Immersive Reading

NOTE: This is a post wherein I whine about what I have to read vs. what I want to read. You’ve been warned.

In the past year and a half, most of my reading has been confined to four subjects:

• commentaries on the Gospel of John
• books on NT Survey
• commentaries on the book of Hebrews
• books about the Emergent Church

On these subjects, I have read dozens of books, thousands of pages. But I’ve read all of them because I have to. The commentaries on John and Hebrews were part of my preparation for our Sunday morning preaching series on these books. The NT Survey stuff and Emergent Church garbage books were for Sunday School lessons on these topics.

Most of this reading was informative. I understand all of these subjects much better now for having read them. The works on John and Hebrews have been spiritually stimulating as well as informative. I don’t regret having read any of this.

What I DO regret is the long and ever growing list of books I WANT to read, but that I just can’t find time for. I have been so immersed in reading for research that I cannot simply read for pleasure. There is a bookshelf just to my left here with two feet worth of books that my heart and mind are drawn to like the North Pole draws the needle of a compass. A few of these are:

• The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God by John Frame
• Brain Rules by John Medina
• Guard Us, Guide Us: Divine Leading in Life’s Decisions by J. I. Packer.
• The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance by Josh Waitzkin
• The Attributes of God by Arthur W. Pink
• The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A. J. Jacobs: Caution–this book is not what it seems. It is a polemic against Christianity cloaked in humor. I want to read it for hermeneutical and apologetical reasons.

And, speaking of apologetics, one more from the list of books to be read:

• The Reason for God by Timothy Keller

There are also books on that shelf that I started reading, and was really enjoying, but still need to finish. There are some on a nearby shelf that I have read all the way to the end; these I would like to write reviews on, but again cannot find the time.

[sigh]

When I was a seminarian, I looked forward to becoming a seminary graduate so that I could read all the books I wanted to read instead of ones my professors required me to read.

Man, was that ever naive, wishful thinking!

Maybe when the Emergent church series is over, I’ll finally be able to start whittling this list down. Of course, by then, several more books will be added to that “to read” shelf. Count on it. For now, I must return to books I must read. Next up? The Epistle to the Hebrews by Paul Ellingworth in the NIGTC series.