I Am a Different Kind of Reader

Christianity doesn't just inspire our beliefs; it inspires our actions. It is the fuel and fodder to what we do, and the why behind the what. Everything from what we choose to wear to what we find entertaining on TV is impacted and influenced by the label we call, "Christian."

This is not a bad thing. Rather, it's perfectly expected. Christians think differently than the world and so their day-to-day choices will be changed by God's standards, not the world's.

Recently I was reminded of this. I have taken four literature courses now since I started my undergrad degree last September. I'm a communications major, (unofficial) English minor, and I love studying literature more than almost anything. But I keep hitting this roadblock, we could say. It came up in American Lit, English Lit, even Children's Lit, and now I see it again and again in Adolescent Lit.

I'm a different kind of reader.

And I think you might be too. I am an analyst, a literary critic, a reader with eyes wide open. I'm not a watchdog, counting curse words and sniffing out the slightest case of innuendo (not that I don't notice them). I am a worldview-watcher, examining what I'm reading to see if its overall value has merit for the Christian, if it is a book that I can unashamedly read to the glory of God.

So far in Adolescent Lit, I have read some terrible books, books filled with goop and grime that remind me of the depravity of man and are lost without the hope of Christ. But I have also read some good books, books that talk about self-sacrifice and redemption and give glimpses of God's glory.

Don't entertain yourself in auto-pilot. When you turn on the TV, open the covers of a book, click a YouTube video, make a Spotify playlist, turn on the radio, whatever way you entertain yourself, be a worldview-watcher. Look to see whether you are being entertained by sin or goodness. Know that as you're doing that, you're different from the world.

And that's a good thing.