Grace Hamman, “Rereading Favorite Books” (Plough)

“Rereading ultimately creates something very strange, like throwing a party with absurd and wonderful guests: the quiet presence of my past self at nine, eighteen, thirty-four, and the voices, feelings, and perspectives of the characters and writers that I love.

“But in honesty, all these stories make my rereading sound a lot more intellectually coherent than it actually is. In the end, I do not reread primarily for the voices of others, a happy rejection of the monetization of everything, or for the mirror into my soul. Those are all perks. I reread because I love the book, or the voice, or the character. And rereading increases that love.”

J. V. Fesko, “The Importance of a Church Library” (Reformed Theology)

“Churches should seriously consider purchasing key theological works so members of the church can be exposed to great theological resources. Books like Calvin’s Institutes, Turretin’s Institutes, Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics, introductions to the Old and New Testaments, sets of commentaries and the like should line the shelves. Yes, there are many Internet resources available for free, but if a church is really committed to equipping the saints to know and study the word of God, then they should make these types of resources available. The elders should encourage people to read and study them as well as read and study them for their own edification.”

Wyatt Graham, “10 Theology Books That Changed My Life” (Substack)

“These ten books have profoundly shaped my thinking, though there are many others I could include. I’ve recently been shaped by Homer’s Odyssey, but haven’t had enough time to reflect on how it’s changed me. As a bonus, I would add that Byung-Chul Han’s work has always been helpful and deeply influenced me in ways that are hard to explain.”