Eric Johnson’s Proposal for Christian Reading

Eric L. Johnson, Foundations for Soul Care: A Christian Psychology Proposal[1]

Below is a summary of Johnson’s rules for Christian reading. It’s a useful part of his book. Because these are my own words, anything poorly stated is my own fault, not Johnson’s.

1. The goal of Christian reading, even leisure reading, is conformity to Christ. Therefore what and how we read matter.
2. The Holy Spirit is the Christian reading light. This metaphor indicates that while reading, the Christian is cooperating with the Holy Spirit in coming to have self-knowledge, knowledge about what is being read, knowledge about the author, knowledge about the world, and knowledge about God.
3. New Christians should ask wise guides for help in reading, both what to read, and how to understand it.
4. There is a natural hierarchy in the texts we read:
   1. The canon of Scripture.
   2. Classic texts of the Christian traditions.
   3. Other quality texts (I would add, classical texts of one’s national, ethnic, or intellectual tradition).
   4. Inferior texts that aren’t worth reading.
   5. Bad texts which draw the readers from what is true, good, or beautiful.
   6. Banned texts, some texts are simply justifiably censured and censored.
5. Non-Canonical texts need to be read with trust and suspicion.
6. Reading non-Christian texts wisely increases wisdom and is therefore worthwhile.

References

[1] Eric L. Johnson, Foundations for Soul Care: A Christian Psychology Proposal (InterVarsity Press, 2007), 222-226.