"It is a way of reading that shapes the heart
at the same time that it informs the intellect,
sucking out the marrow-nourishment from the bone-words."
(Eugene Peterson, from the introduction to
Take and Read: Spiritual Reading: An Annotated List)
Take and Read: Spiritual Reading: An Annotated List)
My understanding of spiritual reading has expanded in the years since I began my studies at Regent College (1998). Prior to that, my list would've been fairly narrow and quite homogeneous: I would read the opinions of others who thought like me. I think it was my year of studying abroad in Scotland (1996) that it all began: one of our assignments at Glasgow Bible College was to read and discuss Vatican II - quite a stretch for me, being the daughter of a Baptist pastor and all. After that it was second-year Greek exegesis class (1997), in which I rather obsessively consulted about 15 commentators per verse. I think at the time I figured a broad range of opinions would give me more to write about in my exegesis assignments, but through it I discovered the richness of sharing "conversation" with godly scholars of differing backgrounds and opinions. This was also the year I decided to try a Presbyterian church, just for a bit of change. In addition to the thoughtful sermons, beautiful music and gorgeous cathedral, I also liked the after-church coffee on fine china.
In the fall of 1998, I moved to Vancouver, British Columbia to attend graduate studies at Regent College, "An International Graduate School of Christian Studies" (http://www.regent-college.edu/) and immersed myself in Christian studies with Baptists, Anglicans, Pentecostals, Catholics, pastors, missionaries, artists, scholars, laypeople, Africans, Asians, North Americans, South Americans, Europeans, Faroe Islanders (that one's for Poul), Australians...well, you get the idea. Here I got to experience in the flesh the grace of sharing fellowship with the godly and generous body of Christ - in all its diversity. I probably learned the most from the individuals, books and authors with whom I most disagreed. Believe it or not, sometimes I even changed my mind!
Therefore, in choosing my reading list I have tried to include a broad range of books that represent viewpoints from within the realm of Christendom: Protestants, Catholics, Mennonites, Germans, Americans, Canadians, scholars, monks, artists, proponents of social justice and earthkeeping (I'm still looking for good titles in these categories), mystics, farmers, etc. After all, it is the combination of flavours, subtle and complementary, that make a meal truly delicious, and nourishing. I expect to be affirmed, challenged, perturbed, flustered, surprised and transformed by each of these good saints.
But that's not to say that spiritual reading must be limited to Christian writers. Eugene Peterson writes, "Spiritual reading does not mean reading on spiritual or religious subjects, but reading any book that comes to hand in a spiritual way, which is to say, listening to the Spirit, alert to intimations of God." He goes on to explain that "all honest words can involve us in some way, if we read with our hearts as well as our heads, in an eternal conversation that got its start in the Word that 'became flesh'" (from the introduction to Take and Read). This is why I can call reading the newspaper or a non-Christian novel or Eat, Pray, Love "spiritual reading" - if I read it in a thoughtful way, being attentive to the Spirit who teaches us "all things" (John 14:6).
Because my goal for reading is primarily transformation and not just information, my book menu will largely consist of Christian authors who, though each of them are different from me in one way or another, hold to the basic tenet of my Christian faith (Jesus is Lord). I would like to include a few other works as well. I bought five books at Value Village last weekend and got the sixth - A Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs - for free, so I thought that might be a fun one to throw into the mix: a secular Jew's attempt to follow the Bible literally for a year. And it's absolutely essential to throw in a good novel or two as well.
But for now, my first book: The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence.
Still looking for good spiritual reading on social justice and earthkeeping? How about one or more of the following:
ReplyDelete* Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger (Ron Sider) - a classic
* Under the Overpass: A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America (Mike Yankoski) - by a current Regent student, a memoir about his experience living intentionally as a homeless person for five months
* Money & Power (Jacques Ellul)
* Dynamics of Spiritual Life (Richard Lovelace) - - calls for balance between evangelism and social action, between church unity and purity
* Under the Bright Wings (Peter Harris) - the A Rocha story.
* Caring for Creation: Biblical and Theological Perspectives (edited by Regent alum Sarah Tillett; contributors include Peter & Miranda Harris [founders of A Rocha], John Houghton, James Houston, Eugene Peterson, Ghillean Prance, Vinoth Ramachandra, Chris Wright)
Thanks, Rosie! Rich Christians and Caring for Creation were the two I had in mind from my Regent days, but couldn't think of their names. The others look pretty intriguing, too...time for some book shopping, methinks!
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure Caring for Creation is new since your Regent days. It was published in 2005. You might be thinking of Loren & Mary Ruth Wilkinson's Caring for Creation in Your Own Backyard, or Loren's Earthkeeping in the 90's (that was already an update of his earlier Earthkeeping, but its title sounds dated again). There's also another new one that looks good: For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care by Steven Bouma-Prediger.
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