Inspiring Reading

We Christians must be readers. Christianity is a religion of the Book. We learn, and grow, by reading Scripture. We may also grow by reading great works of theology, biography, devotion, philosophy, etc., always making sure that these works are brought under the authority of Scripture. For we, like the Apostle Paul says, "demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5).

Reading is not only for the seminary student, it is vital to every Christian. May we follow in the steps of Augustine of Hippo who came to saving faith after being compelled to read a Bible when a little girl, on the other side of a wall, sang, "Take up and read, take up and read!" He did, and so must we.

I was up early this morning, reading through John Piper's Brothers, We Are Not Professionals. I was particularly struck by a section in which he considers the statements God is love and God is God. He bifurcates them and balances them at once. His words follow.

Now these two truths from the Bible [God is love - 1 John 4:8, 16; God is God -Isaiah 45:22; 46:9] have unleashed different impulses in the world. And we will see that a balance is introduced here, lest we make Christianity an elitist affair, which it definitely is not.

- That God is love unleashes the impulse of simplicity, and that God is God unleashes the impulse of complexity.
- That God is love unleashes the impulse of accessibility, and that God is God unleashes the impulse of profundity.
- That God is love encourages a focus on the basics, and that God is God encourages a focus on comprehensiveness.
- That God is love impels us to be sure that the truth gets to all people, and that God is God impels us to be sure that what gets to all people is the truth.
- That God is love unleashes the impulse toward fellowship, and that God is God unleashes the impulse toward scholarship.
- That God is love tends to create extroverts and evangelists, and that God is God tends to create contemplatives and poets.
- That God is love helps foster a folk ethos [a folk ethos revels in the intimacy of God], and that God is God helps foster a fine ethos [the fine ethos revels in the transcendent majesty of God].

Perhaps someone is saying at this point, "I don't like this separation between God is love and God is God, between folk and fine, evangelists and mystics, fellowship and scholarship, accessibility and profundity, simplicity and complexity." My response is: "Well, GOOD!" Because in my mind, every one of these things is precious, and both sides of all these pairs are indispensable in the ministry and mission of Christ in the world.

How true, Dr. Piper! Our churches have too frequently made this bifurcation between one side and the other and devoted their all to the one side. They honor one attribute of God or another, while throwing others away! Let us not behave that way. Let us cherish the intricacy and balance of our God, our Savior, and the ministry to which we are all called.

We are blessed to live in an age where books are so accessible and inexpensive. We Christians have a duty to study who our God is and devote ourselves to cherishing Him. We will also find usefulness in reading other works that better tune our hearts to contemplation of God and the seriousness of our calling, especially as these works point us back to Scripture. Let us follow Augustine and "take up and read."

Steven Douglas