There is an inquisitiveness among family, friends and colleagues
as to where I find the books I read. I
have not been a voracious reader for more than six or seven years although I
had a voluminous library built over the previous forty. It was actually a two
or three day labor process when moving my office over the years. Self upon shelf was filled
with theological commentary, professional, pastoral, philosophical and psychological journals and periodicals of which were lent to others but few were ever fully utilized completely or I found favorites.
In the vain of finding books, I now have an app that rings my bell, calling to attention a new release which I have given as an interested subject to it's data base. I find it interesting, I had
never given a moment to the examination of the New York Times until about three
years ago. Now the only reason I have it
on my favorite list is to see what the best-seller list for non-fiction is once
or twice a month. On any given occasion,
I notice there are three to five biographies that make the list. These biographies have led my curiosity to the ancients and in so doing see that though historical biographies have changed
with time, human interest in the genre (sort of a new word for me) is a staple for me. I’ve refreshed my recognition that the first
known biographies were commissioned by ancient rulers to assure records of
their accomplishments. Ancient Hebrew Scriptures, detailing the lives of
patriarchs, prophets, and kings, are also some of the earliest biographies in
existence. Throughout the Middle Ages, biographical histories were largely in
the hands of monks; lives of martyrs and church fathers were recorded with the
intention of edifying readers for years to come. Over time and with the
invention of the printing press, biographies became increasingly influential
and widely read, portraying a larger array of lives and their stories.
As Thomas Carlyle writes, "Biography is the most universally pleasant and profitable of all reading." Probably the reason for these books being my favorite is because in reading the accounts of men and women in history, I find myself living in many places; they are profitable because in doing so, I hear fragments of my own stories. The questions and thoughts I considered my own suddenly appear before me in the life of another. The struggle I find fatiguing is given meaning in the story of one who overcame much or the account of one who lived beautifully in the midst of loss. Perhaps I gravitate toward biography because I am facing more and more the reality of knowing that life is too short to learn only by my own experience.
I view the Christian worldview embracing a similar idea. The most direct attempt in Scripture to define faith is done so by the writer of Hebrews. The eleventh chapter begins, "Now faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see" 11:1. Perhaps recognizing the weight and mystery of faith and the difficulty of defining it, the writer of Hebrews immediately moves from this definition to descriptions of men and women who have lived "sure of hope" and "certain of the unseen." From Noah and Abraham, to Rahab and saints left unnamed, we are given an image of faith moving across the pages of history, the gift of God in the strange stories of the faithful, the hope by which countless lives were guided. In this brief gathering of biographies, the writer seems to be telling me that faith is understood functionally as much as philosophically, and that faith itself is more fully understood by looking at the lives of the faithful. For in between the lines that describe faithful men and women is the God who makes faith possible in the first place.
I’ve notice that the writer of Hebrews concludes that since I am surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, I am likewise invited to run with the thought of God's enduring influence, confident that God has been moving in my biography before I was in my mother’s womb and yet beyond it.
As Thomas Carlyle writes, "Biography is the most universally pleasant and profitable of all reading." Probably the reason for these books being my favorite is because in reading the accounts of men and women in history, I find myself living in many places; they are profitable because in doing so, I hear fragments of my own stories. The questions and thoughts I considered my own suddenly appear before me in the life of another. The struggle I find fatiguing is given meaning in the story of one who overcame much or the account of one who lived beautifully in the midst of loss. Perhaps I gravitate toward biography because I am facing more and more the reality of knowing that life is too short to learn only by my own experience.
I view the Christian worldview embracing a similar idea. The most direct attempt in Scripture to define faith is done so by the writer of Hebrews. The eleventh chapter begins, "Now faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see" 11:1. Perhaps recognizing the weight and mystery of faith and the difficulty of defining it, the writer of Hebrews immediately moves from this definition to descriptions of men and women who have lived "sure of hope" and "certain of the unseen." From Noah and Abraham, to Rahab and saints left unnamed, we are given an image of faith moving across the pages of history, the gift of God in the strange stories of the faithful, the hope by which countless lives were guided. In this brief gathering of biographies, the writer seems to be telling me that faith is understood functionally as much as philosophically, and that faith itself is more fully understood by looking at the lives of the faithful. For in between the lines that describe faithful men and women is the God who makes faith possible in the first place.
I’ve notice that the writer of Hebrews concludes that since I am surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, I am likewise invited to run with the thought of God's enduring influence, confident that God has been moving in my biography before I was in my mother’s womb and yet beyond it.
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