For Yourself

One of the things I say to the people in my congregation is, “I can’t read your Bible for you. You should read it for yourself.” In our congregation we have a very heavy accent on personal Bible reading. By God’s grace it has captured the imagination.. and effort… of many.

The Bible is a primary source. You should read it for yourself.

That’s true of C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton as well. Lots and lots of people, especially pastors, quote them. “The Screwtape Letters.” “Mere Christianity.” The Great Divorce.” “Orthodoxy.” “The Everlasting Man.”

They are primary sources. You should read them for yourself.

I had seen “Democracy” by de Tocqueville quoted endlessly. Today you often hear references to “The Federalist Papers.” Both sides of the political aisle are defending their positions based on the Constitution of the United States.

Again, these are all primary sources. You should read them for yourself.

When I began my ministry, the Church Growth Movement was in full swing. There were endless books and conferences on how to grow your congregation by putting secular management and organization theory to work for the Kingdom of God. The idea was that all truth is God’s truth so, if there is something true about the more effective or efficient manufacturing of automobiles, that truth might help your congregation to grow more effectively and efficiently. I saw Edwards Deming quoted a lot.

He was a primary source. I read him for myself.

I read Michel Foucault for the same reason, not that he was quoted in Church Growth material, but because he was quoted in other things I had been reading. After hearing so much about him, I looked up his work and read some of it. Let me readily admit I had a hard time understanding him.

But he was a primary source. I read him for myself.

Right now I am working my way through “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman. Many quote his work, especially those in the area of pop psychology. He has some fascinating stories and research on decision making. It would be interesting to know what he thinks about all of the decisions that have been and are being made regarding the virus crisis.

He is a primary source. And fascinating. I am reading him for myself.

That seems significant to me this week. Instead of having things filtered by others, why not read the primary sources for yourself? With so many books to read (Ecclesiastes 12:12) and so little time, reading the primary sources for yourself seems a significant practice.

What primary sources have you found significant?