Fire and Knowledge

Part of The Reading Interviews series.

Could you tell us a little about yourself?

By day, I’m a high school math teacher completing my first full year on the job.

By night, I’m a blogger at Friendly Atheist, chair of the Board of Directors of the Secular Student Alliance, author of I Sold My Soul on eBay, soon-to-be calendar model (!), and someone who will crush you in Scrabble.

What are your favorite books? What do you like about them and how have they influenced you?

I don’t read many classics, but I love The Count of Monte Cristo. As for current books, I tend to read popular math and science books. I’m currently in the middle of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Death By Black Hole. There’s a stack of “atheist literature” I can’t wait to get to. My Amazon wishlist includes more of those kind of books (and some teaching supplies). :)

I love when the books teach me a little bit more about the subjects I am so passionate about. They make me want to work harder to educate people so they know about this material. Every now and then, a book will come along and completely revamp everything I knew about a topic. Richard Dawkins’ The Ancestor’s Tale did that in terms of evolution, and it got me reading his other books (The God Delusion is good, but it’s not at the top of my Dawkins list).

Who are your favorite writers?

A few need no explanation: J.K. Rowling, Richard Dawkins, Malcolm Gladwell.

I love any writer who can take a subject that’s both interesting and complicated (Astronomy, Biology, Number Theory, etc.) and write about it in a way that makes sense to me so that I get a rudimentary understanding of it. Brian Greene is one example. Jared Diamond, another. Carl Sagan was incredible.

What is the best non-fiction and fiction book you have read recently?

Non-fiction: The Big Bang by Simon Singh (loved it!)
Fiction: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Why do you think reading is important? What has led you to make it a priority in your life?

There’s no better way to get a thorough understanding of complicated subjects. With the right tone, helpful visuals, and a conversational explanation, I’m willing to sit through just about any subject.

Personally, I became an atheist on my own, but it was through reading essays and stories by other atheists online that my newfound beliefs were validated and strengthened. (If only the New Atheist books were out back then!)

I took several Biology classes in high school and college, but it was through reading Richard Dawkins’ books that I gained a fuller understanding of evolution.

And I have yet to form an interest in any girl who isn’t well read. :)

Are there any other books you would like to recommend?

Besides the ones I’ve already mentioned (all of which you should read), All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren is fantastic. So is Jon Stewart’s America (the Book). And (cough) I Sold My Soul on eBay.

How many books do you normally read at a time?

I’d like to say one… but if it doesn’t capture my interest completely, it’ll get to two. I can’t do more than that at once!

Do you mark and take notes while you read? If so, how?

Sometimes. I feel like I’m doing something wrong if I write in a book, but a friend of mine persuaded me to do it. My own notes just consist of underlines and bracketing (for passages I like) or smiley faces. :) If I’m reading a book by a Christian apologist, I tend to write little notes to myself as to why they’re wrong.

When you finish a book, how do you decide what to read next?

If it’s a writer I really like, I’ll pick up more books by the author. If that’s not an option, I try to switch it up completely. If I just read a fiction book, I need to follow it up with something math or science-y.

Do you have any advice about reading that others might find helpful?

Do it. A lot. Read everything. Blogs, magazines, cereal boxes, etc. Especially blogs; they’re much more current and relevant than many books and most allow for a dialogue to take place about the topic.

Part of The Reading Interviews series.

Could you tell us a little about yourself?

I’m Brooklyn-born and have been living for the last 22 years in downstate Illinois, where I teach college English. I’ve been married for all of those years (and a few months more) to Elaine Fine, a composer, violinist, and violist. We have two children, one in college, the other starting in the fall. I’ve published widely but modestly—literary criticism, book reviews, and poetry. Most of my writing now takes place on my blog, Orange Crate Art. Aside from reading and writing, my main interests are musical, mostly 1920s and 30s jazz and blues.

What are your favorite books? What do you like about them and how have they influenced you?

If I don’t begin by mentioning Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey (in Stanley Lombardo’s translations) and Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time (in the recent Penguin translations), anyone who knows me will think that someone else is answering these questions.

Homer’s poems seem to me deeply true to human experience, its tragedy and comedy, the sorrow of war, the importance of memory, the difficulty of homecoming, the ways in which selfhood is a matter of relations to others. (Odysseus is only truly Odysseus when he becomes, once again, Telemachus’ father, Penelope’s partner, Laertes’ son). The Iliad and Odyssey give me a very strong sense that we are all participants in a single abiding human culture. Jonathan Shay’s Achilles in Vietnam and Odysseus in America are two specific demonstrations of Homer’s relevance to recent American history.

Proust, whom I read (in translation) for the first time last year, seems to me to be the great writer of memory and consciousness. I doubt that I could have come to his work though at an earlier age (I’m 50). Proust’s work still leaves me more awestruck than articulate.

I’ll mention one more novel: Willa Cather’s The Professor’s House, which is not nearly as well known as it should be. I first read it almost thirty years ago, and I’m now almost the age of its protagonist. It’s one of the best depictions of the emotional difficulties of growing older that I know.

Who are your favorite writers?

There are many. Among the ancients, Homer and Sappho. Among novelists, James Joyce and Vladimir Nabokov (and of course Cather and Proust). Among poets, Guillaume Apollinaire, Emily Dickinson, Lorine Niedecker, Frank O’Hara, and William Carlos Williams. I tend to like writers who are, in a variety of ways, "difficult."

