Books as Community

In light of my last post about my amazon.com wishlist, it might be good to explain a little bit about my apparent obession with books. First of all, people who write books are a heck-of-a-lot smarter and wiser than I am. So, as someone with a future in the ministry, getting some sound theological exposure is always a good things. But, and maybe more more importantly, I see books as a way to have conversations with people you wouldn't otherwise get to talk to. You are able to hear a person out on certain topics. You get to wrestle with their opposing viewpoint. As you read, you are shaped by the words that are on the page. So, I consider books a way to interact with great minds. I see the names of the people sitting on my shelf as my mentors, professors, teachers, encouragers, and on and on. One day I might get to talk to some of the people who write what I read. But until then, I'll keep my friendship with them active by reading their books.