—Spiritual Perspectives —
Eat This book

Copyright © 2008
Gallup Independent
By Ron Polinder
Special to the Independent

Such is the title of a new book by the prolific Christian writer, pastor, and professor, Eugene Peterson. While it would be enjoyable to unpack that title, and review the contents of the book, our purpose here is to merely address a theme that we must face in our culture, and in the Christian church. Some will recognize another title, this one a song — “Have You Any Room for Jesus?” Of parallel importance, “Have You Any Room for Books?

Immediately, some will respond with “It’s a lot more important to have Jesus, than to have books.” And while I might agree, we do well to note that our best way to learn about Jesus is through a book. Of all people in the world, Ken Myers of Mars Hill Audio Journal, notes “Christian’s lives are ordered around a story in a book.” They are people of the Word, the Bible. We believe that God is a speaking and writing God, who inspired humankind, created in His “linguistic” image, to write and speak His Word.

So, if we are thoughtful Christians, we best pay attention to our reading habits. And in that regard, there are some alarming statistics that have come to light based on a substantial survey by the National Endowment of the Arts, entitled “To Read or Not to Read.” The report is full of statistics, too many to quote here, but we should at least note that the rate of decline in reading over the last 20 years has been 18 percent, to where now less than half of the population does any reading of any kind.

Further, the comprehension skills of both high school and college graduates continue to decline. Altogether, one could summarize the report by saying that both reading and comprehension declines at about 1 percent per year. This is confirmed by the decline of book sales, and newspaper subscriptions.

Some of course will ask, “Why should we give a hoot — we are a culture that has shifted to a different media.” On the face of it, it would seem we could quickly dismiss my alarm as that of an increasingly crabby old man. But that will not do, when one considers the further point Ken Myers makes: “The assumption is that words and images do the same thing, but they don’t... literature can inform and delight the imagination in unique ways.” We were made to be reflective, thoughtful — and only reading can enrich certain aspects of our humanity.

Reading is too often viewed as merely utilitarian. Sadly, reading in school has frequently become merely a matter of test scores. Or, one needs to learn how to read so they can get a good job some day, or read directions to learn the next video game. But there is a much more profound purpose in being a faithful reader — it is a spiritual experience.

We should note that Scotland and England were the first places to have universal literacy — and it was primarily to learn how to read the Bible. In days gone by, Christians hungered to be able to read the Word of God. In fact, some died (e.g William Tyndale) to make it possible for others to read the Bible.

Which raises the question about the actual Bible-reading habits of Christians today. I for one, confess my own negligence. I so admire folks whose Bibles are tattered and beat up. Most often it is reflected in their lives — Bible reading bears fruit. I hope for the day when serious Bible reading becomes like eating — something I am constrained to do.

And that in turn becomes the wellspring of all kinds of other reading — of novels and essays, poems and hymns from gifted writers who capture glimpses of truth. The beauty of reading is that of re-reading. Sometimes we need to read something three or four times to really get it. Most of our television life does not provide instant replay — a great sentence is gone with the wind. Reading enables and equals savoring!

One might think you have to be a fast reader. It is an advantage. For some people, reading is simply easier. It seems to take less work. I have always been a slow reader — was in the slow reading group in third grade. But sometimes that becomes an advantage, because you learn to measure the beauty of words and sentences.

Those of you who struggled to get this far in this article — take heart. Most of us need to work at our reading. But when you work for something, you appreciate it more. The last full book that I read was “Blood and Thunder,” by Hampton Sides. Four hundred pages — I had to work at it, but now I relish the experience.

One must be concerned about a generation reared in a culture that diminishes reading. What percentage of children and young people will have room for books? Will they come to delight in words and sentences and paragraphs that help them explore new territory? Will they have the wherewithal to read the Bible, that is, the desire and the skill to “eat this book?” Let’s live and work and teach and model toward that end!

Ron Polinder is the executive director of Rehoboth Christian School. He can be contacted at rpolinder@rcsnm.org or (505) 863-4412.

This column is written by area residents, representing different faith communities, who share their ideas about bringing a spiritual perspective into our daily lives and community issues. For information about contributing a guest column, contact Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola at The Independent: (505) 863-6811 ext. 218 or lizreligion01@yahoo.com.