Lit!:
A Christian Guide to Reading Books, by Tony Reinke.
Wheaton,IL: Crossway, 2011.
Why should Christians read books? Should Christians
read non-Christian books? Should Christians read fiction? These and many other
questions are answered in Lit!: A
Christian Guide to Reading Books by Tony Reinke. The author is a former
journalist who is now serving as a theological researcher, writer and blogger.
This is his first book to be published.
Lit!:
A Christian Guide to Reading Books is divided into two
parts: the first part presents a theology of reading books and the second part
provides practical suggestions for reading books. One of the best chapters in
part one is the chapter on reading non-Christian books. Reinke describes seven
benefits for reading non-Christian books. Some of these benefits are: Non-Christian
literature can describe how the world works; it can “high-light common life
experiences;” it can “teach us wisdom and valuable moral lessons;” it can help
us see beauty in the world and in great literature; it can help us to
understand the questions that are answered by the Christian faith.
Some of the significant chapters in part two are
instruction on reading fiction and nonfiction books; how to find time to read;
and the benefits of reading fiction. Some of these benefits are: “fictional
literature provides beauty and creativity to be enjoyed;” it broadens “our
range of experiences;” it “can deepen our appreciation for concrete human
experience.” Another important chapter is how to read non-fiction books. Many
of these tips are similar to the guidelines provided by Mortimer Adler in his
classic work, How to Read a book.
This book should be helpful to both reluctant and
more experienced readers. It should whet the appetite to read more books and to
read in different genres. The chapters are short and easy to read.Go out and get you a copy!
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