Not even half of Americans  read books/literature anymore, according to a study done by the National Endowment of the Arts.  Reading books has been on the decrease –we’d rather have our minds numbed with CGI movies like Avatar, our X-Box 360, and sit-coms than delve into the riches of Plato’s Republic or C.S. Lewis’s Till We Have Faces or Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

As an American citizen, I find this a very disturbing and embarrassing trend. The United States is a nation built on the high intellectual rigor of Western civilization and our high value on education. Literacy is an indispensible part of this foundation. No one can be called “educated” in the furthest sense who is not an avid reader. All of the wisdom of the ages (and the lessons from the folly) are contained in the written word. When we stop reading we lose something.

I say this despite a major paradigm shift I’ve had recently on the importance of the spoken word. Through training with “Simply The Story,” I learned about storytelling and how powerful this is. My beloved Bible is mostly narrative, written for the benefit ancient oral (and mostly illiterate) cultures. It was memorized, told, and retold regularly, rather than read silently.  Fast-forwarding to today, the vast majority of people in the world are either functionally illiterate or do not learn by primarily written methods. This does not make them inferior human beings. We must simply use oral and pictorial methods if we are to be complete communicators who reach everyone.

That said, reading is still important. In an ideal world, everyone should be able to read. This is because while oral communication is a good and valid form of communication, reading/writing is equally as valid and fills in what oral communication misses. This is the mark of an educated person.

My point, if not clear so far, is: We need to read! Read old books and new books, fiction and non-fiction, secular and spiritual, books everyone is reading and books no one is reading,** books you agree with and books you disagree with, taking the time to reflect on what you’re reading. If you know how to read you are an incredibly privileged person already. Don’t waste it. Don’t miss the immense value of interacting with the written word. You won’t regret it.

**Reading what I call “wayside books” is a really excellent idea. As history moves along and culture changes there are some very, very good books fall that by the wayside – along with their wisdom. The book I’m reading that fits into this category is the 19th century book by A. B. Bruce, The Training of the Twelve. I wish more Christians would read this book. It is an excellent insight into the mind of Christ. In my opinion, it’s more powerfully written than Thomas a Kempis’ Imitation of Christ, the more popular classic on Jesus and discipleship. Dear Reader, read old books!