The Importance of Reading

In his classic book Spiritual Leadership, J. Oswald Sanders has this to say about reading: "The man who desires to grow spiritually and intellectually will be constantly at his books... The determination to spend a minimum of half an hour a day in reading worthwhile books that provide food for the soul and further mental and spiritual development will prove richly rewarding." Lest Sanders be accused of self-interest (he did after all make the above statements in a book), a commitment to reading seems to have consistently characterized spiritual leaders, starting with the apostle Paul and continuing to the present day in the ministries of pastors such as Tim Keller, John Piper, and Mark Driscoll.

Following Sanders' advice has never been hard for me because I have always read voraciously. It is so important to me that I include the four or five books I am currently juggling as an element on this blog. But not everyone functions that way; I know many pastors who rarely read, and when they do read it is very practical "how to do ministry" reading that is easy to breeze through and digest.

Why is reading so important? I suggest there are at least five good reasons to make a habit out of reading, to carve out time in the morning, during the commute, or before going to bed to devote to reading.

1. It exercises the mind. This is true not just of theology, but of history, science, or any genre of book that forces you to think. Sadly there are many in our churches who cannot follow the arguments made in Paul's letters because they have been spoonfed what to think. And there are many who make unwise or uninformed decisions in areas ranging from politics to healthcare to grocery shopping because they have never had to stop and reason things through. Reading is a powerful corrective to our reluctance to reason.
   
2. It nourishes the heart. I am not talking about the sentimentality of so much of what passes for devotional literature. Reading a missionary biography or meditations on Scripture fortifies the soul for those times of suffering and hardship that inevitably come our way. We live in a quick fix society, but in developing spiritual maturity there are no quick fixes. Reading can help fertilize the soil of our hearts so that we bear much fruit.
   
3. It stimulates the imagination. Too often when Christians talk about reading, we overlook fiction and poetry. That is a mistake. Our God is a creative being, and He made us in His image. We are creative beings as well, equipped with the faculty of imagination, and God is glorified when we develop it. We need to read fiction -- and not merely the mindless pageturners that often dominate the bestseller lists. We need to read great fiction both of the past and the present, in which the words have been carefully chosen, in which themes are developed and explored, in which characters become three-dimensional rather than being as flat as the paper on which books are printed.
   
4. It makes us better with language. Recently a friend from another country asked me how she could improve her English language skills. I encouraged her to read and write. Mastery of language comes from consistent exposure to it. Mastery of language that proves supple, attractive, even persuasive comes from consistent exposure as well. To become a speaker to whom others enjoy listening, or a writer whom others enjoy reading, requires reading good writing.
   
5. It helps us understand people. Reading another person's writing opens a window on how that other person thinks. Reading from a wide variety of times, genres, and cultures opens many such windows. When we read and our minds are stretched, our hearts moved, and our imaginations stirred, we will come to understand the thoughts and feelings of other people better.

I am sure there are plenty of other reasons to read. Those five are the five of which I thought first, and they shape the number and mix of books that I consume.