John Miedema

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The modern glut of information has people reading all day long, from menus to credit card bills, but this kind of reading is shallow and of brief duration, alternating quickly between competing stimuli. Levy (2001) contrasted that style of reading with the more contemplative style of deep reading. That deep reading has sacred and reverential qualities is no surprise, for books have their roots in the codex, first adopted by early Christian communities as a vehicle for the Bible.

Early allusions to slow reading in the Bible come in the form of bibliophagy, metaphors of consuming a book to extract its deeper meaning. Peterson (2006) noted three examples. Both Ezekiel and Jeremiah ate books by divine command. An angel tells St. John to eat a book, and when he does so it is metabolized into the book he writes, the Book of Revelations. In these passages, the individuals are commanded to eat the books — it was not voluntary. The internalization of the text and its transformative power, symbolized by eating, comes up often in discussions of VSR. For example, Sullivan (2007) described reading as “a journey that changes us” (27) and recommended that religious ways of reading be revived in universities.

Sire (1978) discussed the relation between slow reading and religious belief in his book, How to Read Slowly: A Christian Guide to Reading with the Mind. The intended audience is Christians, but Sire acknowledged the practical content may have wider application. For example, he advised the reader to take the time to read a book’s preface and introduction, have a dictionary handy, and read with a pen in hand for notes. But the deeper purpose of the book is to teach the reader how to pick up on the worldview of the author to see if it squares with the Christianity. When analyzing non-fiction, the reader can apply philosophical questions, e.g., what is the author’s view on reality. When analyzing fiction, the reader can examine how the plot, theme and characters add up to the author’s vision of life. Biographical, historical and other information can provide context to a reading. The reader is advised to bring a clear self-understanding to the reading.

Two additional items have value to the more general concept of VSR. One, Sire recommended to “read at your normal rate – or more slowly” (49). The variability in reading rate is an ongoing theme in the discussion of VSR. It is not necessary to read as slow as possible at all times to get the benefits of VSR. Two, Sire distinguished reading for entertainment or information from reading for perspective, the slow reading approach that allows one to pick up on subtleties in the text and the writer’s worldview. VSR is often characterized as a third way of reading.

References

Levy, David M. (2001). Reading and Attention. Chapter 6 in Scrolling Forward: Making Sense of Documents in the Digital Age (110 – 117). NY: Arcade.

Peterson, Eugene H. (2006). Eat this Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans.

Sire, James (1978). How to Read Slowly. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Sullivan, John (2007). Understanding and Overstanding: Religious Reading in Historical Perspective. Journal of Education & Christian Belief, 11(2), 25-38.