I definitely could not relate to the person who wrote the foreword for this book because he said he hated to read. Gasp! But I do understand that there are some who aren't that thrilled with reading. I read a lot. And for the most part I enjoy reading. I requested this book to review because I struggle with what to read and why to read. In chapter 1, Reinke attempts to give a fast breakdown of the good of books and reading, from a Christian perspective. The title of the book is a play on words; it stands for literature but also enlightenment. "Lit is short for literature, which is long for books, which is the topic of this book. Lit reminds us that the glow of God's creative power is all around us...Most importantly, lit represents a conviction underlying this entire book: Christian readers are illuminated by "the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ (2 Cor. 4:4). "In him was life, and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4)" (loc 210).Chapter 2 is a rundown of the author's personal journey I suppose from reading to really reading and seeing a connection to God in that. I thought this chapter so long and drawn-out. I appreciate Christian books where the gospel is there (that as humans we are sinners and in need of a savior, that without that savior we will be on our way to eternal damnation, that we need to see our need and then repent of our sins, and finally accept Christ as our savior) but...I had a difficult time not just skimming this entire chapter. "Fundamentally, literacy is a spiritual discipline that must overcome the spiritual darkness that veils us" (loc 571).Chapter 3 discusses the way reading is ultimately superior to watching television {smile}. He didn't really say that but... it's true! He even quotes from Amusing Ourselves to Death. "What will we lose if we ignore books? And what will we lose if we fill our lives for the next twenty years with sitcoms, movies, ESPN, video games, and the Internet? What will we gain if we fill our lives for the next twenty years with disciplined reading" (loc 605)? I do have a lot of highlights from this chapter on my Kindle but I won't barrage this post with them all. Suffice it to say that Reinke is much more in favor of cultivating a love for literacy than television and the image driven society. I'll move along to chapter 6 where Reinke talks about imagination. What a wondrous thing is the imagination!"God has given us the ability to "see" in our minds things that we have never experienced...secondary imagination [imagination that doesn't arise from our personal experiences] is essential for our pursuit of godliness, and that it's a skill we can sharpen by reading" (loc 1303). The rest of the chapter talks about instances in the Bible where that secondary imagination is required because really, who has seen the things portrayed in the books of prophecy in the Bible as they are written? They are symbolic and that requires our imagination."Christians can read a broad array of books for our personal benefit, but only if we read with discernment. And we will only read with discernment if the biblical convictions are firmly settled in our minds and hearts. Once they are, we have a touchstone to determine what is pure gold and what is worthless" (loc 940).As it gets into the second part of the book, Reinke gives advice on what to read, what to avoid, and why he suggests what he does. One thing that I have a very difficult time with is that with the exception of some things, I felt Reinke was saying [although he does not really say this; it's just a personal hang up perhaps] we should read books by non-Christians because we would see God through them because whatever is light is from God. But... Satan is the angel of light... And here is a quote from Martin Luther that Reinke uses: "For no heresy has ever sprung from pagan belief, from Aristotle, and from the books of other heathen. No, these necessarily emerge from the church...heresy and false doctrine are taken and adduced from no other source than Scripture" (loc 951).Overall, I found it to be a thought provoking book that may be of benefit to those who are on the fence about reading only "Christian" books as opposed to "non-Christian" books. My {oh-so-informed} advice: first and foremost, go to God's Word; next go to God in prayer. He will tell you if it is a good book or not to be reading. I received this free from Crossway for the purpose of an honest review. This book is a game-changer.I am still processing the richness of wisdom that this book contains. By the time I finished part 2, my brain had essentially melted with the explosions of possibilities going off on my mind. When Tony Reinke says 'I'm going to give you practical tips on how to love reading', he really. freaking. delivers.The first half of this book sets you up for success as a reader. Reinke calls it 'the theology of reading': in essence, he lays a foundation upon which a Christian can establish an approach to reading that can literally produce a lifetime of pleasure and personal/social growth, as well as a more intimate connection to Christ. He avers that having an incredibly solid Biblical worldview is essential to sifting through the millions of books we have available to read. He explains how this 'reading theology' helps us to get to the good stuff, the really good stuff... the books that change lives, fuel conversations, forge friendships, define worldviews.The latter half of the book gives you about five zillion incredibly thoughtful and simple tips to how to make reading part of your lifestyle: how to choose what to read and what to skip, how to read more, better, faster, how to share what you read in a useful and edifying way, how to get the most out of the books you read, how to be balanced in what you read (i.e. not making reading a sport or social prejudice like eating organically or 'i read more pages than the guy next to me on the bus') and so much more. All of it is done from the context that there is one primary book -- Scripture -- and because of the beauty, truth and transforming redemptive power that book contains, we are able to identify all of those things (and the significance in the lack of these qualities) in both Christian and secular literature. Reinke explains how BOTH types of literature have value and should be included in the diet of a modern Christian.One of the things I found so freaking inspiring about this book is Reinke's thorough, research-oriented approach to writing the book. Every thesis had its supporting clauses, evidence and personal anecdotes. He made me realize that wisdom, inspiration, entertainment, philosophy, theology and more were all within my grasp to truly understand and enjoy. That stuff is not just limited to geniuses, deep thinkers, yadda yadda. Deep, critical learning in life is not limited to the days we spend studying in school-- but that by applying ourselves in specific attitudes of reading, we can promote a lifetstyle of wisdom, reflection, development, joy... that as deep as God goes, our understanding can go... and that is incredibly refreshing and encouraging. There is so much more to life than my Netflix (which I still love), more to life than my hours of brainless stimulation online. I may not be in school, but my development as both a human and as a Christian need never cease so long as I know how to read, and read well. He demonstrates what a miraculous thing it is to be able to read and, ultimately, that it is one of life's most sweet and inestimable blessings.
What do You think about Lees! (2013)?
Profoundly helpful and will have an effect on how I approach reading.
—nickiiiiiiii
I think this was my favorite book of 2014.
—bubbaxoxo
