When was the last time you read a book? Studies routinely show that a significant number of Americans do not read books. The numbers vary somewhat, ranging from 17% to 23% saying that they did not read any part of a book in the previous twelve months1 to nearly half saying they did not complete a book.2 Those Americans who do read seem to be reading fewer books on average than previous generations. In response researchers offer various theories to explain this downward trend in reading, including the general busyness of Americans and the rise of all things digital, but no one is really certain about the cause.
Christians as readers
Christians have always been readers. We follow our Savior’s example who, when tempted by the devil, offered this familiar quotation: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). And we have been given this commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you” (Matt. 28:19-20a). In order to obey these instructions, Christians must read and study the Bible, even though many believers do not.3
But Christians also have a long heritage of writing and reading other literature, especially books for Bible study, theology, personal devotion, spiritual growth, worship, and recreation. Before he left them, Jesus promised his disciples the Holy Spirit would be with them to guide them “into all the truth” and “disclose…what is to come” (Jn. 16:13). Two more times in that same passage Jesus said the Spirit would disclose things which he received from the Father through the Son.
The apostle Paul seems to confirm this when he says that Christ gave gifts to the church including the apostles and prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers (Eph. 4:11). While we gain access to the work of the apostles and prophets by reading inspired Scripture, the ministries of the others are limited to the immediate audiences of their sermons and spiritual counsel. Some of these faithful men also wrote books, and in this way entire generations of Christian disciples can benefit from the wisdom and insights they shared, and the grace by which they served the church.
God has given extremely wise and gifted men in previous centuries from whom we can and should benefit.
All of this is to say that we, as Christians, ought to have a high level of interest in reading both the Scriptures and books written by our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the centuries. In fact, I would argue that we should be even more inclined to read than those who do not claim to follow Jesus for at least a couple of reasons. First, wisdom is not contained in our generation only; God has given extremely wise and gifted men in previous centuries from whom we can and should benefit. Second, there has been a kind of distillation process by which the church has refined its understanding of doctrine, and we want to benefit from all that sharpening.
Why aren’t we reading?
One of the reasons cited in nearly every article about the decline in reading says that we Americans are becoming busier. With the fast pace of modern life, we just don’t have time to read according to this view. I suspect that is not really the root issue. It is true that we have become very busy, but I think it is also true that we have more leisure time than at any point in recorded history. The issue isn’t whether we have the time to read, but that we choose to do other things, especially when there is a seemingly endless array of digital media at our fingertips. It’s just easier to binge television shows or movies than to read a book, especially one that requires any kind of mental effort and focus.
I think Christians should practice some self-evaluation here. How much time am I spending each day engaging my mind in the words of Scripture? How much time is spent reading and thinking about the glories of God? How much time is invested in discipleship – my own and someone else’s? How much time is used for imagination and creativity? And how much time is given to merely being entertained?
There are no hard-and-fast rules for this, and I can’t tell you how much time you should spend in each. You may be in a season of life in which you barely have time and mental energy to read or meditate on a few verses of Scripture throughout the day. (I’m thinking especially of the young mom with a house full of kids who require her almost constant attention.) Or you may suffer from a health condition that prevents you from focusing your mind on extended theological arguments. Only you can decide how this should play out in your personal life, but it is a good idea to ask yourself, “Am I making the most of my time?”
The apostle Paul counseled the Ephesian church to, “be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:15-16). He prayed that the Philippians would, “approve the things that are excellent” (Phil. 1:9) and instructed them to dwell on, “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise” (4:8). These are helpful guidelines when thinking about how we choose to spend our time.
At least read the Bible!
Have you been reading and meditating on God’s word? To help with this, we have created a daily reading plan as part of the church calendar since 20174. We read through the entire Bible every two years, which is a pace that just about anyone can maintain. It helps if you know that there are others reading along, and you might benefit from asking your discipleship partner(s) about what you have read each week when you meet. Even children can read through the Bible or learn to sit quietly and listen for a few minutes of reading each day. Our family started this before our youngest was born, and she has grown up with daily Bible reading as a part of her routine. By the end of this year, we will have read through the entire Bible 4 times as a family, and in January we’ll begin again. I won’t say it has been easy. We struggle at times with bad attitudes and grumbling (mostly my own), and days we have missed. We do not normally have great epiphanies or profound spiritual moments, but we keep on, expecting to benefit from the regular diet of God’s word.
Let me encourage you to renew your commitment to regularly read, study, and meditate on the Scriptures. This is where our faith journey begins, but it is also how it proceeds, and how it will end. You will never outgrow the need for reading and thinking about God and his word. I began this post intending to discuss why and how Christians should read good books, and I expect to address that issue still. That will be the focus of my next installment, but until then, let’s be in the word of God!
1 Summaries of the 2021 Gallup and Pew Research polls: https://news.gallup.com/poll/388541/americans-reading-fewer-books-past.aspx; https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/09/21/who-doesnt-read-books-in-america/.
2 This is from a 2024 Google poll summarized here: https://testprepinsight.com/resources/us-book-reading-statistics/.
3 According to the 2024 Google poll above, less than 1% of American adults said they read the Bible through last year.
4 The readings are also posted daily on our page at www.facebook.com/ebcelkhorn.