Yes, I Believe in Good and Great Books!
Do you believe in good and great books?
The weird thing about words is the way they can convey wildly different messages to different people. Close your eyes for a minute and try to analyse what you hear what I ask the question that opened this post.
Do you believe in good and great books?
The truth of the matter is, this question is just broad enough that it forces you to editorialize a little. It forces you to take what you already know about books, and goodness, and greatness, and believing, and bring all that information to bear on the query you just heard.
So what did you hear? Let’s take a look at three different ways of processing this question about good and great books—as well as my personal answer to each one.
Do You Believe Good and Great Books are Valuable?
In my opinion good and great literature—reading material that exemplifies high standards of both spiritual and literary excellence—wields a powerful Christian influence. This idea is embodied in our company’s name. Sheep Among Wolves Publishing is built around the concept of Matthew 10:16, where Jesus says:
“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.”
Good and great books are a force that impacts lives for eternity.
Do You Believe Good and Great Books Exist?
It’s one thing to believe that good and great books are a nice idea in the abstract. It’s another thing to believe they are actually out there waiting for you.
There are times when all of us feel discouraged in our quest for well-written, godly literature. There are moments when we all wonder whether it’s even out there.
But let me assure you, not just from theory but from personal experience, that good and great books really do exist. They have been written in the past and they continue to be written—because each generation of Christians has contained some writers who have valued and who continue to value the power of good and great books. For a discussion of just where these good and great books can be found, see our previous post, Where Do You Look for Good and Great Books?
Do You Believe Good and Great Books are Worth the Effort?
This is the question that actually gets us to the essence of the topic. Do you believe in good and great books? How much do you believe in them? Do you believe to the extent that you will go and find them?
Good and great books take effort. They can take effort to locate. They can take effort to obtain. They can even take effort to read.
A truly good and great book, in my opinion, will pay all of that effort back a hundredfold. But the investment has to come before the reward. And that’s why this question reaches to the core of today’s topic. I believe in good and great books—and it means that I am committed to the effort that good and great books require.
Do You Believe in Good and Great Books?
As you may have guessed by this point, no matter how you read the question, my answer is a resounding YES!
Yes, I believe in good and great books. I believe they are valuable. I believe they exist. I believe they are worth the effort.
That’s my answer to the question. What is yours?
For those of you who are interested in pursuing the subject of good and great books a little further in the practical realm, see our previous post:
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