Tag: study

A Reading List for the Committed Christian Seeker

Photo by Anja Bauermann on Unsplash

One of the special gifts that Dallas gave me was the space to ask him questions. The first time I asked whether I could raise some questions with him, he responded with his typical generosity. We set one whole evening aside and sat together in our living room. I had with me a yellow pad to write down his responses to my long list of prepared questions. These ranged from theological issues that had come up for me, ethical dilemmas around some of the political issues facing us in South Africa at that dark time in our history, and the more practical concerns of what it meant to follow Jesus in the nitty-gritty of daily life.

Looking back on that evening now, I realize that my opening question was designed to impress him a bit. I asked him if he would provide me with a reading list of the most formative books that he had read. I recall how the conversation unfolded.

“I suggest you read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John” was his reply.

Somewhat disappointed by this response, I told him, “Okay, I have got that down. Are there any other books you can recommend that I read?”

This time he was more emphatic in his response. “My suggestion is that you take the next twenty years or so to read and meditate on these four Gospels. Read them repeatedly, immerse yourself in the words and deeds of Jesus, and commit to memory as much as you are able.”

Trevor Hudson, Seeking God: Finding Another Kind of Life with St. Ignatius and Dallas Willard, p. 118-119

This is simple advice for the Christian journey. Many of us think that the truly transformative literature is found outside the Bible. There is much to be gained from reading broadly within the Christian tradition, its theology, history, and spiritual writings. But there is no substitute for the Bible itself, and particularly the accounts of Jesus found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Read them. Study them. Meditate on them. Invite Jesus to meet you through them. The writings will teach you. But look for more than information. The writings will move you. But look for more than inspiration. Open yourself to God as you read. It’s intimacy and encounter that you want. That’s what brings the possibility of change and transformation.

Disciplined Reading

Do not say…that one or two books is sufficient for instructing the soul. After all, even the bee collects honey not from one or two flowers only, but from many. Thus also he who reads the books of the Holy Fathers is instructed by one in faith or in right thinking, by another in silence and prayer, by another in obedience and humility and patience, by another in self-reproach and in love for God and neighbor; and, to speak briefly, from many books of the Holy Fathers a man is instructed in life according to the Gospel.

– Paisius Velichkovsky

Paisius Velichkovsky was an Eastern Orthodox monk and theologian. His observation is a rather simple one: we must learn wisdom from the bee, gathering wisdom diligently, broadly, and with great discipline. He exhorts us to read from the Holy Fathers, from the saints of old, who can instruct us in the Gospel and in Christian living. Our souls, being great things, need great nourishment. Like the bee, the gathering should take place daily, not from a paltry collection of sources, but from a diversity of literary riches.

I like to read and study. Not everyone is like me. Thank God. But if I could offer one bit of encouragement to others who, like me, are following Jesus, it would be to read a little more often than you do now. Begin with the Bible, particularly if Scripture is something you neglect. Scripture is a dietary staple. But then add to that a work of theology, or a historical work about a person who has been important to the Christian tradition.

Pay particular mind to your denominational heritage, if you have one (if you are a Methodist, read Wesley, if you are a Presbyterian, read Calvin, etc., etc.). I’d like the Baptists I know to be better Baptists, the Methodists I know to exemplify the best of their tradition, and on and on. Consider doing as Velichkovsky recommends: read the Church Fathers. Read Augustine. Read Athanasius. Read the Desert Fathers and Mothers. The old stuff is profoundly rich.

Choose one or two or three great theologians or renowned saints. Get to know them well, even if a little bit at a time. Pick up their work. Buy a book and learn about their lives. Read each day. Choose wisely. Stick with it. Observe. Learn. Apply. Grow.