Amusing Ourselves to Death
Literature that is rich in vocabulary and truthful in content builds our cognitive skills, heightens our conscience, and awakens our moral imagination. Much of this is missing in today’s literature. Just take a look at the plethora of books on the shelves of bookstores and libraries across our nation. Many are written merely to amuse and entertain. Neil Postman addressed this crisis in his book, Amusing Ourselves to Death. The title says it all.
Without our conscience working in tandem with our cognitive skills, we lose an eternal focus and moral compass. However, when we reads literature that is grounded in delight, truth, and wisdom, the result is an awakened conscience that opens our eyes and fills our soul. Noah Webster wrote in 1821:
An immense effect may be produced by small powers wisely and steadily directed.
This accumulation of godly knowledge prods us to walk in the fear of the LORD, thus delivering us from a life of frivolous pursuits. The Apostle Peter gives a good illustration concerning the danger of meaningless pursuits:
… Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds (2 Peter 2:7-8).
Note that Lot didn’t “do” any of these godless things, but rather he was vexed day to day by what he saw and heard. The word vexed appears twice here but as two different Greek words. The first word for vex carries the meaning of oppression or to wear out. The second word for vex means to torture, torment, or terrorize. What we see and hear (which includes what we read) will have a profound influence upon our very soul.
Great minds of the past understood the importance of reading truthful, inspiring literature:
Abraham Lincoln:
The things I want to know are in books; my best friend is the man who will get me a book I have not read.
A.W. Tozer:
Next to the Holy Scriptures, the greatest aid to the life of faith may be Christian biographies.
Ralph Waldo Emerson:
Many times the reading of a book has made the future of a man.
If we encounter a man of rare intellect we should ask him what books he reads.
The Apostle Paul:
Bad company corrupts good morals.
Anonymous:
A man is known by the company he keeps. It is also true that a person's character is, to a large extent, developed by the books he reads.
Daniel Webster:
If religious books are not widely circulated among the masses in this country, I do not know what is going to become of us as a nation. If truth be not diffused, error will be.
If God and His Word are not known and received, the devil and his works will gain the ascendancy; If the evangelical volume does not reach every hamlet, the pages of a corrupt and licentious literature will.
Ecclesiastes 12:
Of the making of many books there is no end and much study will be wearisome to the flesh.
A closer look at this passage shows that books without delight, truth, and wisdom are to be rejected. God warns us that anything outside of these will bring harm. In contrast, just as godless words and books will wear us out, godly words of delight, truth, and wisdom will become fixed values that guide and fulfill us.
If you are not a reader or have gotten away from a healthy diet of good books, it is time to redeem the time. To get you back on track, I recommend the following books that purify the heart and revive the soul.
May these words of delight, truth, and wisdom be fastened like nails in our hearts today!
Sincerely,
Mark Hamby
M.S., M. Div., Th. M., D. Min.
Recommended books for those who don’t like to read:
D. L. Moody, the Greatest Evangelist of the 19th Century (Ages 9+)
George Mueller (Ages 9+)
More than Conqueror (Ages 9+)
Stick to the Raft (Ages 9+)
Come What May (Ages 12+)
Bruchko (Ages 12+)
For those who need to get back to reading:
The Basket of Flowers (Ages 9+)
The Wild Goose Chase (Ages 12+)
Let Go (Ages 12+)
Tale of Three Kings (Ages 12+)
Idols of the Heart (Ages 12+)
Titus: A Comrade of the Cross (Ages 12+)
