A number of you left comments on the recent post regarding your favorite authors. I found your comments to be very interesting. Several of you introduced me to authors who were previously unfamiliar to me. I also realized that many of you read far more fiction than I do.
On Friday, I read Mary E. DeMuth’s outstanding post, “Why Should Christ Followers Read Fiction?” After reading her post, I concluded that I really should read more fiction. (I would enjoy hearing your reflections on her post).
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Question
What do you enjoy about reading fiction?
I enjoy many types of fiction, especially well-written mysteries. Some fiction even expresses thoughtful ideas in a way that would be hard to read in non-fiction. (Think "The Shack")
I've told others, I think students going into ministry should be required to read at least one of the Mitford books by Jan Karon. I found the whole series to be very enjoyable, with good reminders about the need to keep ministry personal.
Grace and peace,
Tim Archer
Thanks for the kind link to my article. I appreciate it.
A book I recently read that resonated with me spiritually is "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy.
I read fiction because I can only live one life, but by reading fiction, I can experience other lives in incredible ways. I see my fears, my tensions, my struggles, my dreams lived out, and I can take solace and strength from that, and find newer and perhaps deeper ways of articulating myself.
I LOVE Cormac McCarthy — I should have listed him on the last post. The Border Trilogy is incredibly honest. Blood Meridian is a horrifying meditation on evil; The Road and No Country for Old Men are also brilliantly done.
Orson Scott Card is a special writer. Ender's Game is a must-read, especially for people who feel isolated by how their mind works.
Wendell Berry consistently moves me spiritually. But like I posted (borrowing from Eugene Peterson) a week or two ago, I think poetry is incredibly important to ministry. God creates with words — poets treat words with ultimate seriousness.
I read little fiction, but have enjoyed several fictitious books in the past. Reading fiction is like opening the blinds in a dark room on a sunny day, it sort of sheds light on the truth. It allows the sun to come in but the blinds are not the sun itself.