Reading is Spiritual Warfare | Redeemed Reader

Reviewing School Book Lists, Part Four: Reading is Spiritual Warfare | Redeemed Reader.

This is an interesting and helpful article on viewing reading as spiritual warfare, especially for young readers but certainly something applicable for all of us.

I have not followed the entire train of posts on “Redeemed Reader” involving the death of the high school student referred to here, but this post can stand by itself.

I give you a part of the online article; you will find the rest at the link above.

But if reading generally is spiritual warfare, it changes everything. What we allow our kids to read and when. How they read, and the kinds of support they should receive. In short, it changes the most fundamental ways Christians ought to relate to books.

Reading Is Spiritual Warfare
Christians often disagree about what kinds of books ought to be read and at what age. But our disagreement is more than that, really. Many Christians don’t see reading as spiritual warfare at all. Here are two big reasons I think this is the case:

1. We Think Too Little of Books: Those in book culture (librarians, teachers, publishers, writers) often present English class as primarily about technical analysis and writing technique. In a secular environment, teachers can’t be seen as promoting a particular religion so reading and writing (which engage the deepest questions of life historically answered by religion) are talked about purely in terms of mechanics. Of course, AP English exams which reflect college courses across the nation show this isn’t the case; there is a very strict worldview criteria being used to select books. Authors that reflect conservative and Christian points of view are largely excluded. But because we are told the study of literature is only about secular literary techniques, Christians often miss the worldview clash going on in teachers’ curriculum choices and in students’ hearts.

2. We Elevate Books Too High: On the other hand, conservative readers often put too much trust in good and “great” books. Now, I am a huge proponent of digging up better books for kids. Christians have much to gain by seeking out older, tried-and-true books for their children. But I see two possible ways to fall here: a) Christian and Conservative Fiction “Lite”: If your child only reads cute books written in the 50s or current Christian fiction, your kids will never come face to face with literature’s God-created power and beauty. Sometimes, to keep them from drowning, we keep kids in the kiddie pool all their lives.
b) The Great Books: On the other hand, some parents who realize the peril of pop-culture open the foundational classics to their kids.  These books may indeed be better aesthetically and even morally. But students are by no means safe. The Great Books represent an often heated debate among many different worldviews. Students may appreciate the power and beauty of literature in a fuller way, but they will still be practicing spiritual warfare—this time on a level many parents won’t understand. To protect and nurture their faith, readers of Great Books need more—not less—ability to wrestle with what they read in light of Scripture.