Wednesday, February 02, 2011

I Read Dead People


People ask me all the time, “Who do you read?” In most cases they’re looking for book recommendations. (Some people, particularly Calvinistas, are trying to determine if I’m safe--are my ideas and my theology grounded in what they see as credible sources.) But my answer usually surprises them: “I read dead people.”

What do I mean? In my role with Leadership Journal I get dozens of books sent to me almost every week from publishers. They’re looking for some good press, an endorsement, or a review in our pages. And while there are some very good books being written these days (we feature the best every year with our Golden Canon awards), there is also a lot of chaff. I simply don’t have time to read everything.

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

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2 comments:

RMBruton said...

Robin,
i have to shake my head or roll my eyes whenever I see one of my co-workers reading some new volume of tripe by the likes of Joel Osteen. Like you, most of my favorite authors are all dead, they've stood the test of time.

Robin G. Jordan said...

Richard,

With a shoestring book budget and so many classics in electronic edition now available on the Internet I naturally tend to read more of the older works. I read some living authors but I am selective about what I read. I generally avoid the light weight books written for popular consumption. I am presently working my way through three books of recent authorship right now about small-membership churches. Both Brandon O'Brian and Lyell Schaller have a lot of experience between them, particular Schaller who is seventy. I have already learned things just from reading the introductions.

The fourth book of recent authorship I am reading, The Anti-Arminians, grew out of a doctoral thesis and is well-researched. It is certainly not "fluff."