What is the best non-fiction and fiction book you have read recently?

Non-fiction: Mark Edmundson’s Why Read? (2004) is a great defense of the practice of reading literature as a way to enlarge the possibilities of living.

Fiction: I’m reading Proust for the second time, all the way through. Once through is not enough.

Why do you think reading is important? What has led you to make it a priority in your life?

The poet David Jones says that we are sign-making creatures. Our capacity to represent thought and feeling and reality in language is distinctively human. We live, one might say, in language. Reading is the most direct way to gain access to what has been said and felt beyond one’s immediate range of reference.

How many books do you normally read at a time?

Not many. Right now I’m getting in my Proust, 25 pages a day. I’m also reading Barack Obama’s The Audacity of Hope, due back at the library soon.

Do you mark and take notes while you read? If so, how?

Yes. I usually use pencil. I tend to underline, draw boxes around key phrases, and write in the margins. Often that involves page numbers—tying a passage on one page to something earlier (or later). When I’m rereading something older and already marked up, I’ll use pencil or pen. The only exception to these practices that I can think of was my first trek through Proust. My thinking seemed so provisional that I used Post-it Notes, hundreds of them. I just couldn’t bring myself to write in the books. Now I’m taking the notes out and marking things up.

I often show my students what a marked-up poem looks like on the page—it’s a vivid way to emphasize that reading requires active participation.

When you finish a book, how do you decide what to read next?

I might go to something that’s an adjunct to what I just read (a book of letters by an author), or something that’s simply a contrast. I have no very clear answer to this question. I like the poet Ted Berrigan’s advice: that whatever you’re reading is what you should be reading. I can’t see how that’s really so, but it’s a reminder that people come to different works at different times.

Do you have any advice about reading that others might find helpful?

We live in a culture that invites us to lose our minds in endless distractions. It’s thus important to undertake sustained, dedicated acts of attention. Reading is in this sense a way not to lose one’s mind.

Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions!

Thanks for the chance to think and write about these questions!

Part of the The Reading Interviews series.

Could you tell us a little about yourself?

I am a campus minister, communicator and teacher in southeastern KY. I am married with two grown children. I write at Internet Monk and Boars Head Tavern.

What are your favorite books? What do you like about them and how have they influenced you?

• Works of Shakespeare: Unsurpassed. Invented what it means to be human.
• The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis: Incredibly creative way to present a subject most people are adverse to, and exceedingly insightful.
• Between Noon and Three by Robert Capon: Grace is the great theme of life, and this is the most powerful statement of grace I’ve ever read. You never escape it.
• Blood Meridian by Carmack Macarthy: Violence and evil are part of life. This looks at it in a personal and an epic way, with depth and with childlike innocence. A blood bath of a book, but actually beautiful. Some call this the greatest American novel.

Books influence you because you meet another mind who sees the same world that you do, but differently. You know you aren’t alone and that the truth of existence extends past yourself.

Who are your favorite writers?

• Shakespeare. He knows both sides of human beings.
• C.S. Lewis. Clarity.
• Eugene Peterson. The Beauty of the Bible.
• Thomas Merton. A life well lived.

What is the best non-fiction and fiction book you have read recently?

Non-fiction: Shakespeare: The Biography, Peter Ackroyd
Fiction: Henry IV Part I, William Shakespeare

Why do you think reading is important? What has led you to make it a priority in your life?

The encounter with other human minds is joyous and awesome.
The mind and soul are hungry for truth, beauty and story.

Part of the The Reading Interviews series.

Could you tell us a little about yourself?

I am a professor of Philosophy at Denver Seminary, where I have served since 1993. I have written ten books, starting in 1986 with Unmasking the New Age. My most recent books (released on the same day) are On Jesus (2003) and On Pascal (2003). I am married to the brilliant and beautiful writer and editor, Rebecca Merrill Groothuis.

What are your favorite books? What do you like about them and how have they influenced you?

There are hundreds, but these have probably influenced me the most (outside of the Bible):

1. Francis Schaeffer, The God Who is There. Originally published in 1968, this began a publishing explosion by Schaeffer that lasted until his death in 1984 at age 72. Schaeffer pleads for a culturally-informed, biblically orthodox, and deeply compassionate apologetic apt for modern men and women. This vision for ministry has guided me ever since I first read it shortly after my conversion in 1976.
2. Blaise Pascal, Pensées. Out in many editions, but the Penguin in my favorite. Pascal was one of the most brilliant scientific, mathematical, and philosophical minds of his day. This is a record of an unfinished project defending the Christian faith rationally. It is more epigrammatic than systematic, but the apologetic insights are often arresting and deeply memorable. His argument for Christianity from human nature has guided my apologetic thinking for over thirty years. I first read this book in 1977 or 1978.
3. Soren Kierkegaard, Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing. Kierkegaard was a kind of fideist, and I emphatically am not; however, this devotional book was branded into my soul when I read it in 1977 or 1978. The “one thing” is undivided devotion to God under “the audit of eternity.” God used this book to solidify my calling as a thinker and scholar. I have not reread it, but should.
4. Soren Kierkegaard, The Sickness Unto Death. It is not an appealing title, but Kierkegaard’s account of the human self in rebellion against God helped lead me to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior in 1976. I taught from the book in a class at the University of Oregon about five years later.
5. Os Guinness, The Dust of Death and In Two Minds: The Dilemma of Doubt and How to Resolve it. All of Guinness’s books have spoken to my condition, as the Quakers say, but none more than these two modern classics. The first is a Christian critique of the counterculture, and the best ever written. In Two Minds helps the troubled Christian navigate through the deep and turbulent waters of doubt without guilt and without losing one’s faith.
6. G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy (1908). His endlessly amazing wit and apologetic prowess amazed me and equipped me intellectually. I recently listed to this in audio book form and was dazzled once again.

