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kanejim57's review against another edition
4.0
In 2014 I read Humanities and Public Life edited by Peter Brooks. In that book the “ethics of reading” was a theme addressed from a variety of perspectives in a scholarly conference devoted to the humanities and public life. One key idea from that conference and the essays published from it had to do with the possibility of reading making people more humane people.
I think that C Christopher Smith’s book Reading for the Common Good: How Books Help Our Churches and Neighborhoods to Flourish (IVP, 2016) asks a similar kind of question, “Can reading and should reading makes us more faith and community sensitive people?”
I believe that Smith makes a strong case in favor of a hearty “YES!”
Reading for the Common Good is a wonderful book about the power of reading, literacy, faith development/discipleship, and community development. Starting with the perspective first introduced by Peter Senge twenty-five years ago, with his concept of the learning organization, Smith argues that reading in communion, in community is an vital and important task for people of faith as they seek to live out the gospel in the context of their local, regional, and even national and international communities.
In nine chapters, Smith addresses the ideas of slow reading, reading and congregational identity, reading with our neighbors, and faithful engagement in economics and politics, among other topics. The result is a fresh view of community learning and development which has implications for both congregational and community life as well.
Reading for the Common Good was a refreshing book to read about the power of reading… together in order to grow in one’s faith as well as meaningfully contribute to the development of one’s neighborhood and community as well as beyond them. This would be a great book for college and seminary classes as well as Sunday School classes, small groups, book clubs, and people who are earnest in reaching connecting with their neighbors to improve neighborhoods.
I grew to like this book as it moved along and it gave me some fresh ideas about community connection and faith. I gave this book a four-star rating on Goodreads.
Note: I received an galley copy of this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for a review. I was not required to write a positive review.
I think that C Christopher Smith’s book Reading for the Common Good: How Books Help Our Churches and Neighborhoods to Flourish (IVP, 2016) asks a similar kind of question, “Can reading and should reading makes us more faith and community sensitive people?”
I believe that Smith makes a strong case in favor of a hearty “YES!”
Reading for the Common Good is a wonderful book about the power of reading, literacy, faith development/discipleship, and community development. Starting with the perspective first introduced by Peter Senge twenty-five years ago, with his concept of the learning organization, Smith argues that reading in communion, in community is an vital and important task for people of faith as they seek to live out the gospel in the context of their local, regional, and even national and international communities.
In nine chapters, Smith addresses the ideas of slow reading, reading and congregational identity, reading with our neighbors, and faithful engagement in economics and politics, among other topics. The result is a fresh view of community learning and development which has implications for both congregational and community life as well.
Reading for the Common Good was a refreshing book to read about the power of reading… together in order to grow in one’s faith as well as meaningfully contribute to the development of one’s neighborhood and community as well as beyond them. This would be a great book for college and seminary classes as well as Sunday School classes, small groups, book clubs, and people who are earnest in reaching connecting with their neighbors to improve neighborhoods.
I grew to like this book as it moved along and it gave me some fresh ideas about community connection and faith. I gave this book a four-star rating on Goodreads.
Note: I received an galley copy of this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for a review. I was not required to write a positive review.
riaryan's review against another edition
2.0
I was so looking forward to reading this when I first heard about it. A book which tells of the importance of reading books particularly within a church context. Can't help feeling disappointed by it. Maybe it lacked something. Maybe I didn't get to grips with all that was addressed. Maybe I was on the wrong part of the journey to really appreciate it at this time.
drbobcornwall's review against another edition
5.0
I am an avid reader, and I've always been an avid reader, as can be seen in the very fact that in elementary school I was a member of the Library Club! I've always preferred non-fiction to fiction, with history and then theology being at the top of the list. At any moment in time I have probably five to ten books in play, and my Kindle makes it even easier to access books. Books inform and form us. The open new worlds and new opportunities. When Gutenberg invited the printing press the world of literacy opened up. The Reformation would never have occurred without it.
Chris Smith is another avid reader, and like me he's always been an avid reader. He took his reading inclinations to the point of launching a book review website and then a published book review journal, to which I have contributed. The Englewood Review of Books is a must stop for those of us who love to read. In this book, "Reading for the Common Good," Chris Smith invites us to expand our vision of what reading is to what it can be. He speaks of reading in terms of the way in which it, as the subtitle declares, help our churches and neighborhoods flourish." This is a book about reading with a purpose. It's a book about recognizing the importance of not only being informed, but being formed. It is that opening up of the larger world that is at stake here.
Chris address the question of the role of reading in the context of the church, which he speaks of in terms of being a "learning community." This involves reading scripture, which Chris believes is foundational, but it can't stop there. He writes that "we also find ourselves reading broadly as we seek to interpret Scripture and to embody Christ in our particular time and place: theology, history, urban theory, ecology, agriculture, poetry, child development, economics, fiction and more" (p. 15). That's pretty broad!
