Notes on Ground Floor: Reading for the Love of God

Reading for the Love of God by Jessica Hooten Wilson 

What will we be doing? (The content) 

• Reading as spiritual discipline.  Why reading helps us to love God 
• Reading as cultural frame. Why reading helps us to understand our culture
• Examples of Christian devotion through Reading as given in Books. 
• Our own reading as devotion and reflection 

What will we hope to get out of it? 

By the end of the session the participants will 

• Reviewed examples of readers through the book and why they stand out
• discussed which examples stood out and why
• Chosen one example that they can further use to reflect and practice devotion
• Define one area they would like to grow in as readers
• Define one cultural area they would like to understand more through reflective reading
• Understand the benefit of reading better in regard to living out the Christ life. 

How will we engage with the book? 

• Discuss what parts of the book were beneficial
• Discuss what parts of the book were difficult or you disagreed with
• Discuss some of the historical examples the author gave.  Why were these important to include in the book?
• On page 98, the author quotes from the book Farenheit 451, stating “
• 98“Years ago, while attempting to invigorate first-year college students’ conviction of the necessity of reading, I assigned George Orwell’s “Politics and the English Language.” I remember shouting, standing on a chair, waving the essay in my hand: “Do you not realize that if you do not read, you will be controlled by others?!” In Fahrenheit 451, the head of the fire department, Captain Beatty, recommends to Montag, “Cram them full of noncombustible data, chock them so damned full of ‘facts’ they feel stuffed, but absolutely ‘brilliant’ with information. Then they’ll feel they’re thinking, they’ll get a sense of motion without moving. And they’ll be happy, because facts of that sort don’t change.” 
  • Where do you see that kind of thing happening in our culture now?
  • Why would reading help to prevent that from happening? 
• Teach on the reflection vs the reaction cycle. 
  • How do books help us to reflect on what’s happening in the culture rather than react to it? 
  • What book would you read next to understand the culture?