There are so many more, but I must stop somewhere!

Who are your favorite writers?

1. Francis Schaeffer: a prophetic conscience and compassionate pastor to a lost generation. I have read all his books, some several times. I am not on a jag of rereading many of them, including True Spirituality, Genesis in Space and Time, He is There, He is Not Silent, Art and the Bible, Escape From Reason, The Church at the End of the Twentieth Century, Death in the City, and The Church Before the Watching World. They all hold up and inspire me.
2. Os Guinness. The man is a brilliant social critique and I have read all of his books. I recommend all of them (as well as any recorded lecture).
3. Rebecca Merrill Groothuis. She is the most lucid, logical, and compelling writer alive on the issue of women in the home, culture, and in the church. She can write a sentence a third of a page long that never loses the train of thought and which can be read easily.
4. C.S. Lewis. His apologetic works – Mere Christianity, The Abolition of Man, and Miracles – helped me to keep my head in college, and I return to them (and many of his other works) often. He was a peerlessly clear, clever, and knowledgeable writer.

What is the best non-fiction and fiction book you have read recently?

Non-fiction: Best, meaning “most influential” – The God Who is There by Francis Schaeffer.

Fiction: I don’t read much fiction, but probably The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis.

Why do you think reading is important? What has led you to make it a priority in your life?

Those who don’t read shouldn’t lead. It’s not original to me, but it is true and consequential. We need the mental discipline and the knowledge that reading brings. I have written a poem called, “Ode to the Book.”

How many books do you normally read at a time?

Too many.

Do you mark and take notes while you read? If so, how?

Yes. I underline, make notes in the margins, and put my own index in the front of the book. When I was younger, I took detailed pages of notes on books, which I still consult on occasion. I used to destroy books through colored marking pens. No more.

When you finish a book, how do you decide what to read next?

I have no idea. I want to know most everything related to my calling: showing the truth, rationality, and pertinence of Christianity across the broad spectrum of life. I always feel guilty that I don’t read enough.

Do you have any advice about reading that others might find helpful?

Stop watching television. Make time for reading. Invest in books. Reread classics.

Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions!

Thank you for asking me about this delightful subject.

Part of the The Reading Interviews series.

Could you tell us a little about yourself?

My name is Joshua Hynes and I’m married to my best friend, Cassie. We reside in the Harrisburg, PA area where I work at a marketing agency entitled andCulture. Officially my title states I am a "Web Technologist," but "Creative" would describe more what I do on a day-to-day basis. I run a blog, with a little help from my friends, over at FriendsWithManagers. I enjoy playing in competitive sports, watching the Boston Red Sox, and enjoying copious amounts of music.

What are your favorite books? What do you like about them and how have they influenced you?

Oh, a hard question. Well, running off the top of my head:

• The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer – This would have to be one of the more formative books in my life. I read it at a point in my teenager years when I was truly struggling with translating knowing Christ intellectually and knowing God intimately. Tozer’s chapter entitled “The Blessedness of Possessing Nothing” was a tipping point in my spiritual life.
• Desiring God by John Piper – I was never a big Piper fan until after I graduated from college. After attending four years of chapel at a Christian college, I found that I still struggled with love of God and my own personal desire to develop a personal relationship with Him. Piper’s chapter on worship is a personal favorite.
• The Lord of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien – A book I discovered in college; this moving and sweeping epic from Tolkien completely blew me away.
• The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard – The soul searching derived from this book helped me a lot as I struggled to discover the walk I was called to have.
• Amusing Ourselves To Death: Public Discourse In The Age of Show Business by Neil Postman – Want to read a book that’ll make you re-think your whole approach to life? Read this book.

Who are your favorite writers?

The teaching of John Piper has most definitely had a deep impact upon my life. Alistair Begg, Warren Wiersbe, and Joseph Stowell also had impact on me at key moments in my life. They all helped me understand more fully of how I am to be living my life for Him. The fictional writings of Tolkien, John Steinback, and—oddly enough—Orson Scott Card all have caused me to take pauses in my life to take stock of how precious and beautiful life truly is.

What is the best non-fiction and fiction book you have read recently?

Non-fiction: A Walk In The Woods: Rediscovering America On The Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson – I admit that it isn’t as “spiritual” as some of your previous interviewees, but I found the book incredibly enjoyable to read as well as informative.

Fiction: East of Eden by John Steinback – I finished the book last September, but already I’m thinking of when I might read it again. Steinback is an amazing writer and this is an amazing book.

Why do you think reading is important? What has led you to make it a priority in your life?

I read a lot in high school, but once I finished college I just got burned out from reading. I fell into some bad habits, which involved too much television, movies, video games and other forms of entertainment. It is my wife who should credited with helping me re-align priorities in my life. Her gentle influence in my life has helped me to rediscover the joy I once had for reading.

