Written by Naomi Sherwood, CU Staff Worker with Royal Holloway CU
I am standing in front of rows and rows of colourful book spines. There are titles around my ankles and titles far above my head. Where do I begin?!
Perhaps you can relate to this bookshop experience. With so much choice, it can be hard to know which books are worth the money, time, or effort. Especially if you don’t tend to enjoy reading!
I studied English Literature at university, so I’m persuaded reading is an excellent use of time. But I used to wonder if reading Christian books is as important. I’m a lover of stories so I was easily bored by anything non-fiction, and I worried about whether or not I was reading something true to the gospel. My time as a student was spent gradually building up a collection of Christian books from various conferences, based on trustworthy recommendations…
And I’m so glad it was! I began with Tony Reike’s book, Lit! A Christian Guide to Reading, which helped me see the value of learning from other Christians’ perspectives. Starting with the foundation of God’s Word as the ultimate place of wisdom and truth, Reike gives this principle for reading:
‘Scripture is the ultimate grid by which we read every book. [...] That means when we pick books from the bookstore shelves, we read those imperfect books in light of the perfect Book, the deficient books in light of the sufficient Book, and the temporary books in light of the eternal Book.’ – Lit!, p.26
This means we don’t replace reading the Bible with secondary books about the Bible, but we also shouldn’t assume those books add nothing to our Christian walk. Charles Spurgeon compares books to gold leaf that can be a shaving of the gold bar, the Bible. One is clearly more precious than the other, but the gold leaf still holds value.
I have found Christian books especially helpful when I’m seeking application of biblical truths to a contemporary issue. That might be a biography of a person who has lived through a relevant situation, a practical guide written by someone with years of experience in that area or reading some church history to see how the Bible impacted a totally different time.
There have been experiences that I haven’t known how to talk about with others, and it has been books written by Christians that put my feelings into words for me. And when a friend has a question about my beliefs, it is so helpful to scan my bookcase for a book that can direct me to finding answers from Scripture. When shopping for a new book, it helps knowing there are Christian booksellers who are committed to handpicking books that will faithfully point to Jesus.
Maximum Life: review
Julian Hardyman wonderfully details how we can glorify God throughout our entire lives. He begins with our purpose as God’s creation from Genesis and how we can live our lives to the full by living in the ways in which God intended us to live. Hardyman superbly explains how God is the God of every part of our lives – no matter how big or small. Therefore, God cares not just about our church attendance or our prayer routine but also the walk we went on, the picture we’re drawing, the assignment coming up. We can glorify God through it all.
Jon, Relay Worker in Swansea
Another excellent use of books can be sharing them with others! I have benefitted from reading books with other Christians, learning more about God together as we discuss what we’ve read. Partly, that keeps me motivated to finish the book… But mostly, it's a good reminder that we grow in community with others.
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