Striving to Make the Complex Simple

In my last post I wrote about the transitory nature of some books versus the lasting value of others. However, I think it is also worth noting that we live in a day when we have access to a wide variety of top-notch Christian books. The problem, as some correctly noted in the comments connected to my last post, is that too many Christians either do not know about such books or do not care to read them. Oftentimes what is overprinted and overstocked are silly books that publishers hope will sell and make them lots of money. Unfortunately this happens just often enough--who can forget the classic "Prayer of Jabez"--that publishers are willing to take a chance on what can only be described as theological junk food hoping that they have the rights to the next Christian bestseller. Whether these "popular" books do anyone any good only God knows, but regardless, there are much better options available for those who know where to look, and for those who are prepared by pastors and teachers to read and benefit from them.

But herein lies a potential snag. I believe much more can be done to make people aware of the literary riches available. Book reviews and suggested readings to go along with sermons and Bible classes would be a step in the right direction. But these must be accompanied by skillful presentations that empower people to learn for themselves and not just from professional ministers and teachers. For this to be accomplished we must teach people how to read their Bibles and books about the Bible. And we must encourage authors to strive for clarity as well as theological precision when they write. In the courses I teach at the seminary I almost always have the students write a book review as part of their course work. Some of the reviews I get back from students have insightful and helpful comments about how authors and publishers could make their works even better in terms of more accessible to common people of average intelligence, not to mention new Christians with little biblical background and understanding.

Every discipline has its own jargon and terminology which facilitates discussion and understanding on the part of insiders. At one level there is nothing wrong with this and those who want to learn and participate in the group must learn its language. But when it comes to Christianity we must never forget that evangelism is one of our most basic responsibilities, and therefore, if we use jargon and terminology we must do all that we can to make it transparent to others. We want people to know what we are talking about. We should not obscure what God has revealed in order to protect our theological turf. When I read some excellent books I get the definite impression that the authors are more concerned to sound "scholarly" or "clever" than they are to write so that the maximum number of people can benefit. There will always be a need for scholars, but there is also a crying need for those who can write and teach the common people the wonderful things revealed in God's word. The ability to write and talk so that few can understand should not be confused with brilliance. Those who are truly gifted make the complex simple.