Tony Reinke - Lit! : a Christian guide to reading books

I read many books, but seldom do I enjoy one more than I did Tony Reinkes Lit! Many of my greatest childhood adventures, and much of my growth after I was converted as a teenager, came through reading imagination-expanding and life-changing books. Tonys writing is thoughtful, perceptive, concise, and God-honoring. He upholds biblical authority and offers helpful guidance, while allowing for a range of tastes. Lit! rings true to my own lifetime of reading experience. As a reader and writer of both nonfiction and fiction, I appreciate the breadth of Tonys treatment, which includes a variety of genres. For book lovers, this is a treasure and delight. For those who arent book lovers, it makes a great case for becoming one.

Randy Alcorn, founder, Eternal Perspective Ministries; author, If God Is Good and Heaven

If you dont read books as both a discipline and a delight, then you should; and if you need help here, as in truth all of us do, then this is the book for you. Dont miss it!

J. I. Packer, Board of Governors Professor of Theology, Regent College; author, Knowing God

This is the perfect book for someone who doesnt like to read, or who likes to read but isnt sure its a good use of their time, or who loves to read a little too much and needs to proceed with discernment. Reinke has made a wise, theological, and edifying case for why words matter. Ill mention Lit! every time someone asks me why in the world Christians should read fictiona question that never fails to shock me. Now, instead of snapping, Are you serious? and spouting opinions, Ill just smile and slip them a copy of this book.

Andrew Peterson, singer/songwriter; author, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness

There is so much to commend about this book that it is hard to know where to start. The most obvious virtue is its scope. On the subject of reading, Reinke covers every possible topic. Each topic, in turn, is broken into all of its important subpoints. With a lesser writer, this could produce a tedious book, but the opposite is true here. Reinke says just enough, but not too much. The effect is like seeing a prism turned in the light. There is never a dull moment. Once I sensed that Reinke was going to cover all the important topics, and with unfailing good sense and Christian insight, I could hardly put it down. What will Reinke say about that topic? I found myself asking. But to add yet another twist, he has read so widely in scholarly and religious sources that I do not hesitate to call the book a triumph of scholarship. Reinke writes with an infectious and winsome enthusiasm. It is hard to imagine a reader of this book who would not catch the spark for reading after encountering Reinkes excitement about reading and his carefully reasoned defense of it.

Leland Ryken, professor of English, Wheaton, College; author, The ESV and the English Bible Legacy

How to read, what to read, who to read, when to read, and why you should readTony Reinke answers all these questions and more in this very good and (surprisingly) brief book on reading. As he shows how reading can bring glory to God and growth to the church, Reinke encourages Christians to take up the discipline of reading widely and wisely.

Trevin Wax, editor, LifeWay Christian Resources;
author, Holy Subversion: Allegiance to Christ in an Age of Rivals

Since God decided ideas are best expressed in words, and that The Ideathe revelation of his Son as Lord and Savioris to be learned through his timeless and matchless Word, Christians dare not lose sight of the primacy of books amidst the torrent of fast-moving, visual images of our culture. Tony Reinke argues from Scripture and life experience that reading is a way to preserve and cultivate the sustained linear concentration we need for life. As an educator, I couldnt agree more! Sustained reading must remain the heartbeat of any worthy educational program that seeks to produce Christian thinkers, leaders, and apologists. Homeschooling parents who are trying to craft reading lists as they raise Christian children will find gracious and principled guidance here. Moreover, Tony offers great ideas for parents to foster a love for reading, beginning with their own example.

Marcia Somerville, president, Lampstand Press; author, the Tapestry of Grace homeschool curriculum

You might wonder why you need to read about reading. Some of you have piles and piles of books on your shelves, or on your nightstand, but have no idea how to choose what to read, and when. Some of you are being altered in ways you dont even recognize by digital technology such that you cant see how youre too distracted to summon the deep attention needed to read. This engagingly written book will make you think, but it will also provide practical, winsome advice on how to become the right kind of reader for the glory of God.

Russell D. Moore, Dean, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; author, Tempted and Tried

Tony Reinke does not just read, but he reads well, and these are two very different things. If you are not much of a reader, consider Lit! a part of your education. Tony will teach you to read, to read widely, and to read well. If you are already an avid reader, consider Lit! an investment that will instruct you in how to read better.

Tim Challies, blogger, www.challies.com; author, The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment

If you read one book a week for the next 50 years, youll read about 2,600 books. Not a lot when you think of all the books you could read. So should you include this book in your list? Yes! Because Lit! will help you read the right books in the right way. Tony Reinke sets our reading in a biblical framework and provides practical tips to make the most of books. I warmly commend it.

Tim Chester, Director, The Porterbrook Institute; author, You Can Change and A Meal with Jesus

With a discerning eye, Reinke captures the importance of the gospel story for our habits of reading, thus providing a worldview for reading. He challenges us to beware of how the carved images of the Internet can draw us away from the grace of reading for comprehension and simple delight. Yet he equally gives a proper place to secular literature among all types of works that those who love Christ should appreciate. This is the sort of book that I have longed to place into the hands of believers in order to help churches recapture a love for literature and literacyboth biblical and extrabiblical. Practical and enjoyable, Lit! is an outstanding and valuable gift to the church.

Eric C. Redmond, Senior Pastor, Reformation Alive Baptist Church, Temple Hills, Maryland

Lit! A Christian Guide to Reading Books

Copyright 2011 by Tony S. Reinke

Published by Crossway
1300 Crescent Street
Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law.

Interior design and typesetting: Lakeside Design Plus

Cover image and design: Jon McGrath, Simplicated Studio

Interior illustration: Painting on page 50: Weyden, Rogier (Roger) van der (c.1399-1464), The Damned Plunging into Hell. Detail of the Last Judgment, 1434; Photo credit: Erich Lessing / Art Resource, NY