The phrase "books on theology" scares some people. Okay, a few years ago it scared me! I thought of the hundreds of books lining the shelves of my dad's library and all the weighty volumes and non-fiction theology books he read. I thought that I could never read them. I thought that they were way above my head, that I wasn't spiritually mature enough to read them, that I actually preferred fiction much more and (perhaps the most important reason) I thought they'd be boring. But over the last few years, my thinking has changed radically. Now, I love books on theology, not always because they're easy or because they're always entertaining, but for reasons much more important. So how did this change come about? Well, it wasn't fast. It came over time, as my thinking changed and developed. I finally began reading books on theology because of five reasons, and these five reasons cause me to believe that every Christian should read books on theology.
- Theology books move past entertainment to education. A book on theology's primary purpose is not to entertain you but to teach you more about the character of God. Knowing God by J.I. Packer is not to be a feel-good read that leaves you with warm and fuzzies but an intellectual book that sharpens your mind and invites you to move past reading for fun to reading to gain knowledge.
- Theology books move past brain candy to a meat dish. Our brains can only take so much fluffy fiction, so much TV, so many weightless songs before they crave more than candy; they want meat. And books on theology give meat where other books are lacking. True Spirituality by Francis Schaeffer is not an easy read, but no one will argue it won't sharpen your mind with its intellectualism. It's one of those books that makes your brain hurt from reading too much, but it's a good hurt, like when you exercise and your muscles ache because of their usage.
- Theology books spiritually mature you. The more you read books on theology the more mature you will become in the faith, and the more your spiritual knowledge will increase. Starting with books that introduce you to the gospel, like What is the Gospel? by Greg Gilbert, forces you to reckon with what you believe and shapes your faith as it increases.
- Theology books teach you about sin. Books that teach you more about God teach you more about your sin. The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul is all about God, but it still teaches you about sin, because as you see God's holiness manifested, you see your own painfully obvious sinfulness.
- Theology books encourage you. Piggybacking off of the last way, though theology books can convict you and bring you grief over your sin, they can also encourage you. Books like Desiring God by John Piper fill you with joy as you look at God's glory and His character, and they encourage you in your walk with God!