If you know me at all, you probably know that I am involved with books (reading, writing, selling, loaning, and giving them away).
My first acquaintance with Christian books was during my first-class year at the Naval Academy in 1950 when Corrie ten Boom gave me her book A Prisoner and Yet. Other books which had a major effect in my life include The Calvary Road by Roy Hession in 1951; Continuous Revival by Norman Grubb in 1956; Behind the Ranges, a biography of James Fraser, in 1957; and C.T. Studd by Norman Grubb in 1951. In particular, I have used biographies of godly men and women as models for me to imitate.
Here are a few thoughts about types of books. First, I like good writing. Second, I like good content, whether the books are fiction, history, or biography.
When I was a senior at the Naval Academy and had been a Christian a little over two years, I read a book on apologetics. I loved it. I set about debating with classmates using apologetics. I loved to argue.
It did not take me long to realize that this apologetic approach was a problem. I could win arguments but not win people. In fact, I might alienate people. In addition to this, I got into the argument in such a way I would get into sin, not with my facts or reasoning, but with my attitude. With a very few exceptions, I gave up apologetics and arguing from that point on. I may give an apologetic book to someone, but I will not talk apologetics.
Later, I learned 2 Timothy 2:23-26: “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.”
So I learned how to avoid foolish questions. Knowing the answer to such a question is not a good enough reason to give it. The other person does not want an answer. He wants to quarrel, and “the servant of the Lord must not quarrel.” Recently I got into a Bible discussion. I violated this principle and went to bed confessing sin. I am to teach with kindness and gentleness.
I used to like reading Dickens. I could open one of his books at random and enjoy any page. But I had a problem. I wanted to jump into the book and evangelize. I did not want to read about kids in trouble when I was ministering to kids in trouble all week. Why entertain myself with more tragedy when I was living with it daily? I stopped reading David Copperfield and Great Expectations.
The same happened with Dostoyevsky. It also happened with military history. I learned from history, but I had to read about men dying by the hundreds and thousands because of poor leadership. Why read about dying in war when I had been next to dying men in the Korean War? As a Christian, I not only saw men dying; I saw them dying without Christ.
When I was at sea off and on for six years, I read my Bible. Early in that time, I decided that if I found a command in the Bible that to my knowledge no one had ever obeyed, by grace I would obey it. When I got back to home port, I found I was out of step with the Christians because of this obedience.
I have read some systematic theology (all kinds). I found that these systems were all partly right, but dogmatically wrong also. So I do not read theology. Instead, I read biographies. I imitate the good things and avoid the bad things. I read books on evangelism and holiness (not the doctrine of holiness, but holiness in fact).
How to be Free from Bitterness was first printed in Annapolis in a mimeographed newspaper which we called The Nameless News. For the next twenty-five years, I included it in many lectures. In 1990, our oldest son had it transcribed and printed 1,000 copies. Since then, we have printed 10,000 to 15,000 copies a year. It has been translated into 20 different languages.
My first acquaintance with Christian books was during my first-class year at the Naval Academy in 1950 when Corrie ten Boom gave me her book A Prisoner and Yet. Other books which had a major effect in my life include The Calvary Road by Roy Hession in 1951; Continuous Revival by Norman Grubb in 1956; Behind the Ranges, a biography of James Fraser, in 1957; and C.T. Studd by Norman Grubb in 1951. In particular, I have used biographies of godly men and women as models for me to imitate.
Here are a few thoughts about types of books. First, I like good writing. Second, I like good content, whether the books are fiction, history, or biography.
When I was a senior at the Naval Academy and had been a Christian a little over two years, I read a book on apologetics. I loved it. I set about debating with classmates using apologetics. I loved to argue.
It did not take me long to realize that this apologetic approach was a problem. I could win arguments but not win people. In fact, I might alienate people. In addition to this, I got into the argument in such a way I would get into sin, not with my facts or reasoning, but with my attitude. With a very few exceptions, I gave up apologetics and arguing from that point on. I may give an apologetic book to someone, but I will not talk apologetics.
Later, I learned 2 Timothy 2:23-26: “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.”
So I learned how to avoid foolish questions. Knowing the answer to such a question is not a good enough reason to give it. The other person does not want an answer. He wants to quarrel, and “the servant of the Lord must not quarrel.” Recently I got into a Bible discussion. I violated this principle and went to bed confessing sin. I am to teach with kindness and gentleness.
I used to like reading Dickens. I could open one of his books at random and enjoy any page. But I had a problem. I wanted to jump into the book and evangelize. I did not want to read about kids in trouble when I was ministering to kids in trouble all week. Why entertain myself with more tragedy when I was living with it daily? I stopped reading David Copperfield and Great Expectations.
The same happened with Dostoyevsky. It also happened with military history. I learned from history, but I had to read about men dying by the hundreds and thousands because of poor leadership. Why read about dying in war when I had been next to dying men in the Korean War? As a Christian, I not only saw men dying; I saw them dying without Christ.
When I was at sea off and on for six years, I read my Bible. Early in that time, I decided that if I found a command in the Bible that to my knowledge no one had ever obeyed, by grace I would obey it. When I got back to home port, I found I was out of step with the Christians because of this obedience.
I have read some systematic theology (all kinds). I found that these systems were all partly right, but dogmatically wrong also. So I do not read theology. Instead, I read biographies. I imitate the good things and avoid the bad things. I read books on evangelism and holiness (not the doctrine of holiness, but holiness in fact).
How to be Free from Bitterness was first printed in Annapolis in a mimeographed newspaper which we called The Nameless News. For the next twenty-five years, I included it in many lectures. In 1990, our oldest son had it transcribed and printed 1,000 copies. Since then, we have printed 10,000 to 15,000 copies a year. It has been translated into 20 different languages.
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