Now that my book is available in English and Spanish, I often hear three reasons for not reading it. The first is, “I don’t read.” The second is, “I won’t understand.” The dividing line between these comments is age. People under thirty confess, “I don’t read,” whereas people over thirty express self-doubt, “I won’t understand.” The third comment is, “I’m not interested.” (In the next two blogs, I deal with the second and third comments.)

First, non-readers are not telling the truth, at least to themselves. They are reading and watching―all the time. But the content is often chatter, trivia, and stimulation via social media, what I call “junk food for the mind.” Do they hear and consider meaningful questions carefully considered? Or do they absorb hastily concocted opinions from influencers who are often not qualified?

Since they are not reading (except social media), they are not thinking critically, especially with the advent of AI. They are easily influenced and manipulated. They are not reflective but responsive. They are not questioning but complying. Regarding themes that matter, they are passive. Reading is arduous and boring compared to scrolling, texting, television, and online gaming. Tribalism, doom scrolling, and conspiracy mongering are much more interesting than biblical knowledge and wisdom.

Second, followers of Jesus Christ who do not read are not likely to love God with the mind. They do not acquire understanding and do not develop discernment. This is a significant spiritual problem. Why? Because God is a thinker and we are created in his image as thinkers. God communicates with us through words―scripture. Christianity, after all, is a religion “of the book.” Reading and learning are integral aspects of biblical spirituality.

Third, nonreaders ignore the Great Commandment. The core of Old Testament piety is the Shema: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Dt 6:4–5). When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, he cited the Shema and added, “with all your mind” (Mk 12:30) and “love your neighbor as yourself” (v. 31). Loving God with the mind is a critical feature of Christian spirituality.

For reasons such as these, I wrote in the Postscript of my book that repentance is the first step in loving with the mind:

Aspiring thinkers bring their brains to God and turn back to the Bible as an act of worship. They evaluate whom they listen to and where they learn. They turn away from negative speakers and false messages. They discern our intellectual context (Eph 2:1–3). They distinguish between the trivial and the momentous. They reinvest their intellectual capacity in the true, good, and beautiful. They develop intellectual virtues—such as curiosity, discipline, creativity, and humility—in accord with the Scriptures.