Three Glorious Benefits of Reading Classic Devotionals
A few days ago I posed a question to an online community about the viability of finding ways to encourage people to read some of the greatest Christian classics that have ever been penned.
My suggestion was quickly panned.
People have no time, they said. People don’t want a college level course in the midst of their day-to-day. This is boring stuff. And on it goes.
My contention here, is that today, now, there has been no easier time to embrace discovering the lasting benefits of the Great Christian Classics for yourself.
Current Trends in Christian Publishing
Go into any Christian bookstore, and front and center you will find many significant trends and popular authors, in prominent positions throughout the store. Some of these Christian authors are pastors of their own churches, their own television ministries, and many of these teachings have taken the Gospel and have honed them to appeal to varying needs of the buying public.
It is altogether too easy to knock these authors down. Certainly, there is a need to appeal to those who are struggling with their marriage, their kids, their money issues. Some are hurting, and so they are drawn to books that will bring about some form of healing. Fair enough.
But if you were to go to that same store’s bargain bin, you will find that what’s carried there are oftentimes the popular bestsellers of merely a few years back, a fad that had passed.
And a few years from now, these same bestsellers will line the bargain bin, to make way for the new crop of trendy titles, all of which regurgitating the same themes, the same concerns, the same stories.
Enough is enough. Why not go for some lasting literature?
Saint Augustine
The Three Biggest Benefits for Discovering Classics
Instead, there are incredible benefits for discovering some of the great Christian classics. The three most prominent ones are:
- The Gift of Discovery
- The Gift of Perspective
- The Gift of Lasting Resonance
The Gift of Discovery
To be able to read a Christian classic for the first time is like discovering a tremendous treasure chest in your basement. It has been there all this time, and you had no idea it was there. There is a thrill over the discovery, words that ring true today as they did hundreds, thousands of years ago.
The Gift of Perspective
In our modern era, we are conditioned to have our faith shaped by the circumstances of our surroundings. But what a Christian classic affords us is perspective. What if we lived in an entirely different era? How would our faith be shaped? How will it be similar to today? What will be different?
G.K. Chesterton has once said that tradition is the “Democracy of the Dead.” A Christian classic represents another voice, from the annals of the entire Church, from another time, another place, another set of circumstances. And God is still on the throne.
The Gift of Lasting Resonance
I find that these books are a perfect anecdote to passing fads of today. Books that promise temporal relief of burdens have their place, but the Christian classics have a permanence that cut beyond publishing trends. Every year people keep discovering these books for themselves, and it has resonated in their lives.
An Invitation to Discover St. Augustine’s Confessions
Confessions, by Saint Augustine, a monumental work, considered by both Catholics and Protestants as one of the greatest examples of writing for Christians. Songs have been written from its pages, including my own “Too Late Have I Loved You”. Homilists and pastors alike have quoted freely from its pages.
Saint Augustine of Hippo, himself, is one of the giants of the faith. He lived in the time of the early church, where his writings became hugely influential for establishing the Christian creeds, and definitions of the Trinity. Due to this, he is considered to be highly regarded in both the Catholic Church (where he is not only canonized, but also a doctor of the Church), but also many Protestant sects.
Confessions is his autobiographical testimony. It touches and resonates to any person who has a story as to how God came into his life. It reads, eloquently, with the joy of a person first encountering grace with the power of full ebullient joy.
This is not heavy theology. Instead, this serves as an excellent introduction to St. Augustine, and opens the door to some of his writings.
For those who are concerned that reading is an expensive venture, you can get this book on Kindle, for free. You do not even need a Kindle; you can download a Kindle app on your computer or mobile device, and read it there. And one of the great benefits of the Kindle version is that many others have highlighted their favorite passages before you.
Or, if you are hurting for time, I would encourage you to get a paid Kindle version of Confessions, with Whispersync. The cost is merely $3.98 total, and you can listen to the audio version of the book during your commute to work or when pursuing mundane tasks, like mowing the lawn.
Lastly, if you want an incentive to read this in its entirety this summer, I encourage you to check out the Catholic Spiritual Direction Book Club. They have just begun its summer session, using Saint Augustine’s Confessions as their read.
One of the best aspects of this session is that you can read it in the context of an online community. You can ask questions, and others will come to your aid. You can share insights.
All you need to do is sign up, and have a DISQUS account to join the conversation.
Conclusion
Whatever burden that reading a Christian classic used to be, is no longer. Whether it be lack of money, or time, or understanding in the context of like-minded Christians, you can now embrace adding this dimension to your spiritual walk. And you will come out on the other side, with a deeper faith, and eternally grateful for the journey.