The importance of reading for me rests largely in the fact that it extends who I am. I was not called to waste my life satisfying myself, but learning more about my Lord. Sometimes this is accomplished directly through the study of His Word and the writings of fellow Christians; but this is also accomplished indirectly through the reading of history, science, cultural affairs, and literature.

Are there any other books you would like to recommend?

Moneyball by Michael Lewis and Feeding The Monster: How Money, Smarts, & Nerve Took A Team To The Top by Seth Mnookin – I’m a big baseball fan, and an even bigger Red Sox fan. I loved the former because it finally helped me understand further the sport I love and I enjoyed the latter because I’m Red Sox fan. That’s somewhat anti-climatic, but simple reasons sometimes are best.

How many books do you normally read at a time?

I try to keep it to one at a time, maybe two. I used to juggle more, but I’ve found that when I’m flipping back and forth between two books it becomes hard for me to focus on a book as well as I do when it’s only one book.

Do you mark and take notes while you read? If so, how?

For certain books, yes. Most notations involve helping call out key sentences, phrases, or paragraph blocks that I find rather insightful for later reference with simple pen underlines or “sidelines” in the margins. I try to jot down quick (hopefully complete) thoughts in the margins if a specific thought came to mind at the time. Sometimes when I am going back through a book that has already been notated once, a highlighter is employed to further emphasize passages.

Do you have any advice about reading that others might find helpful?

Allow yourself to be challenged.

Part of the The Reading Interviews series.

Could you tell us a little about yourself?

My name is Steve McCoy. I’m married to Molly, the Queen of Hotness. God has graciously produced through us four unbelievable kids: Sarah (10), Jack (8), Elijah (6), and Daniel (4). I pastor a 47 year old church in Woodstock, IL named Calvary Baptist Church. My blog, Reformissionary, is found at stevekmccoy.com. I also keep a blog I use to connect with people in my city called Living In Woodstock, IL. I have started to write some articles for The High Calling of Our Daily Work website. I’m also into photography.

What are your favorite books? What do you like about them and how have they influenced you?

No specific order, and I’m sure I’ll leave something out that I’ll think of later.

• The Sovereignty of God by A.W. Pink – Introduced me to the Scriptural foundations of God’s sovereignty and Calvinism. I remember theological fireworks going off as I worked through this book.
• Finding God by Larry Crabb – This book taught me how deeply sinful I am and how profound the love and acceptance of God is. It was formative in my first two years as a Christian. I actually listened to this dozens of times as an audio book as well.
• Desiring God (or most anything) by John Piper – I know this is probably on a lot of lists of guys who are younger and more reformed, but it’s just too good to not mention. I learned about how to pursue God in all areas of life. I’ve also been influenced heavily by Let the Nations Be Glad, Future Grace, Brothers, We Are Not Professionals and others.
• Love Walked Among Us by Paul Miller – Whenever I get hardened and lose compassion for others, I run to this book again. I have many notes inside the back cover for easy reference. One of the best books I’ve ever read on how Jesus lived.
• Getting Things Done by David Allen – It completely changed the way I work. People who like and use GTD are like evangelists telling others the good news. You should read it.

Who are your favorite writers?

I won’t belabor my debt to John Piper, but he’s up there. I really enjoy the Puritans and guys like Jonathan Edwards, though I read them too little anymore. I’m trying to change that. I find them deeply doctrinal and very practical. I love Dana Gioia’s poetry and the writing of Wendell Berry. And Tim Keller’s articles are some of the best reading around on the local church.

What is the best non-fiction and fiction book you have read recently?

Non-fiction: John Piper’s When the Darkness Will Not Lift. Encouraging and needed in my life.

Fiction: Dana Gioia’s The God’s of Winter (poetry). I read a lot more poetry than prose. This is great, modern poetry by an important, living American poet.

Why do you think reading is important? What has led you to make it a priority in your life?

I didn’t read much until college, just before my conversion. I really became convinced that I needed to take life by the horns and prepare to accomplish something, like a good, ambitious American. Then I became a Christian and realized that it’s God who has called me and wants to use me, and I need to be full of truth and wisdom to be the most useful for my calling. So I consider authors mentors, disciplers. I need the wisdom and experience of others, and reading takes me into their lives and families and churches.

How many books do you normally read at a time?

Between three and ten-ish. I’m a firm believer in not just reading straight through books and feeling like I’ve failed if I don’t finish a book. I read until I get their point sometimes. Or I read until I’m bored. Or I read until I change my interests. A wise seminary prof and friend once told me to study what I enjoy at the moment. That works for me. I do a lot of skimming, rereading pieces, skipping to conclusions, and so on. So right now I have about seven books I’m working on. Tomorrow that list may be four or nine. I’m always reading a variety of articles as well.

Do you mark and take notes while you read? If so, how?

Yeah, and only with a Bic 0.5 lead pencil. I’ve used various methods and utensils. I’ll probably change again. But for now it’s only Bic pencils. I generally underline, put vertical lines in margins where quotes are longer, and use dashes, stars, exclamation points and notes. I hate highlighters, for the record. I generally will put really good or important quotes or stats on index cards and file them.

Do you have any advice about reading that others might find helpful?

