Skye Jethani:
So here’s what I’ve learned. If someone has been dead for a while and his book is still in print and widely read, then it’s probably worth reading. And, if we’re honest, there are precious few books written by Christian authors today that will still be read in 24 months, let alone 24 years. I want to use my reading time to immerse myself in powerfully formative material, and not just flash-in-the-pan trends. Does this mean I never read living authors? No, of course not. But if they’re not dead, I like them to be pretty close. I can usually trust that they’re not going to waste what time they have left on this earth writing sappy Hallmark card sentimental Evangelical fluff.Read the rest.
Same goes for music! Turn off the radio and listen to some Bach or John Coltrane! In the long run, it will feed your soul so much more.
3 comments:
I just wrote on facebook last week that I want to read more books that will still be around in 25 years. As much as I was challenged by books like Radical (David Platt), enjoyed books like Hello I Love You (Ted Kluck), and learned from books like What is the Gospel? (Greg Gilbert), these books will (probably) be little remembered in a few years. I was looking over my list from last year and the ones that challenged me the most were true classics--Augustine, John Bunyan, RC Sproul, and Francis Schaeffer. I have been reading John Calvin and John Owen lately. They have staying power.
I haven't read much in the dead guy department, but I have enjoyed the ones that I have read and have added several to my reading list for this year including Ryle's Holiness. I've read Sibbes (Bruised Reed) and Ryle (Duties of Parents). What "dead guys" have had the greatest influence on you?
I would definitely read:
Confessions by Augustine
Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
How Shall We Then Live by Francis Schaeffer
I am currently reading "Overcoming Sin and Temptation" a series of 3 books by John Owen put out by Crossway. It is excellent. I am also slowly working my way through Calvin's Institutes (I am now into book 3).
On my list are Ryle's Holiness, Chesterton's Orthodoxy, Edwards Religious Affections, Pascal's Pensees, Augustine's City of God, and a few others.
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