn has been denied in theory and no less strongly in practice.... We must be on guard against both of these one-sidednesses; and we shall be best advised if, in the light of Holy Scripture, we take a look at the history of mankind and let it teach us what people owe to general revelation. The genius, the historian, the philosopher, and the prose artist were not chosen by God as instruments to communicate his highest revelation. No. -9-

10 Jesus Christ was. And it is from the pinnacle of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Savior the high point in all of world history that all the lesser forms of revealed truth, goodness, and beauty that emerge in human history and literature owe their origin. He is both the Savior and the Creator and therefore both special revelation and general revelation are united in Him. The implication is big. The reader who stands on the gospel has no need to close himself away from culture in a cave. He stands on the pinnacle of Christ and is there illuminated by Scripture and positioned to be a generous, thankful, and a discerning reader of the written works of mankind. Of all people, it is the gospel-centered man who can see from this angle how books can be both fallible and yet also gifts of grace. The person of Christ functions in a mighty way for us. As our Savior, Christ illuminates spiritual and eternal truth for us. As the Creator, Christ illuminates the truth and goodness and beauty in this world that can be explain in no other way but by his origin. If anyone sees and writes about what is true, good, or beautiful, they perceive a truth, goodness, and beauty derivative of Christ. So to grasp the Christ of the gospel is to reach a pinnacle of human history and human learning. From there you can see everything else with a clarity that is simply inaccessible to the secularist. But, if you fail to make sense of Christ, you cannot see the purpose of creation or the ultimate purpose of history. If you fail to make sense of Christ, you cannot see the ultimate purpose of language and literature, and you cannot understand the true beauty of literary pleasure. Christ makes Christian learning rich and beautiful, and it brings all our labors eternal purpose. Because you are a Christian does not mean you will become a greater and more skilled microbiologist than a non-christian. But it will mean that you will become a microbiologist who looks into a microscope, and goes deeper into the revelation of God in creation than the non- Christian could ever imagine. The Christian always sees more, because the Christian can see beyond what the eye can see, and it has everything to do with the elevation. -10-

11 So it s no surprise that it s the most important fact in how we read books. It positions us to see the fingerprints of God in society, in an art gallery, in nature, in the trajectory of world history, and as you browse the shelves at Barnes & Noble. If the Holy Spirit has graciously removed the blindfold from your eyes to see the glory of the face of Christ then read read generously. Read your Bible and read all sorts of other books. Read Scripture, the greatest book, and there see the centrality of Christ and see his radiance glow brightly from these holy, God-breathed, pages. Read theology books, and when you do, treasure those theology books that especially center on the person and work of Christ. Read Christian living books, find good ones, and when you do, treasure those books that free you to obey God in light of the finished work of Christ. Read business and leadership books, and when you do, treasure those books that encourage you to think of others more highly than yourself, those books that may never mention Christ, but echo his humility and self-sacrifice for others. Read literature, and when you do, look for the Christlike sacrifice and character, when and where you see it, treasure it. Look for Christ-like characters: o Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia o Frodo and Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings (actually I think there are multiple messianic figures in LOTR) o Harry in Harry Potter o Tom in Uncle Tom s Cabin o Santiago in Hemingway s The Old Man and the Sea o Look for any characters that remind you of Christ. Read science textbooks, and when you do, marvel and the creative genius of Christ the creator. Read all your textbooks in light of the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning. If you are so inclined, read widely and read generously, but always read books from atop the pinnacle of Christ, and from that vantage point you will see in every direction vistas of God s truth, goodness, and beauty reflected in the books you read. In other words, let the glory of Christ function in your life giving you eyes to see and to treasure in this world whatever reflects his truth, his goodness, and his beauty. So what makes Christian literacy truly Christian? Answer: when we read everything in the light of his truth, his goodness, and his beauty. -11-