Buy lots of books. I often buy books that I know I won’t read immediately. I find having them around as readily available resources very helpful. Just make sure you buy the right ones. Get to know people who can give good advice about books to buy. Read blogs you respect and see what they are reading. I get emails about books all the time from blog readers.

Read Mortimer Adler’s How to Read a Book. I don’t follow his methods, but thinking through them is help enough.

If you have a good biblical/theological foundation, read books that stretch you. Read to learn, not merely to critique. If you are reading for ammo to shoot down an author or idea alone, you will just become a jerk. We have enough of those. I read Brian McLaren, Jonathan Edwards, Martin Luther, and Rob Bell. I read books with cuss words and those who think reading books with cuss words are sinful. Some of the books that have helped me the most are the ones that make me want to throw it across the room.

Make a reading plan. I’m reworking my plan right now. I know people who read a book a day, others read a book a week. Schedule the time and read.

Part of the The Reading Interviews series.

Could you tell us a little about yourself?

Hello Josh! Most certainly. I was born into a blue-collar carpentry family and even owned a small residential construction company myself for several years in Omaha. In the middle of this carpentry career I worked as a journalist at the local newspaper and a sports magazine eventually graduating with a degree in Liberal Arts from Bellevue University. For a left-brained carpenter, Liberal Arts was a huge jump. But it was an excellent degree for me and it introduced me to a lot of poetry and novels (two genres I largely avoided). This degree also put me into the lives of two-dozen sinners who needed to hear about Jesus and an academic program that allowed me to cultivate my personal interest in the gospel.

This degree introduced me to advanced critical thinking and I used these new tools to help write a full presentation of the gospel for my professor and my classmates (the content of my book Come Unto Me: God’s Invitation to the World). I now direct a blog for Christians who (like myself) who need daily encouragement to live a Cross-saturated life (The Shepherd’s Scrapbook). Recently I became the director of Take Up and Read, a website devoted to weekly book reviews (hosted by Monergism). Graphic arts, copywriting and providing search engine optimization for retail websites pay the bills.

I recently turned 30 years old, which means it’s been eight years since God’s sovereign grace shattered my addiction to religious legalism and gave me an appetite for the glorious and sufficient Cross of Christ. Immediately following this conversion I had an insatiable appetite to read good Christian books. The first books recommended to me were No Place for Truth by David Wells and The Gagging of God by D.A. Carson. These are not books for beginners! I was overwhelmed by the content, not having categories for much of what I was reading. But slowly I narrowed my own interests which are primarily in the Puritan and Reformed tradition.

Last December my wife, son and daughter moved to Minneapolis to serve at Sovereign Grace Fellowship (a church of Sovereign Grace Ministries). This allows me to sit under my favorite preacher, Rick Gamache. I’ve been very humbled here by my friends and their Cross-centered examples. It’s an amazing church and this time in my life is marked by personal renewal, resting in the promises of God, a re-calibration towards the Cross in everything and being emptied of myself. Here in Minneapolis I’ve been given a lot of time to pursue theological reading. Someday I hope to be a church planter and pastor myself.

I can see why you struggled with Wells and Carson. What books would you recommend for new Christians?

First, let me say I don’t fault my early influences. I was eager to read big books and these two were the hot talk at the time. But I think my own personal struggles centered around two needs I personally had as a new Christian. First, what I needed pounded into my brain was that everything in the Christian life is centered around the Cross (Gal. 1:6-9, 6:14; Phil. 3:2-11; 1 Cor. 2:1-5, 15:3). I was struggling through Wells and Carson when I should have been growing into a better comprehension that I was saved by the Cross and now I live by the power of the Cross. I really needed C.J. Mahaney and Jerry Bridges early on. I would highly recommend Living the Cross-Centered Life by Mahaney and Bridges’ books Transforming Grace and The Gospel for Real Life to this end.

Secondly, I needed a better grasp of the affectionate response of the believer towards the divine things. As a new believer I really needed to see how others respond to theology with praise. If you watch the books that are published for new believers they are essentially systematic theologies dumbed-down with shorter chapters and more simple illustrations. It seems the best books I could have read would have been sermons of Spurgeon or the devotional works of Octavius Winslow (see below). I needed to not only center on the Gospel but also needed to watch mature Christians affectionately respond to the Gospel. Without this foundation I launched into my Christian life on a largely academic and intellectual pursuit of knowledge. As I mature I’m more able to pause in the reading of a dense systematic theology on, say, the deity of Christ, and just pause and praise Christ for the beauty of His nature. As Jonathan Edwards writes, “The first objective ground of gracious affections, is the transcendently excellent and amiable nature of divine things, as they are in themselves; and not any conceived relation they bear to self, or self-interest.” That’s what I largely missed early on. I needed to learn doxology within a Cross-centered theology.

So I would say Mahaney and Bridges to center everything on the Gospel and Spurgeon and Winslow to focus my affections upon the Gospel. When looking back that is what I needed as a new believer.

What are your favorite books? What do you like about them and how have they influenced you?

