{"id":14124,"date":"2017-10-04T04:18:00","date_gmt":"2017-10-04T11:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=14124"},"modified":"2017-10-04T04:18:00","modified_gmt":"2017-10-04T11:18:00","slug":"read-to-lead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/read-to-lead\/","title":{"rendered":"Read to Lead"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren\u2019s, How to Read a Book, <\/em>is a practical time saving approach that helps readers \u201cgrow intellectually, morally, and spiritually.\u201d[1]<\/a>\u00a0 Growing through reading is the book\u2019s key theme.\u00a0 Two motivations that answer the \u201cwhy\u201d we should read books are: if we start reading we are taught about the \u201cworld and about yourself\u201d and if we stop reading, \u201cwe cease to grow, we begin to die.\u201d [2]<\/a>\u00a0 This book challenges me to improve my critical thinking skills and drives me to dig deeper to know God.\u00a0 I picked the following sections of the book to focus on because they connect me with three areas of my ministry cause, call, and challenge. I will examine \u201cFrom Many Rules to One Habit and Practical vs. Theoretical Books as my areas of interest.[3]<\/a><\/p>\n

First, my cause is the fulfillment of the Great Commission; by going, discipling, teaching, and baptizing the lost in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.[4]<\/a>\u00a0 I believe reading the Bible, God\u2019s book to us, provides the many rules, instructions, examples, and guidelines for living that we need to form healthy habits that lead to intellectual, moral, and spiritual growth.\u00a0 \u201cCumulative\u201d is the word Adler and Van Doren use to describe the stages and levels that the reader must practice repeatedly before becoming successful in the habit of reading.[5]<\/a>\u00a0 Learning how to ski is the analogy used to describe the How to Read a Book<\/em> method.\u00a0 Like the skier who progresses from beginner, to intermediate, to advanced levels of difficulty, the reader also progresses from elementary, inspectional, analytical, and syntopical reading levels.\u00a0 I connect with this theme because putting on the whole armor of God can be just as clumsy and frustrating for the new believer as it is learning how to ski, or for the purposes of this post, learning how to read at the doctoral level.\u00a0 Success in reading or skiing comes from practice, repetition, and determination.\u00a0 Success in spiritual warfare also required practice, repetition, and determination, but it also involves a theoretical element, that is more than just a practical step-by-step process.\u00a0 The next section, Practical vs. Theoretical Books will examine the mystical aspects of reading theology.<\/p>\n

Second, my ministry call is to prepare, train, and equip disciples on how to succeed when engaged in spiritual warfare.\u00a0 Adler and Van Doren present a real-world approach on how to read both practical and theoretical material.\u00a0 They say their book is a \u201cpractical\u201d guidebook for the reader, but I was pleased to see that they did address the theoretical and supernatural aspects of reading philosophy and theology.[6]<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 Since we live in a world bound by time, spiritual leaders must be prepared to read, lead, and succeed in the practical world while simultaneously being engaged in Biblical study, prayer, and supernatural warfare in the spiritual world.\u00a0 Practical versus theoretical reading concepts must be carefully distinguished to prevent error and confusion with the reader.\u00a0 Practical is described as something that works now or has an immediate effect while theoretical is visionary thought, or something to be seen or understood.[7]<\/a>\u00a0 How to Read a Book<\/em>, the authors say, is a \u201cpractical, not theoretical\u201d guidebook that shows readers how to develop and refine their reading skills for effective and efficient growth.[8]<\/a>\u00a0 \u201cRead to be ready\u201d is the motto for the US Navy.[9]<\/a>\u00a0 Jackson, the Chief of Naval Operations Professional Reading Program, says in a book-review that he supports Adler and Van Doren\u2019s reading techniques and practices because they challenge \u201csailors at all levels to read books of consequence.\u201d[10]<\/a><\/p>\n

Challenging others is my third connection with this book because I am driven to reveal Christ through an armor of God ministry.\u00a0 Is the idea of reading about and then engaging in spiritual warfare a theoretical or a practical process?\u00a0 Is it both?\u00a0 What do you think?\u00a0 This is where I break from Adler and Van Doren\u2019s mostly practical approach to reading.\u00a0 Instead of reading in a \u201ccanonical\u201d style, I believe that reading the Bible is much more than an official process or liturgical practice. [11]<\/a> \u00a0\u00a0Instead, I am certain that the Bible, the living word of God, is not only to be read, studied, and reflected upon, but also to be spoken into our hearts, minds, and souls by the Holy Spirit.\u00a0 I suggest that reading can be both practical and theoretical. \u00a0For example, when Paul tells Christians to \u201cPut on the whole armor of God\u201d I believe he fuses the practical and theoretical themes into a supernatural dimension that readers must digest and discern if they hope to survive and succeed in spiritual warfare.[12]<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0I believe the practical and theoretical worlds merge, in a unique and timeless purpose that fulfills God\u2019s sovereign plan and diving will for our lives.\u00a0 Consider this, \u201cThe problem of reading the Holy Book-if you have faith that it is the Word of God-is the most difficult problem in the whole field of reading.\u201d[13]<\/a>\u00a0 I commend the author\u2019s, whether intentionally or not, for acknowledging the importance of \u201cfaith\u201d as a reader role and responsibility when studying theology.\u00a0 In summary, this practical guidebook provides some higher level theoretical inferences and deductions that faith really matters when trying to read theology.<\/p>\n

The purpose of this post was to provide a brief but comprehensive book review while also personally engaging the material through my ministry cause, call, and challenge.\u00a0 As a result, I conclude that How to Read a Book<\/em> is a good read that I will use as a reference when working on my dissertation topic, problem, and research question.\u00a0 Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might (Eph. 6:10).<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren. How to read a book: The classic guide to intelligent reading<\/em>. (Simon and Schuster, 2014) 336.<\/h6>\n
[2]<\/a> Ibid., 331, 336.<\/h6>\n
[3]<\/a> Ibid., 53, 65.<\/h6>\n
[4]<\/a> Matt. 28:19-20, ESV.<\/h6>\n
[5]<\/a> Adler & Van Doren, How to read<\/em>, 17.<\/h6>\n
[6]<\/a> Ibid., 65.<\/h6>\n
[7]<\/a> Ibid., 65.<\/h6>\n
[8]<\/a> Ibid.<\/h6>\n
[9]<\/a> John E. Jackson “REFLECTIONS ON READING.” Naval War College Review<\/em> 67, no. 1 (Winter2014 2014): 159. Academic Search Premier<\/em>, EBSCOhost<\/em> (accessed October 2, 2017).<\/h6>\n
[10]<\/a> Ibid.<\/h6>\n
[11]<\/a> Adler & Van Doren, How to read<\/em>, 287.<\/h6>\n
[12]<\/a> Eph. 6:11.<\/h6>\n
[13]<\/a> Adler & Van Doren, How to read<\/em>, 287.<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren\u2019s, How to Read a Book, is a practical time saving approach that helps readers \u201cgrow intellectually, morally, and spiritually.\u201d[1]\u00a0 Growing through reading is the book\u2019s key theme.\u00a0 Two motivations that answer the \u201cwhy\u201d we should read books are: if we start reading we are taught about the \u201cworld and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[660,1025],"class_list":["post-14124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-adler","tag-van-doren","cohort-lgp8"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14124"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14124\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14125,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14124\/revisions\/14125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}