Anyone who had more than a surface relationship with Dr. Dennis Kinlaw knows that one of his favorite questions was, “What are you reading?” It is no wonder that the library at Asbury University bears his name. l can remember preparing my response to Dr. Kinlaw’s query on several occasions when I wasn’t particularly “read up.” Fortunately, those times were few and far between. I have always valued good books. One of my grandmothers was a teacher, and I remember her giving me a book about a dog named “Jube” when I was 7 and requiring a book report on my next visit, which she actually graded. As an adult, I am grateful that my parents did not allow me to watch television on school nights when I was a child. By the time I matriculated to high school, I had no desire to do anything after dark but read or listen to Atlanta Braves baseball games on the radio. When I gave my life to Christ at age 15, I devoured the Scripture and anything I could find to read about the Christian life, church history, or theology.
It is well-documented that reading produces many positive benefits. Reading enhances our vocabulary and comprehension skills. It strengthens the brain and delays cognitive decline. Reading reduces stress and improves communication skills. For the believer, reading exercises more than the brain. It is exercise for the soul. John Wesley recommended that all of his preachers spend at least five hours a day reading useful books, even saying that they should read or get out of the ministry. An early well-known Methodist circuit rider named Peter Cartwright once mused, “It has often been a question that I shall never be able to answer on earth, whether I have done the most good by preaching or distributing religious books.” In 1823, American politician Daniel Webster said:
If religious books are not widely circulated among the masses in this country, I do not know what is to become of us as a nation. If the power of the gospel is not felt throughout the length and breadth of our land, anarchy and misrule, degradation and misery, corruption and darkness, will reign without mitigation or end.
This is the reason why the Francis Asbury Society has been committed to publishing “useful books” since our founding in 1983.
Good reading begins, of course, with Scripture. According to the Psalms, daily meditation on the Word of God is our source of fruitfulness (1:3), blessing (119:1–2), sustenance (42:1; 119:97; 119:103), godliness (119:11), and joy (19:8; 119:111; 119:162). Jesus demonstrated that feeding upon God’s Word is the believer’s best defense against temptation (Matthew 4: 1–11). And Paul said that the Word of God is our (only) offensive weapon against the enemy of our soul (Ephesians 6:17). Good books are never meant to be a replacement for The Book. On the other hand, reading Scripture alone is no excuse for failure to read useful books. So, what am I reading? Here are a few very useful books I’m currently working on:
- John Eldridge, Resilient: Restoring Your Weary Soul in These Turbulent Times
- Ernest Klassen, Revival Preaching: 12 Lessons from Jonathon Edwards
- Eric Metaxas, Letter to the American Church
- Andrew Murray, Absolute Surrender: The Blessing of Forsaking All and Following Christ
- John Oswalt, Called to Be Holy
- Mack Tomlinson, In Light of Eternity: The Life of Leonard Ravenhill
What are you reading?