1. ESV Blank Bible. Without any hesitation my first favorite book in the world is the Blank ESV Bible I created with the help of a table saw and some past carpentry experience. This three-volume treasure sits to the right of my desk all day, every day and holds all of my biblical notes from the past year. You can see it and how it was constructed at my blog. Having a bible filled with blank pages is really an expectation of God’s illumination. I listen patiently with a blank page and a pen in hand.
2. The Precious Things of God by Octavius Winslow (1808-1878). This book most struck me at a time when I needed to get away from very technical theology books. When I needed someone to preach again the beauties of the Cross, my friend Joel Beeke pointed my towards it. This precious book, written in 1859, was a success. Winslow quickly became (and now remains) my favorite author. This is the volume I open whenever I need to be freshly reminded of the preciousness of Christ’s blood for sinners like myself. When reading out loud to my wife as we walked the hospital hallways in preparation of our daughters birth and upon the tragic news that my neighbor was killed in a motorcycle accident last Summer, this was the book I picked up to be freshly reminded of eternally precious truth. As you can imagine, Winslow is immensely quotable for the preacher. His other books like The Fullness of Christ, Personal Declension and Revival of Religion in the Soul, The Work of the Holy Spirit, The Spiritual Life, No Condemnation in Christ Jesus, Help Heavenward and the newly printed Our God are also excellent. Start with The Precious Things of God and move on to The Fullness of Christ. Winslow reminds me of Charles Spurgeon but is even better at sustaining lengthy devotional threads. His books pass in and out of print but his best works can be accessed freely online.
3. Living the Cross-Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney (Multnomah). This is a compilation of Mahaney’s two short books (The Cross Centered Life, 2002; Christ our Mediator, 2004). Each time I read Mahaney I see the beauty of the Cross again for the first time. Nobody more clearly unfolds the doctrine of the Gospel within the context of its life consequences. The title is misleading because it presents this book pragmatically whereas this volume is fully capable of teaching readers the truth of the Cross. Mahaney is a bible teacher, highlighting the beauty of the Cross in Scripture and also a physician of the soul, prescribing the Cross to every area of life. I cannot think of a more important contemporary book. My home church gives a copy of this book to every visitor and it’s expected that everyone else in the church has already read it and returns to its content frequently. If you grasp the immensity of the Cross it will infect all your worship, preaching and relationships. My goal is to return to this volume and read it every six months. I cannot recommend it more highly, especially for new believers. Our lives can be centered on only one main thing and Scripture defines that “one thing” as the Cross.
4. The Works of John Bunyan edited by George Offor (Banner of Truth). On occasion I get emails from older readers who ask: “If I had only one year to live what would you recommend I read besides my bible?” It sounds dramatic but these are usually hypothetical questions from healthy men coming face-to-face with the brevity of life. My answer is always the same: The Works of John Bunyan. No writer is more earnest with souls. He pleads that his readers take eternity seriously because time is running out and life is like a withering flower or a puff of steam soon gone. And very few Christian authors are more versatile. Bunyan (1628-1688) bounces from autobiography to poetry for children to allegories for both children and adults (The Pilgrim’s Progress) to sermons and then on to straight biblical commentary. But he never loses his earnestness. His background was a tinker (a traveling metalworker who fixed pots and pans) so I guess I have some brotherhood being a carpenter and preacher myself. He had a blue-collar, street-smart sense of the spiritual struggles which makes him experientially priceless. When I begin to get spiritually lazy in evangelism or when I practically forget the horrors of hell or the beauty of Christ or the painful journey of a pilgrimage through this life, I frequently return to Bunyan. And as a bonus, the woodcut images and the memoir and editing by George Offor are outstanding! Truly a precious set I highly recommend for a lifetime of study. Come to think of it, you probably couldn’t read the entire Works in one year anyways.
5. Works of Jonathan Edwards (2 volume, Banner of Truth). There is no debate that Edwards (1703-1758) ranks as a foremost theologian in church history. I would consider him the greatest theologian I’ve read and any short list would be incomplete without these volumes. Edwards was a first-rate thinker and a first-rate biblical exegete. These volumes contain many of his best sermons and books. I recommend readers begin with the many sermons before working through the books. For 60 bucks it’s a bargain.
6. Meet the Puritans by Joel R. Beeke (Reformation Heritage Books). I’m a big fan of the Puritans and this book was my pick for book-of-the-year 2006 (see details here). It contains the biographies of 140 Puritans and short reviews of their available works. My family has been fortunate to spend time with his family and Dr. Beeke strikes me as both a gifted author/scholar/preacher but also easily moved by the beauty of the Cross. As far as his writing specifically, I recommend aspiring writers note Beeke’s style. He engages the reader with pertinent and dense content within short sentence structures.

In general I’m attracted to other Puritan and Reformed authors (and those who followed in their tradition). John Owen, Thomas Boston, John Flavel, William Ames, John Brown of Haddington, John Calvin, Thomas Goodwin, Thomas Brooks, John Newton, Francis Turretin, Jeremiah Burroughs, Richard Sibbes, Charles Spurgeon and Horatius Bonar come to mind. I’ve become familiar with old English spelling and become quick in decoding Roman numerals over the years.

More contemporary favorites include most of the CCEF authors but especially David Powlison and Paul David Tripp. Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands by Tripp is my favorite book on the topic of how we minister to other Christians. Contemporary preachers like John Piper, J.I. Packer, John Stott, Mahaney and Martyn Lloyd-Jones all have excellent books. What links the Reformers, Puritans and contemporary authors together is a unified chorus around the Cross. The Cross of Christ is really the touchstone for all my Christian reading.