In the course of this book, which I loved reading, Chris helps us imagine the church as a learning community that blesses the neighborhood. With this in mind he offers chapters that describe "slow reading." That is, he wants us to take our time in our reading to be formed by it. In other words, the principle of "lectio divina," which is used to read scripture can be used more broadly. With this vision in place our reading can help shape our social imagination. It can also help shape the congregational identity -- remember he wants us to think of the church as a learning community -- this requires reading in community. There is benefit in reading the same books and materials, so that we can gather and discuss them. We read the text, but as he says, the text reads us. Reading helps form the community, but it also helps us discern our calling as individuals and as communities. Reading helps us understand who we are (identity) and what we're going to do (vocation). Reading helps, he notes, the congregation discern how it will be involved in the neighborhood, and then will help in the process of maturing.
Chris is part of a congregation has committed itself to being part of a neighborhood. It was a church that was populated largely by people who lived outside the neighborhood -- a reality faced by many predominantly white congregations situated in urban locations. But they decided to inhabit the neighborhood. A number of people moved into the neighborhood and committed themselves to community development work and to the task of sharing literacy and reading. So, it should not surprise that they have committed themselves not only to reading as a congregation but also inviting the neighborhood to join them. They have, opened the church up for promoting literacy and providing resources. They have partnered with the local library to make sure it stays open and has resources. Chris reminds us that civic engagement requires civic literacy. This commitment to reading with the community accompanies a commitment to deepening roots in the neighborhood. This involves understanding the context -- the educational, economic, environmental, civic contexts. I admire this commitment to inhabiting the neighborhood, especially since our churches have largely disconnected from neighborhoods.
Chris doesn't stop with the neighborhood. He speaks of how reading can help us re-imagine the world. He speaks of an interconnected creation, where the congregation equips people to pursue shalom in the world. One thing that's clear is that Chris invites us to consider reading broadly. Reading theology and the Bible are central to our task, but we can't stop there. We need to be informed on matters economic and political. These are matters of context, and we can't address the world in all it's complexity unless we're literate on such matters. As I write this review, there is grave concern about economics and politics, and great numbers of citizens seem uninformed and disconnected. The United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, and we learn afterwards that many who voted to leave didn't even know what the EU was. That's dangerous, especially for democracies, which depend upon an educated citizenry. So we must read broadly on such matters.
Chris closes the book by recapping and suggesting ways in which churches can become reading communities. He suggests that we connect reading with as many of our activities as possible.There are times when we will read in common, but there will also need to be allowance and encouragement for diversity in our reading so that we can contribute to a growing conversation. Chris recognizes that not everyone will be a reader, but even those who do not read can be included in the conversations so that they might benefit from what others have read.
This is a long-awaited book. It appeals to me, because I am a committed reader. I believe in its power. The question is, how do we enable our congregations to become learning communities that can bless our neighborhoods and thus the world? That is the question to which Chris responds. I affirm his message!
Chris Smith is another avid reader, and like me he's always been an avid reader. He took his reading inclinations to the point of launching a book review website and then a published book review journal, to which I have contributed. The Englewood Review of Books is a must stop for those of us who love to read. In this book, "Reading for the Common Good," Chris Smith invites us to expand our vision of what reading is to what it can be. He speaks of reading in terms of the way in which it, as the subtitle declares, help our churches and neighborhoods flourish." This is a book about reading with a purpose. It's a book about recognizing the importance of not only being informed, but being formed. It is that opening up of the larger world that is at stake here.
Chris address the question of the role of reading in the context of the church, which he speaks of in terms of being a "learning community." This involves reading scripture, which Chris believes is foundational, but it can't stop there. He writes that "we also find ourselves reading broadly as we seek to interpret Scripture and to embody Christ in our particular time and place: theology, history, urban theory, ecology, agriculture, poetry, child development, economics, fiction and more" (p. 15). That's pretty broad!
In the course of this book, which I loved reading, Chris helps us imagine the church as a learning community that blesses the neighborhood. With this in mind he offers chapters that describe "slow reading." That is, he wants us to take our time in our reading to be formed by it. In other words, the principle of "lectio divina," which is used to read scripture can be used more broadly. With this vision in place our reading can help shape our social imagination. It can also help shape the congregational identity -- remember he wants us to think of the church as a learning community -- this requires reading in community. There is benefit in reading the same books and materials, so that we can gather and discuss them. We read the text, but as he says, the text reads us. Reading helps form the community, but it also helps us discern our calling as individuals and as communities. Reading helps us understand who we are (identity) and what we're going to do (vocation). Reading helps, he notes, the congregation discern how it will be involved in the neighborhood, and then will help in the process of maturing.
