Books & Society

"You leave the commandments of God and hold fast to the traditions of men." - Jesus, in Mark 7.8

How quickly do we collectively accept something because society tells us it is okay? How easily do we let the line blur more and more?

The important question we should ask is- when presented with something that does not seem right, do we ask what Scripture says about it? Or culture?

A certain book recently became wildly popular and a huge bestseller. I knew nothing about it, so while watching the news one morning a while ago, they were interviewing the author, so I paid attention to find out what all the fuss was about. I am not usually a reader of bestseller fiction. All the hype and popularity does not impress me, and whenever I do read a popular bestseller I am constantly left disappointed and wishing I had spent that time reading a classic. But book lover that I am, I am always curious to find out what a new book is about which would attract so many readers.

To say it was a grave disappointment would be an understatement, when I tuned into the interview on ABC or NBC (whichever major morning show) and they started talking about the content of the book. It is, in essence, an adult novel with explicit, violent, immoral, and violating situations that cross every line. I don't have any desire to read a page after hearing the description on the news and I was distraught that this kind of book was at the top of the bestsellers and that so many women out there are reading it. Even worse, I started seeing this book on every front table of every bookstore with easy access for anyone to buy. Then, I heard women at work talking about how they cannot put it down.

Our society is eager to spur them on. More sales. More hype. It doesn't matter that the content of the book is degrading to all things moral, pure, peaceable, and wise.
Society says - read the books. Everyone is talking about them.
The Bible says - think of things that are from above, not of things on the earth. Think of all things pure.

When we willingly feed our minds the trash that is out there, we produce the same. Jesus tells us that what comes out from the heart of man is what shows he is defiled. All the bad things that come out of us is truly from within. How can we produce good fruits of God's love if we fill ourselves with rotten seeds that implant sinful thoughts?

There are so many amazing books to read. My head spins when I realize how many I desire to read. Consequently, I am pretty picky in my selection of books. I hear C.S. Lewis in my head when he said that we don't need more Christian books, but more Christians who write. Lewis and his friend, J.R.R. Tolkien were perfect examples of this with their stories of Narnia and Middle-Earth. Non-Christians all over the world love these stories, but they are not "Christian" books.

Instead, they show the good triumph over evil by doing the right thing, by showing mercy, by forgiveness, by laying down their life for friends, for hoping when all is dark, and for fighting for what is good.

These good books make you think about how you would act in a similar situation. It causes you to ask deeper questions about why the characters did what they did, and what motivated them. As to the book being discussed on the news that morning, there is no thinking. Just the fleeting passion that fades like a sunset leaving you hollow and unfulfilled. After watching a few minutes of the interview, I turned it off and reached for my current C.S. Lewis book.