On a very different note, I’ve always been fascinated with World War I literature. There was a high concentration of soldiers with literary talent and they all came in with a romanticized view of war. These writers lived in the muddy trenches, struggled through diseases and watched other men die horrible deaths from the chemical warfare. The war provided plenty of content for the pens of these literary giants. Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon are two of my favorites. Owen’s, Dulce Et Decorum Est (1918), being the greatest WWI poem in my own opinion. Of course Good-bye to All That by Robert Graves and All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque are also literary classics birthed from the events of WWI. All of these poems, autobiographies and novels reveal a world largely ignorant of the seriousness of world war suddenly awoken into its evil realities. Makes for powerful reading.

As a writer I’m always pushing myself to become better so books on the art and craft of writing are especially important to me. The Elements of Style by Strunk and White, On Writing Well by Zinsser and Woe is I by Patricia O’Conner are excellent. Josh, you are probably better qualified to make further recommendations in this category.

Any plans to sell your ESV Blank Bible? Maybe you could retire early…

Funny! You would be surprised how much I’ve been offered for my blank bible (not enough to retire). I get emails every day from readers who want me to make them a blank ESV. Regrettably, moving out of the construction business and away from my hometown I don’t have access to making them anymore. I gave two blank ESV-Greek Interlinear New Testaments away this past winter but that was the end of production. Maybe in the future I will make some more.

It’s obvious you have a great love for the Puritans. Some Puritans, of course, can be very difficult to read. Archaic spelling is relatively easy to understand (or lookup), but the density of sentences and long, complicated arguments can make Puritan writings nearly incomprehensible for an average reader – or an experienced one! What advice would you give to readers?

As far as word meanings, dictionaries helped a bit. Thankfully Justin Taylor and Kelly Kapic have defined a lot of common Puritan terms in the glossary of John Owen’s Overcoming Sin and Temptation (pp. 435-441). But you are right, Josh, the sentences and paragraphs can be tough for an experienced reader. I’ve been told that John Owen used some form of Latin sentence structure with English words. I don’t know if that’s true but his books are tough reading (I know that to be certain). Owen and Thomas Goodwin are the toughest for me. Most of the Puritans I’m familiar with –   Bunyan, Boston, Brooks, Flavel, Sibbes, Burroughs, Manton, Charnock, Rutherford – are relatively easy to read. By far the easiest Puritan literature is the sermons and these are very common in sets of complete works. So I guess my advice is stick to reading individual Puritan sermons (indexed by text online and also topically in Martin’s, A Guide to the Puritans) and read the tougher Puritan books later. 

What is the best non-fiction and fiction book you have read recently?

I’m glad you asked this question. I recently picked up The Systematic Theology of John Brown of Haddington. Within an hour I realized this is one of the most important books I’ve come across in a long time. It’s a reformed systematic theology of roughly 550 pages written in 1782 and published again in 2002. It includes 27,000 biblical references (that’s about 50 per page!). “Being formed, not to make you read, but to make you think much.” It’s a book that reads like a very detailed catechism, wrapping its arms around the scope of biblical revelation in a near-exhaustive systematic theology. I didn’t know anything like this existed until recently and I’m working on a review that will appear later in May. If your goal is to be mighty in the Scripture (and not just well-read) I would highly-recommend this volume. Brown, like Bunyan, is an unschooled scholar of the Word and souls. Few authors rival Brown in a comprehensive grasp of biblical details and you’ll be impressed how he concludes each section (but I wont spoil the surprise).

My last fiction book, The Odyssey by Homer, was good (I read the updated translation by Fagles). Sadly, I have very little time for fiction nowadays. Maybe on the next summer vacation or something. Any suggestions? I’ve heard the Life of Pi was interesting.

I always recommend reading (or re-reading) Lord of the Rings or anything by Charles Dickens. I’ve also enjoyed Steinbeck’s East of Eden and The Grapes of Wrath. Books can be very personal, though, so recommendations are always a gamble. Each of us has different experiences and interests, thus we all enjoy different books. I suppose that’s why we have so many in the world!

Why do you think reading is important? What has led you to make it a priority in your life?

“Take up and read” was a phrase that floated from a child’s lips in a neighbor’s house and landed in Augustine’s ear. The voice was not directed at him but he took it as a personal command. Augustine immediately opened up to Romans 13:14 in a nearby bible and there found God’s saving graciousness (“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires”). When I think of reading I think of that Latin phrase, tolle lege. Reading has the power to transform prostitute-addicted sinners into Jesus-followers. For me, the phrase “take up and read” is to position your soul for eternal life change. By God’s sovereign grace sinners are eternally transformed by a simple act like reading possible when any authors point us towards the truth. To read excellent books is to position yourself in the way of continued life-transformation. Our calling then is to be discerning readers and eager readers.

Seeing firsthand the power of books in my own life encourages me to read even more. One of the first books I struggled through was God’s Passion for His Glory by Jonathan Edwards and John Piper (edited by Rick Gamache). I’ve read it three times now and consider it one of the very best. Even today when I’m preaching I will frequently reference the glory of God with themes from this book. These concepts are at the front of my brain because years ago I invested a painfully significant amount of time to work through this book. Reading forces me to leave my temporary and fleeting thoughts and focus upon the eternal. To see the fruit of books years later in my sermons and conversations encourages me to read still more.

Are there any other books you would like to recommend?