12 Whatever contradicts the truth of Christ, is false. Whatever contradicts the moral goodness of Christ, is evil. Whatever contradicts the holy beauty of Christ, can only be ugly and twisted. Let him orient your life, orient your desires, orient what you treasure. Let Christ orient everything you read. So how do we do this? The Lord of the Rings My favorite example is The Lord of the Rings. It s not explicitly a Christian book, so it works as a fine example of modern literature. I want to camp here on The Lord of the Rings for a few minutes. The Lord of the Rings is not a Christian book, but there are little hints here and there. Here s one tidbit. According to Tolkien s calendar, the fellowship departs Rivendell on December 25 (traditional date of Christmas), and the ring is destroyed on March 25 (traditional date of Good Friday). This has led Tom Shippey, a leading Tolkien scholar, to write: The main action of Lord of the Rings takes place in the mythic space between Christmas, Christ s birth, and the crucifixion, Christ s death. Sometimes the best way to learn to read well is simply to watch other Christians who read really well. Here are three men who read Tolkien well. C. S. Lewis who died 50 years ago today on The Lord of the Rings (Collected Letters, 3:971 2): I ve never met Orcs or Ents or Elves but the feel of it, the sense of a huge past, of lowering danger, of heroic tasks achieved by the most apparently unheroic people, of distance, vastness, strangeness, homeliness (all blended together) is so exactly what living feels like to me. Particularly the heart-breaking quality in the most beautiful places, like Lothlorien. And it is so like the real history of the world: Then, as now, there was a growing darkness and great deeds were done that were not wholly in vain. Neither optimism (this is the last war and after it all will be lovely forever) nor pessimism (this is the last war and all civilization will end), you notice. No. The darkness comes again and again and is never wholly triumphant nor wholly defeated. There s something real and living and breathing in literature done well. We are living in a context with an ancient past, and there s an epic cosmic battle and struggle happening now, too. Christ reigns, and he has defeated evil, but the battle with evil goes on. The cosmic reconciliation -12-

13 of all things is incomplete. D-Day has come, V-Day is yet to come. Pastor Timothy Keller, a pastor in Manhattan. In an interview said this: Tolkien has helped my imagination. He was a devout Catholic and I am not. However, because he brought his faith to bear into narrative, fiction, and literature, his Christianity which was pretty mere Christianity (understanding of human sin, need for grace, need for redemption) fleshed out in fiction, has been an inspiration to me. What I mean by inspiration is this: he gives me a way of grasping glory that would otherwise be hard for me to appreciate. Glory, weightiness, beauty, excellence, brilliance, virtue he shows them to you in some of his characters. When people ask me how often I have read The Lord of the Rings, the answer is, I actually never stop. I m always in it. The gospel transforms how we read literature, and in turn literature at least the best of it helps develop our literary palate to grasp the glory and despair, the splendor and ugliness, the brilliance and darkness, the truth and falsehood, the goodness and twistedness, the beautiful and ugly, of what read in the biblical storyline. Here s one more beautiful model of Christian literature scholarship from Peter Kreeft [The Philosophy of Tolkien: The Worldview Behind The Lord of the Rings (Ignatius; 2005), 224]: The most fundamental Christian symbol is the Cross. This also is perfectly opposite to the Ring, The Cross gives life; the Ring takes it. The Cross gives you death, not power; the Ring gives you power even over death. The Ring squeezes everything into its inner emptiness; the Cross expands in all four directions, gives itself to the emptiness, filling it with its blood, its life. The Ring is Dracula s tooth. The Cross is God s sword, held at the hilt by the hand of Heaven and plunged into the world not to take our blood but to give us His. The Cross is Christ s hypodermic; the Ring is Dracula s bite. The Cross saves other wills; the Ring dominates other wills. The Cross liberates; the Ring enslaves. This is a beautiful model of Christ-centered literacy. I m not sure Toklien intended this distinction. This is an interesting model from Kreeft. To glean this insight from literature, Christ must remain always in view. Don t misunderstand. I m not saying literature is only valuable if there are Christological links strew throughout. Nor am I saying literature is only worth reading if you come away you're your -13-

14 reading with a devotional encounter with God. No. But what I m saying is that the good reader always reads with Christ in mind. More on that later. The Subtlest Literacy This is where literary refinement will require lifelong practice. This is a subtle art. P. D. James is a crime novelist, and a Christian, and the author of the thriller, The Children of Men. She s now in her 90s. In an interview back in the 1980s, P. D. James said this: I suppose that wickedness reveals itself often in action. Goodness also does, but on a quieter plane. Good people often reveal their goodness through the whole of the quiet revelation of their character in the ordinary events of life. And if a good person is being courageous he s probably being courageous in facing rather ordinary troubles sick children, a sick wife, an uncongenial job. Wicked people are murdering. It s more dramatic. Goodness is very seldom dramatic, I think. And it s much more easy to write about drama. Evil is dramatic, easy to communicate, and in full view of the reader. Integrity is subtle, more difficult to communicate, and often passes unnoticed by the reader. The cunning scheme of a mob boss in criminal fiction, the bloodthirsty murder by a vampire in horror books, or the illicit sexual encounter by two people in a romance novel are far less demanding of the reader s attention than the subtle fruit of the Holy Spirit. The grace and beauty that we read in novels are much more subtle and thereby much more demanding on the reader s careful perception. And this is because appreciating grace and integrity and goodness requires the reader to detect the subtleties. Conclusion To Part 1 Now that is all essential, foundational, bedrock stuff for understanding Christian literacy. It s time for a break. And from here we will look more closely at how we engage non-christian books, and how we use our imaginations. Nerd alert! All my notes and quotes I just used are all online, and I tweeted a link to the PDF at 7:30 tonight:

