Reading With Purpose Review - Cave To The Cross Apologetics

Reading With Purpose By Nancy Wilson

Reading With Purpose By Nancy Wilson

Synopsis:

Nancy Wilson’s message to the Christian is that the Christian doesn’t read to just check off a box on a list. The Christian reads to share in the nature and characteristic of God who is also a storyteller. The things a Christian reads aren’t thought of in a vacuum of the space between one’s ears but should be thought of with and through the Christian worldview.

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Review

As a Christian, I am beholden by desire and conviction to see all things through the lens of a Christian worldview. Literature is one of those important things where an internal and external look will not only benefit to glean the most out of a book but also see which parts are true or not. It is not to say that unbelievers cannot write good books. Part of looking at the internal critique is whether the author “sits” well in his/her viewpoint and see how far it takes them. When they run out of road, so to speak, is where the external critique comes into play. All that to say that this book might be of some help in reminding one how to get the most out of any book they come into contact with. A child’s storybook, a historical biography, a science fiction space opera, or a medical drama – all are written out via a worldview and then taken in via a possible opposing worldview.

Wilson does a good job of showing the different epochs of time in general. What faulters is not adding to the length to go into more detail about how those periods are characterized by the books that were popular and not just knowing the periods of history and pointing to the books that show those worldviews in action. There is a section at the beginning talking about looking at what a story/book says about God, man, life, etc., and seeing if it’s true. Some time should have been taken to show in what ways those various stages in history have shown some truth as a way to point to the common imago dei shared that these periods still show. There is also some commentary about poor writing in regard to books like “Left Behind”. Sure, call for the theology to be in disagreement with the authors’. However, the call of the writing as being poor needed to show some proof. This part early in the book treads too much on the common ground probably shared by most of the readers. But causing one to ask, and not just with this collection of books, well where does poor writing come into play and where does bad theology/anthropology/biology/ethics start?

The trade-off of brevity for further help is felt. However, as a first exposure piece to literature critique from a worldview perspective and the importance of parents/educators/Christians to do their due diligence, it does offer a good first stepping stone.

Final Grade