My friends say I overwhelm them with recommendations so I’ll restrain myself from any more.

How many books do you normally read at a time?

I usually have five or so going at the same time. Often these are on the same subject. It’s amazing how a group of five books will become interwoven into my mind as themes crisscross and begin interacting with one another. I’m too impatient to read through one book at a time. Currently I’m reading Calvin’s Institutes with three Calvin biographies, a commentary on the Institutes (Calvin: An Introduction to His Thought by T.H.L. Parker), three books on the five points of Calvinism and two DVD documentaries on Calvin and Calvinism. This is a lot more than normal but I’ve also allotted more time than usual (5 months).

Do you mark and take notes while you read? If so, how?

I mark all over all my books with a Japanese micro pen (Pigma Micron 005). For the most important quotes I write a summary sentence in the back cover with a page reference and then I index these into an electronic database. My more important Puritan works are all indexed for me so I don’t have as extensive a catalogue myself.

Do you have any advice about reading that others might find helpful?

1. Have a plan for your library. Since the day I was converted, I knew that God was leading me to a life of preaching and teaching of His Word. So I have always built my library with this purpose in mind. I am more heavily invested in commentaries and well-indexed Puritan sermons than contemporary topical books. Newly published topical books are often very good, but they can be intrusive to my library goals. The specific strategy for building a library of well-indexed Puritan literature can be found on my blog (The Puritan Study Series). Pastors (for whom I especially review books) have very limited reading time. That’s why I encourage them to build the Puritan Library and buy books that will drive them deeper into Scripture. For laypersons and preachers who want to use Puritan literature effectively I encourage them to begin with Martin’s, A Guide to the Puritans and build a library around the indexed works. I disagree that the best books are those read from cover-to-cover. Often I think the best books are those you can pick up and spend five minutes and find exactly what you came to see. This is next to impossible unless you plan your library intentionally.
2. Learn how to think critically. As a Liberal Arts major I was forced to ask questions when I read. It was painful at first, but now comes more naturally. Where is this author coming from? What is their background, training and orientation? What is the main point the author trying to make in this specific book? What made this book so important that an author wrote it, an editor accepted it and a publisher printed it? What’s at stake for the author if he/she does not persuade the reader? What basis does the author make his/her point? Does the author give valid arguments? What presuppositions does the author carry into this book? Who does the author most frequently site? Do you agree with the author or not? Why? If the author is a preacher or theologian look up the biblical references. Are these biblically accurate? What passages could have improved the argument? I love reading Calvin’s Institutes because, while most of his arguments are firmly biblical, he almost never exhausts Scriptural reference. I like to add my own references here and there. It keeps me on my toes.
3. Make time to read. I’m not a speed-reader so if you are like me you will probably not find enough time to read unless you make enough time to read. Consider rising earlier and staying up later. Get to Starbucks once a week for a change of scenery where your reading can be more focused and efficient. Also learn to read amidst frequent interruptions and/or with your family. I’ve learned to read John Owen on my stomach with two small children climbing on my back. Find ways to branch out and be in the presence of your family when reading. I especially enjoy reading together with my wife in the kitchen at night. Become flexible and creative.
4. Be content to put books aside. Just because you bought it recently doesn’t mean you must read it. If, upon further evidence, it does not look like a book you expected put it aside and go back to something that did interest you. Every minute of reading is precious so only read the best literature you can find. Most people feel guilty with unread books on their shelves. In my view this could either be a sign of laziness or a triumph in discernment.

Would you like to add anything else?

Just a few final thoughts come to mind. I encourage every pastor to supply his people with a list of recommended reading and even a small church bookstore. I’ve seen church book tables with as few as five titles but any amount of good books for your congregation will help formulate the doctrine and life of the church. These titles also provide a base of accountability for everyone.

Finally, a Christian who reads a lot faces special dangers. I have found myself falling into what Spurgeon called “borrowed communion” where I think that because I’m reading a great devotional work that I automatically am enjoying communion with God. That may not be the case. Because I am prone to reading books and neglecting daily time in Scripture, I have an accountability partner in my life specifically asking me questions to gauge how I am doing here. Christians are sanctified in the truth and the truth is in the Word. Failing to read Scripture directly will lead to a lack of growth no matter how large of a Puritan library you build.

Thanks for your answers, Tony!

Thank you, Josh for this opportunity to talk about books. It’s my honor. Continue your excellent work at DG. Many thousands are blessed by your work who will never know you. Thank you for your example of humble service!

The Reading Interviews is a series about books changing lives. The hope is that the answers will inspire us to read well and widely. This page will be updated when each interview is posted. Here are the interviews so far:

Hemant Mehta, Teacher, Author, and Blogger
April 24, 2008

Michael Leddy, Author and Professor
June 4, 2007

Internet Monk (Michael Spencer), Campus Minister and Teacher
May 15, 2007

Tim Challies, Web Designer and Blogger
April 20, 2007

Doug Groothuis, Author and Professor
April 9, 2007

Joshua Hynes, Web Designer
April 4, 2007

Steve McCoy, Pastor
March 29, 2007

Tony Reinke, Graphic Artist and Copywriter
March 26, 2007

Joe Thorn, Pastor
March 20, 2007

Macht, Engineer
March 16, 2007

Jeremy A., Accountant
February 26, 2007

Justin Taylor, Author and Editor
February 19, 2007