Previously, Mark Nenadov, Michael Plato, Olga Lukmanova, Ian Clary, Vincent Cancilla, Heather Weir, Bob Walton, Sheila Kurian, Clint Humfrey, and Amanda Patchin’s answers on the topic of literature have been featured. Here are John and Kara Dekker’s answers.
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?
John: I grew up on the island of Tasmania where I trained to be a mathematics and science teacher. I then moved to Melbourne, Australia and trained as a minister in the Presbyterian Church of Australia. I am currently a full-time pastor, undertaking a part-time Doctor of Theology degree in the Old Testament.
Kara: I’m a Kansas girl, transplanted to a beach-side suburb of Victoria after my marriage. I was home-schooled by my parents, and during my high school years focused especially on music.
2. How has your early upbringing shaped your view and use of literature now?
John: I was taught to read when I was five, and by the time I was six I was a state winner in a read-a-thon in which I read more than 600 books in six weeks. This actually caused me to be burned out somewhat by reading, and over the next decade I strongly preferred non-fiction to fiction. Since then I have gone through a period of rediscovery and catch up on fiction reading that I missed out on in my childhood – books like Watership Down, The Wind in the Willows and The Lord of the Rings.
Kara: My parents provided me with oodles of books during my growing up years, and encouraged me to read by their enthusiastic example. My dad instilled in me a passion for well-illustrated children’s books, especially those with a creative use of words. I still love picking up authors such as Dr. Seuss and Robert McCloskey.
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)
John: My brother Tony and my friend Luke have been especially diligent and insightful in recommending books that they think I would like. I was also privileged to be required to do a Language and Literature course at seminary, which was very stimulating – I did my major project on Milton’s Paradise Lost, which I had been always meaning to read. Finally, I have appreciated the writings of Douglas Wilson and Douglas Jones who edit Credenda Agenda.The issue on Beowulf both inspired me to read that poem, while the issue on P. G. Wodehouse kick-started a love that has constrained me to read more than a dozen Wodehouse novels so far.
Kara: I discovered the magazine Credenda Agenda in my formative years, and the way I read the Bible and think about life has been greatly influenced by its various columnists, especially Douglas Wilson. My understanding of how to read the Old Testament has grown through my marriage to John, as he teaches me to look for Christ in every page. And I find myself often mulling over the ideas contained in Peter Leithart’s Deep Exegesis.
4. What authors/works would you re-read if you had a month-long sabbatical to dedicate to reading?
John: I’m not sure I would re-read anything – I would be much more likely to tackle works I’d been putting off for some time, such as The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevsky, Introduction to the Old Testament as Scripture by Brevard Childs or Boswell’s Life of Johnson. But if it had to be books I’d already read, I would include Through New Eyes by James Jordan and the Father Brown stories by G. K. Chesterton.
Kara: I’d like to re-read some childhood favourites, this time trying to see how the author’s theology works itself out in story form. I’d start with L.M. Alcott, because I’m more familiar with her setting amongst the Transcendentalists, and move on to L.M. Montgomery. Then I’d read all the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, just for fun.
5. Who are your favorite authors or characters portrayed in literature? (if any of them have substantially changed you, list how briefly)
John: My favourite authors would include J. R. R. Tolkien, P. G. Wodehouse and G. K. Chesterton. My favourite characters in these authors’ corpora would be Gandalf, Jeeves and Mr Pond.
Kara: John and I have very similar tastes! I would add to the above authors Laura Ingalls Wilder, Dorothy Sayers and Elizabeth Goudge. Sayers’ Lord Peter is one of my favourite literary characters..
6. Should Christians read more literature? What are the benefits to that? What are some cautions you would share
John: How much do they read now? I think it might depend on the person. There are, perhaps, some who should read less.
Kara: Reading is, for me, much more than an intellectual, fact-finding exercise. I’m passionate about reading for the simple joy of words. I would say that, yes, Christians should read more literature. I think there is a great danger in only reading those books with which we agree, with staying in familiar territory. Read widely!
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?)
John: Kara and I read aloud to each other a fair bit. We’ve read a few books on marriage, some poetry, a lot of P. G. Wodehouse, Laura Ingalls Wilder, L. M. Montgomery and Face to Face: Meditations on Friendship and Hospitality by Steve Wilkins. Next year we plan to read An American Childhood by Annie Dillard.
Kara: I love to read out bits of books to whoever will listen. Part of the enjoyment of literature comes from sharing.
8. What are some methods or principles you use to decide what you will and won’t read?
John: I think a book has to have something different – a subject or an approach or an idea that I haven’t come across before – before I will read it. With modern evangelical theology books, in particular, I notice a certain sameness in what gets published these days.
Kara: It is a bit of an exaggeration to say that my reading is purely impulse driven. But not much. I do place great importance on reading the books my husband recommends!.
9. What literary works or authors could be of the greatest value to the church if they were read more? Why?
John: I’m passionate about pastors reading fiction – and novels about the ministry are a great place to start. These would include The Sunday Wife by Cassandra King, Lion Country by Frederick Buechner, A Live Coal in the Sea by Madeleine L’Engle and Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. Other novels of value to the church would be Wonderful Fool by Shusaku Endō, Knowledge of Angels by Jill Paton Walsh and Secret Radio by Jeri Massi.
Kara: Through a recent study of the book of Daniel, I’ve come to realize how ignorant I am of ancient history. I think most contemporary Christians, like myself, would benefit from a wider knowledge of times not our own.
10. Is there anything else you’d like to mention
John: No, I think that’s about it.
Kara: I realize I write this assuming a readership well steeped in the Bible. If that doesn’t describe you, start there.
