I think that it is vitally important that we don’t merely read contemporary writers. It is so easy to jump on the bandwagon and read what everyone else is reading. Now I am not suggesting that we ignore contemporary works, but what I am proposing that we don’t neglect the writing of Christian theologians and teacher from previous generations. The reason I say this is that we need the perspective of those who are not bound by the convention and baggage of our time and age. When old writers handle a topic, they are responding to their own generation and its issues, which means that even when they are looking at the same topic that our generation is handling they will deal with it differently. Thus, they provide insights, which is beyond the thinking and possibilities of our age and generation. Also, they deal with questions and issues that are out of fashion in our generation, but which we desperately needs to grapple with. They remind us of that which is lacking in our age, and by reading them, a void is filled in our lives and Christian experience. It is vital that we should focus on reading great writers across generations; otherwise, our perspective on God, the world, and a whole range of topics will be incomplete and deficient. I know many of the older writers are more challenging to read, but the benefit of reading them far out ways the effort. If we find them difficult, then try listening to them on audio books it might just help you get over the hurdle of archaic language. It is worth a try.
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