Widespread literacy is taken for granted in America today. Our global economy, societal structures, professional success, and everyday activities depend upon our ability to read, even as our interest in reading books appears to be declining. Even among those of us who read as a pastime, we don’t always ask ourselves why or how well we read. For an activity that has the potential to profoundly shape our thoughts, feelings, and actions, however, these questions ought to merit some reflection, particularly for the Christian reader.
In Reading for the Love of God: How to Read as a Spiritual Practice, Jessica Hooten Wilson, Ph.D., has provided an opportunity for such reflection. This little book packs a big punch in its stated goal of imbuing the practice of reading with a spiritual focus and character. Wilson asserts: “I want to promote ‘spiritual reading’ because, as George Bernanos writes, ‘grace is everywhere.’… Everything that Christians do should be spiritual.” On the whole, the book succeeds in making a good case for this thesis and provides ample reasons and methods to grow in the practice of spiritual reading.
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