Reading the Dead

In a recent article, Skye Jethani explains that he would much rather read dead authors than living:

If someone has been dead for a while and his book is still in print and widely read, then it’s probably worth reading. And, if we’re honest, there are precious few books written by Christian authors today that will still be read in 24 months, let alone 24 years. I want to use my reading time to immerse myself in powerfully formative material, and not just flash-in-the-pan trends. Does this mean I never read living authors? No, of course not. But if they’re not dead, I like them to be pretty close. I can usually trust that they’re not going to waste what time they have left on this earth writing sappy Hallmark card sentimental Evangelical fluff.

I agree with most of what Jethani says here. I tend to read a pretty good mixture of old and new books. Recently, I have read books by John Piper, Tullian Tchividjian, and mixed in a bit of Martin Luther. There is a bit sarcasm in the statement that Jethani likes his authors to be dead or “pretty close,” but there is obvious value to his point. If you walk into any LifeWay or Family Christian store today, you will find some great books and collections by C.S. Lewis, Charles Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards, and others. However, for every classic work still in circulation, there are 245,671 books by authors you’ve never heard of that think they have a great new spin on something.

This post is not an insult to newer authors, but there is a benefit to reading men who passed on 100+ years ago who still have a high readership. My caution would be not to jump at every new book that comes out and is over-hyped with endorsements. One example of this that comes to mind is the explosion that occured with Rob Bell’s first book, Velvet Elvis. With his popularity and interesting takes on “Christian spirituality,” I read the book pretty quickly after it came out. I liked the book fairly well, moreso than many conservative theologians did. That said, Bell’s book is filled with doctrinal mistakes and borderline heresies. Bell is not afraid to step out and argue that the virgin birth is not necessary to what we think about Jesus. For every reader that can discern these things, there were thousands who may have been (and still are) seriously led astray by his views.  In other cases, some books are just flat out duds even if they are doctrinally sound.

My rule of thumb is always this: if a new book is not by an author who has some sort of track-record for publishing Gospel-centered, edifying material then I avoid it until someone whose discernment I trust advocates it. There is always a person who is willing to take a chance on green authors, but for my money it just isn’t worth it.

Go read some dead guys, chances are their books wouldn’t still be around if they stunk.