15 PART 2: WORLDVIEW, NON-CHRISTIAN BOOKS, AND IMAGINATION Introduce Lit! here. In 2010 I started asking a lot of questions about literacy and literature from a Christian perspective. To be frank: I found very little help in connecting Christ and literacy, and so I began reading the Bible to try and make sense of where literature and literacy fit in the Christian life. Then I wrote out laundry list of questions everything I assumed or wondered about: What priority does Scripture play in our reading diet? On what basis should I read other books besides the Bible? If I should read other books, which ones should I prioritize, which ones should I reject? What about books written by non-christians? How do I find time to read books? How do I structure a healthy reading diet? Should I mark in my books with pens? What influence does the Internet have on my reading habits? What is there to gain in the Christian life from reading fiction literature? Where do the aesthetic pleasures of literature fit? Or are all books merited on the propositional truth claims it offers? Should I read books on an e-reader, and what are the pros and cons of the Kindle, the ipad, and other tablets and reading devices? How can introverts in the church use their literacy strengths to benefit the whole body? On and on, questions like these (and many others) spilled onto a page of chicken scratched notes. Then I searched for answers. I turned to the Bible, I found the best resources I could find, and I read and I read and I read, and then I wrote and I wrote and I wrote, and the result was this book, Lit! A Christian Guide to Reading Books. I write books for fun I have a day job (not writing books). And 100% of the proceeds I get from this book go to feed hungry children (namely three of them). Okay, so what we looked at in the first hour is essentially chapters 1 and 2 in the book. There are 13 other chapters. All total, I wrote 6 chapters to cover a theology of reading, and 9 chapters on the practice of reading. Let me say one more thing: A lot of people pick up my book and assume it s just entry level stuff a textbook for homeschool or to be used with high school students and very basic readers. -15-

16 While I hope that s true, in reality, I wrote the book because I couldn t really find any book (at any level) that engaged all the questions I raised. And so the genesis of the book was in my questioning every assumption I held about reading and literacy, and then I went as deep as I possibly could go in the quest for answers, and then write up my conclusions. I m a journalist and Lit! was written much like a journalist in search of answers. Enough about that. Now I want to address the importance of worldview (chapter 4), the value of non-christian books (chapter 5), and the importance of developing our imagination (chapter 6). 1. Worldview So much has already been said about Christ-centered worldview, there s little need to address this more. Here are a couple of thoughts. First, a biblical worldview is essentially a God-centered and Christ-centered worldview, everything being evaluated through Christ and our triune God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Here s why. Speaking of God, Paul writes this in Romans 11:36: For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. Or more specifically about Christ: for us there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist (1 Corinthians 8:6). The Christian worldview holds together because there is one God who holds the world together. Specifically this is the person of Christ. In Christ all things are created, all things hold together. All things are moving toward him ultimately and finally, when one day Christ will put an end to all evil and all suffering and all chaos and banishes death forever (1 Corinthians 15:26 28). Only in Christ can our existence be explained we exist in him! Second, practically speaking, when we drop down into the granular details of how to assemble a worldview in the specifics, I would say, worldviews are composites made up of many different elements. Cultivating a biblical worldview is really not much more complicated than this: Because the world holds together in Christ we can ask questions of the Bible about the world we see, and then we view the world we see by the reality we discover in the Bible. -16-

17 For more on building a biblical worldview, see chapter four in Lit! (pages 51 63). Now, let s talk about non-christian books. 2. Reading Non-Christian Books Two things: (1) If we are Christians, and we view the entire world through the lens of Christ that Colossians 1 vision of universal realities, then what do we do with book written by non- Christians? (2) If we have God s revelation in Scripture, then what value are other books, still less, what value is there to reading non-christian books? This has raised many debates in the history of the Church. The most compelling approach to literature that I ve found in Church history is the model of theologian and pastor John Calvin. You may have heard about him. You may like Calvinism, you may not like it, but his approach to non-christian literature has been widely appreciated. When he thought about non-christian literature, here s what he wrote. (Read selections from Lit! pages ) 3. Imagination With snow on the ground outside, tis the season for Revelation 12:1 6: 12:1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. 3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. 4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. 5 She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, 6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days. -17-

18 (Read Lit! pages 85 6.) Let me introduce the cast of Revelation 12 Now that s the freakiest and the craziest retelling of the Christmas story you will ever read. God intends to show us things about this world through our imaginations. Our imagination is the power of synoptic vision it collects communities and ultimate realities like the Church (the woman) and evil forces (the red dragon). And it shows the ongoing hostility between them. Cultivating the imagination is of great value in the Christian life. So much more can be said. Q&A. -18-