Comments on: Secular Reading with a Christian Perspective

By: JL

JL — Fri, 29 May 2009 20:32:39 +0000

Interesting post! Like Dan, I’d have to agree that what is good for someone to read can be different for different people. When I talk about a book being good or bad, I usually just mean whether it’s well-written. But of course books are influential, and they can influence us for good or bad. I agree with you, Nathan, that this is no reason to censor authors with different worldviews. Aside from their insights into people, conflicts, virtues, ideals, etc., the act of learning from those with different ideologies can also encourage empathy, humility, and understanding – as you said! But that doesn’t mean all well-written books are morally good to read. Some books may gratuitously wade in evil, and Phil 4:8 should come into play, or some books may encourage wrong thinking or behavior. (I’ll throw away a Christian writer’s book about the need for women to submit to men because I think the book is immoral, while lauding books by atheists.) And a book that’s bad for me to read because it encourages my bitterness, arrogance, and spite may be good for someone else to read (and may have the opposite effect on them). I think a book’s morality depends on both the book and the reader, but that there is a moral element to reading which we rarely think about now. Thanks for addressing this!

By: Dan

Dan — Tue, 26 May 2009 14:08:17 +0000

I also enjoyed the post. The only thing I would add is that the “correct” answer to your question probably varies by the person and how the person is approaching the art. First, maturity matters here. I would certainly not recommend every book, record, or movie to every person (Christian or otherwise). I’m not just talking about age either; some people have a difficult time separating truth from falsehood in art. Second, I think your approach works very well when reading or watching to get instruction, or to understand others; the problem is when we use art as entertainment. I would perhaps suggest Philippians 4:8 matters more when dealing with leisure time entertainment as a standard for what we should be focusing our attention on.

By: Jason

Jason — Wed, 20 May 2009 15:32:31 +0000

I didn’t find this to be naive or prudish.
Although I’m not sure what I think of the “glove and puddle” concept. I know it wasn’t your point.

On a side note, my mom regularly used Philippians 4:8 as an end-all “it is finished” move when she didn’t feel like discussing her parenting choices. I still cringe when I even see the notation.

By: Justin

Justin — Tue, 19 May 2009 19:39:30 +0000

This is one of my favorite posts in the past few months, and the topic of Christians engaging with philosophies, lifestyles and backgrounds that are dissimilar is extremely important!

I too believe that understanding different walks of life should be fundamental to Christianity, and I’ve seen a lot of the repercussions from people who don’t buy it. Their views of God are extemely boxed in! We have so much to learn from the general community that doesn’t grasp faith. There are a lot of non-Christians who look more like Jesus than I do.

This topic extends from literature to music, housing/neighborhoods and beyond. Pulling away from areas of life that seem scary or different to feel more secure can be natural, but we should fight those instincts.

I think our generation understands this better than ones in recent history, and we will see changes in how faith is played out in churches and communities. Already some younger figureheads like Rob Bell and Shane Claiborne clearly understand this better than the likes of Dr. JD. There are so many intentional communities sprouting up around the Cities that have a real focus on learning from and being with those of different perspectives. It’s encouraging to see these movements.

My faith is strengthened by interacting with various viewpoints and backgrounds, and clearly yours is too. Excellent post!