Reading to the Glory of God

I was talking with my dearest friend, brother and co-laborer in Christ, Steve (see his blog, “All Things New,” in my blogroll), yesterday, and he shared a new endeavor that is worth repeating and emulating.

Steve joined a book club at his local public library. Perhaps you’re thinking that “Being Nerdy to the Glory of God” would have been a more appropriate title for this entry. No. The book club membership is not an end, but a means that Steve has chosen to shine the light and glory of Christ in his neighborhood.

Typically, the club selects a particular title; they spend an allotment of time reading, and then converge again to discuss the work in a reasonably sized group. I assure you, Steve’s intended reading list is too long and his life too busy to chisel out the time and energy necessary to read and dialogue about recent titles in pop-culture. However, he is willing to spend and be spent for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is precisely why he’s joined the group.

Steve’s desire is to hear the culture through the literature and conversation, understand the writers’ perspectives, and then interpret each book through the Christian worldview. All this, to the end of sharing with the group the Christian perspective of not only the book as a book, but also the often personal (and/or cosmic) issues that it may raise. Strategically, Steve’s wisely decided to use the tried and true Creation/Fall/Redemption paradigm to classify each books content, evaluating the material: “affirming the good, correcting the bad, and presenting the gospel.”

I found Steve’s idea fresh and imaginative. Certainly worth sharing and imitating.

The Lord bless you, Steve, joining him in the missio Dei, right where you are! Keep us updated!