Christians and Literature – 10 Questions for Mark Nenadov

I’m pleased to announce that I am starting a series called “Christian and Literature – 10 Questions”, in which I will be asking various Christians who love literature some questions. To kick off the series, which should span November and December, I will post my own answers to the questions that I posed to others.

1. Can you give a brief summary of where you live, your educational background, what you do for a living, what church you attend, and the religious tradition you stand in?

I work as a programmer and have an IT-related college diploma. I’m a member of Grace Baptist Church of Essex and in regard to religious tradition I am a Reformed Baptist.

2. How has your early upbringing shaped your view and use of literature now?

My family didn’t have any particular “literary”  proclivities to speak of, though I was given freedom to pursue eclectic reading interests. Books such as Robinson Crusoe, Shakespeare’s complete works, and Huckleberry Finn were on our shelves but I mainly read non fiction as a kid. I learned to love books fairly early on, but I’d say that anything amounting to a “passion” for literature didn’t come until well after college. I became a Christian between highschool and college, and there are only two pieces of teen/adult fiction in my pre-college days that are at all memorable to me: 1984 by George Orwell and Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.

3. Are there any people who, in your adult life, have encouraged you to encounter literature in a deeper or more passionate way. If so, who? (they can people you know personally or not)

1. I doubt he even remembers it, but a friend’s quite random recommendation of Brothers Karamazov was very important in introducing me to literature in general and the Russian writers in particular.

2. Many bloggers, speakers, writers, etc. have seeped into my thinking gradually, both directly about literature and indirectly through other topics. In this list I would include:  O.S. Guinness, Olga Lukmanova, various other L’Abri speakers, Alan Jacobs, Peter Leithart, Harold Bloom, George Grant, Tony Reinke, Mark Horne, Brian Godawa, Michael Coren, Goran Dragojlovic, Ralph Smith, Peter Leithart, and my friend Ian Clary..

3. I should also point out that I’ve been richly blessed by having my niece Grace introduce me to Tolkien.

4 What authors/works would you re-read if you had a month-long sabbatical to dedicate to reading?

Where do I begin? I think the immediately obvious one would be to re-read Brothers Karamazov.  And then maybe I would re-read a few of the following: The Hobbit, 1984, Robinson Crusoe, The Master and Maragrita.

5. Who are your favorite authors or characters portrayed in literature? (if any of them have substantially changed you, list how briefly)

I’m not good at favorites, but here’s an attempt:

Tier one:  P.G. Wodehouse and his Bertie/Jeeves/Psmith (made me less gloomy and got me through rough days), Mark Twain (taught me how to laugh at myself), Dostoevsky and esp. the Karamazov brother characters (helped me understand humanity, depravity, and myself in a richer measure), Orwell’s 1984 (changed the way I see the world),  A.C. Doyle and Holmes/Watson (can’t really explain why), George MacDonald’s Hector and Annie in Far Above Rubies has impacted my view of romance, and a whole class of adversarial characters that portray evil like Tolkien’s Morgoth or Bunyans characters or Lewis’  Screwtape letters or Guinness’ Gravedigger Files or some Shakespeare characters (captured my imagination in portraying evil).

Tier two:  Dafoe’s Robinson Crusoe (can’t really explain why–captured me at a young age), Robert Heinlein, Wendell Berry, Albert Camus, Chesterton, Philip Roth, Tolstoy, Anton Chekhov,Ivan Turgenev, Mikhail Bulgakov, and Robert Service.

6. Should Christians read more literature? What are the benefits to that? What are some cautions you would share?

The vast majority of us don’t read enough–so probably you should read more. That said, you need to keep first things first and how much you actually read depends on your gifts, calling, free time, responsibilities, energy, and preferences.

I will just pick a few benefits: Increased literacy to be used in other fields; pleasure; increased ability to understand other people; stories can reach our hearts in ways that propositions can’t; it gives us a restful diversion from our other duties; it can be a shared experience with others as you read and talk about literature.

Avoid underestimating the (positive or negative) impact of literature. We need to keep in mind that when we read we are keeping company and be aware of how that company is affecting us.  This is complex and is usually not a simple matter of good/evil.  Stories are usually too complex to be stuffed in one or the other box. It tends to be very situational, and we can’t just evaluate the books themselves, but also how we react to them. And remember, you only have limited time to read (per day and per lifetime!)

7. To what degree is reading communal for you? (ie. Are you more solitary? Do you share in any way with your friends? Are you in reading groups?)

I’ve been in a couple reading groups. In theory I see reading as communal, but in practice I am more solitary than I wish to be.  I don’t see what I read as a private matter,though. I try to share my reading with others through personal conversations, reviews, and various book sites (ie. Library Thing, now Good Reads).  I make it a point to post what I’ve read on my blog and also share some thoughts on my goals in reading. I find that leads to in-person conversations.  In terms of the act of reading, I mainly do that alone (with the exception of reading the Bible together with my wife). Now, approaching fatherhood, I imagine I will read in groups of at least two more often!

8. What are some methods or principles you use to decide what you will and won’t read?

Generally, I have a loosely held to plan that includes what broad areas I’m interested in, and together with my mood at the time–I determine what to read.

9. What literary works or authors could be of the greatest value to the church if they were read more? Why?

A. It may be a tad cliché, but Dostoevsky’s Brothers Karamazov. It would help us (and the people we help) wrestle with the big questions of life. B. Mark Twain and P.G. Wodehouse, would go a long way in loosening us up and helping us to be more free to laugh at ourselves. It’s hard to take yourself too seriously after a healthy dose of Twain and Wodehouse. And, let me be clear, we too often take ourselves too seriously! C. The fantastic portrayals of enemies and evil in the works I cited earlier by Tolkien, Lewis, Guinness, Shakespeare, Bunyan, etc., would help us understand our enemy better and would be profitable in the struggle. I think we all have a pretty good theological understanding of Satan’s work, but I think for many people some of these stories could help people to see it on more concrete terms.

I feel, as a general principle, books that stretch the church’s imagination, make them laugh, improve their understanding of good and evil, challenge them to think through things and  increase empathy, etc. are all pretty valuable!

10. Is there anything else you’d like to mention?

Don’t let intimidation spoil your reading experience–be open to recommendations  but take them with a grain of salt. Don’t be enslaved to recommendations and don’t be afraid to go below (or above) the level of reading that others think you should be at. Also, some of the most important points in fiction can be subtle and you’ll miss them if you are looking for something too explicitly. Take up and read, and don’t take it (or yourself) too seriously! You might miss something if you are tensely expecting something profound.