Sometimes, We Need to Read Graciously: 3 Pieces of Counsel for the Christian Reader

As recipients of God’s grace, we sometimes need to show more grace as Christians. Perhaps I should rephrase that comment to say that as a recipient of God’s grace, I need to show more grace. Without a doubt, I am not nearly as gracious as I ought to be. There’s an essential lesson in this for me: who I am as a person influences who I am as a reader.

Scripture teaches that our personal character impacts all areas of our lives. This is, of course, why personal holiness is so essential; godly character initiates godly attitudes and actions. Unsurprisingly, then, my struggles to be a gracious person mean that in my reading life, I also struggle to be a gracious reader.

I tend to read critically. I don’t just mean that I read carefully, but rather that my natural inclination is to read with an attitude of fault-finding. This is partly the result of my role as a book reviewer, in which scrutinizing details is crucial. I also live in a fallen world and experience observing the alteration of truth and willful deception to accomplish personal agendas (I’m reminded of this by every political ad I keep seeing now that we’re in election season). As a result, my critical reading is a means of protection to ensure what is going on in my mind and the minds of those I make recommendations to is full of truth (cf. Romans 12:1; Colossians 3:1).

Reading discerningly, though, does not mean that our reading lacks grace. In fact, I would say my reading should reflect the grace of God because I have experienced the grace of God. What does that look like, though? “What does it mean to read graciously?” you might ask. After all, that’s not usually a character trait that is often considered one of the primary attributes of acceptable reading. I would tell you that a gracious reader will make three activities part of their reading.

Don’t Read

If we’re trying to read graciously, then obviously we have to read, so to say, ‘Don’t read,’ is counterproductive. However, I mean refrain from reading with the primary purpose of disagreeing. Sometimes, we equate disagreement with discernment, so we’ve trained ourselves to take in any information by looking first for the points of dispute. We do this not just with the books we read but with other areas like the sermons we listen to or conversations we have. 

Please hear me out on this. I’m not advocating that we drop our discerning behaviors. As believers committed to Christ, we must interpret every piece of information upon His revelation of truth. I am advocating that a gracious reader doesn’t seek disagreement first. When we focus primarily on discrepancies, we may miss important aspects that the Lord will use in our lives. 

My suggestion is this: when you see a point of contention, note it down (if you note it separately, ensure you have the page number indicated so you can find its location later and access its content). Once you have it noted, don’t dwell upon it; instead, come back to it after you have read the material.

Read

Once you’ve purposed not to read first for disagreement, start reading, but do so by giving the author your full attention. Ensure that you are reading for understanding by reading with concentration. It seems only fair that if authors dedicate their attention to the details of their writing, we, as readers, should commit our attention to taking in those details. Crucial to reading well is understanding what we are reading. And that requires attention.

Attentive reading means we read actively, not passively. We engage with the author and his text, ensuring that we understand what has been written, the flow of the argument, and the conclusions being made. Attentive reading doesn’t always signify without distraction. However, it means we compensate for those distractions. Doing that may mean rereading the portions when the distraction occurred.

Attentive reading is doubly beneficial when it comes to disagreement with an author. If it becomes necessary to disagree with the author over a point, we can do so with a clear conscience, knowing that we read with the intention of understanding first.

Reread

Finally, a gracious reader will reread. I don’t mean we need to read every book at least twice. However, when there are parts we disagree with, don’t understand, or find confusing, we will read it over several times until we are confident we have comprehended what the author is trying to say.

As a means of being a gracious reader, we want to ensure that we give authors the benefit of the doubt by not assuming the worst. Instead, we do the following:

• First, we assume a lack of understanding. Individuals communicate differently, and so perhaps our differences create ambiguity that we need to clarify.
• Second, we assume a lack of clarity on the author’s part. It’s possible the author wasn’t as clear as they should have been. It happens. 
• Third, assume they are misinformed or uninformed. Rereading should bring clarity and allow us to rule out the first two assumptions. Once we’ve done that, one of two things has happened: We’ve come to an agreement with the author, or we have concluded they are wrong. This may be the result of being misinformed or uninformed. 
• Finally, assume self-deception. The worst option is that someone is intentionally deceptive. Very rarely should we put a person in this category, and I would say only when there is a clear and unmistakable intent to do so. Perhaps there is an ongoing pattern, or the author has explicitly expressed their intentions. More often than not, I don’t think deception is intentional. I think it comes from a refusal to become informed because of one’s self-deception.

As a gracious reader, I want to act cautiously in any condemnation of authors. Even when there is disagreement, we can disagree and draw attention to it in ways that are gracious (cf. Colossians 4:6).

Reading with discernment is critical to our commitment to follow Christ in a fallen world. All that we read is read underneath the examination of Scripture. However, reading critically does not mean reading ungraciously. As believers, we have been on the receiving end of God’s grace frequently and routinely. As often as the Lord is gracious with us, we should be gracious with others. Therefore, I would say the character of grace should also pervade how we read. Partaking in the grace of God, may we impart God’s grace by reading graciously as well. The same grace that transformed our lives transforms our reading as well.