Chris is part of a congregation has committed itself to being part of a neighborhood. It was a church that was populated largely by people who lived outside the neighborhood -- a reality faced by many predominantly white congregations situated in urban locations. But they decided to inhabit the neighborhood. A number of people moved into the neighborhood and committed themselves to community development work and to the task of sharing literacy and reading. So, it should not surprise that they have committed themselves not only to reading as a congregation but also inviting the neighborhood to join them. They have, opened the church up for promoting literacy and providing resources. They have partnered with the local library to make sure it stays open and has resources. Chris reminds us that civic engagement requires civic literacy. This commitment to reading with the community accompanies a commitment to deepening roots in the neighborhood. This involves understanding the context -- the educational, economic, environmental, civic contexts. I admire this commitment to inhabiting the neighborhood, especially since our churches have largely disconnected from neighborhoods.
Chris doesn't stop with the neighborhood. He speaks of how reading can help us re-imagine the world. He speaks of an interconnected creation, where the congregation equips people to pursue shalom in the world. One thing that's clear is that Chris invites us to consider reading broadly. Reading theology and the Bible are central to our task, but we can't stop there. We need to be informed on matters economic and political. These are matters of context, and we can't address the world in all it's complexity unless we're literate on such matters. As I write this review, there is grave concern about economics and politics, and great numbers of citizens seem uninformed and disconnected. The United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, and we learn afterwards that many who voted to leave didn't even know what the EU was. That's dangerous, especially for democracies, which depend upon an educated citizenry. So we must read broadly on such matters.
Chris closes the book by recapping and suggesting ways in which churches can become reading communities. He suggests that we connect reading with as many of our activities as possible.There are times when we will read in common, but there will also need to be allowance and encouragement for diversity in our reading so that we can contribute to a growing conversation. Chris recognizes that not everyone will be a reader, but even those who do not read can be included in the conversations so that they might benefit from what others have read.
This is a long-awaited book. It appeals to me, because I am a committed reader. I believe in its power. The question is, how do we enable our congregations to become learning communities that can bless our neighborhoods and thus the world? That is the question to which Chris responds. I affirm his message!
livingpalm1's review against another edition
4.0
Oh my goodness. Could Christopher Smith include any more of my favorite words in this title? I thoroughly enjoyed this read (much the same as I enjoyed Slow Church by the same author). As someone who has been encouraged by writer and theologian Eugene Peterson in the act of spiritual reading, I was reminded again to embrace this practice, and not for myself alone.
In "Reading For the Common Good", Chris Smith encourages us to do the slow, thoughtful work of reading in community in order to grow in understanding and deepen our relationships within and without the church walls. After finishing the last chapter, I was immediately inspired to begin a reading group at the church my husband pastors here in Fairfield, CT. Since we are new to this community, this has been an especially encouraging way for me to make connections and provide new avenues for meaningful conversation within our church family.
I highly recommend both the book and the various reading lists the author shares. Well done!
In "Reading For the Common Good", Chris Smith encourages us to do the slow, thoughtful work of reading in community in order to grow in understanding and deepen our relationships within and without the church walls. After finishing the last chapter, I was immediately inspired to begin a reading group at the church my husband pastors here in Fairfield, CT. Since we are new to this community, this has been an especially encouraging way for me to make connections and provide new avenues for meaningful conversation within our church family.
I highly recommend both the book and the various reading lists the author shares. Well done!
neyhart's review against another edition
2.0
Read my full review at www.jenniferneyhart.com
Positives:
-Well written
-Some good ideas (I especially like the idea of the way books read us and form us.)
-Great annotated bibliography at the end of the book.
Negatives:
-Seems a little thin on the question of how to get our church to be a reading church. (Though Chapter 9 attempts to address this question.)
-The question the subtitle of the book sets itself up to answer is “How do books help our churches and neighborhoods flourish?” While Smith does set out to answer this question, I found myself wanting more practical and concrete answers. It all felt rather abstract at times.
-Sometimes Smith’s ideas seem a bit too, well, ideal. Even though he talks about his own church and community, it just doesn’t seem like his ideas would work as well in other places.
Positives:
-Well written
-Some good ideas (I especially like the idea of the way books read us and form us.)
-Great annotated bibliography at the end of the book.
Negatives:
-Seems a little thin on the question of how to get our church to be a reading church. (Though Chapter 9 attempts to address this question.)
-The question the subtitle of the book sets itself up to answer is “How do books help our churches and neighborhoods flourish?” While Smith does set out to answer this question, I found myself wanting more practical and concrete answers. It all felt rather abstract at times.
-Sometimes Smith’s ideas seem a bit too, well, ideal. Even though he talks about his own church and community, it just doesn’t seem like his ideas would work as well in other places.
veeinny's review
3.0
Opportunity to equip congregation for intentional incarnation in the community...
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