St Theophan the Recluse once gave advice about the reading of books, which can be summarized as this: read that which is spiritually fulfilling, and avoid the rest. “Read with discrimination and verify what is being read through the genuine truth of our faith. What agrees with it, accept; what does not agree with it, reject as thought against God, and throw out any book that expresses such thought.”[1] Of course, some such books would come from earthly wisdom. If what they say does not go directly against the faith, they could be useful. “Even books containing human wisdom may nourish the spirit. These are the books that indicate to us the vestiges of wisdom, benevolence, truth and solicitous Divine industry in nature and history. Read books such as these.”[2] Fictional stories, he thought, were a mixed bag, some could be harmless, but one would only know if that were the case after reading them. Thus, he thought it best to avoid them, unless directed to read them by someone we trust. “What about stories and novels? There are good ones among these. To find out whether they are good, however, you must read them, and after you have finished, you will have acquired such tales and images that — God have mercy! You will soil your clean little mind. Afterward, go get cleaned up. Why would you want to bring such labor upon yourself? Therefore, I think it is better not to read them. When a benevolently-minded person who has read some story recommends it, you may read it.“[3]
There is certainly some wisdom to this. What one reads can influence them. But that is not always the case. Even St Theophan the Recluse should have understood this – how else would there be anyone who can suggest books for others, if they have not already read them – and come out unaffected? Books will affect people differently, and what might be a stumbling block for one will not necessarily be for another, and vice versa. Thus, one must take what St Theophan said to the spirit of what he said, and not the letter. The point is not to be caught up in books which can have a harmful influence on one’s spiritual life. One must not get carried away in avoiding “bad books.” There is a need for people to know what kinds of books are out there, what is being said and portrayed in them, so that if there is something wrong with them, they can respond to these texts in a positive manner (and not avoiding them, thinking if they do, the books will go away). They need to know what is good in them, to promote that good, even if there is also something which needs to be rejected within them as well. There is a need for some to engage even questionable books, books which might even “dirty” the reader, for the sake of others; after all, one of the best ways to help someone else is to take their burden from them, and to do so, one might have to get down with them at their level, even if it means getting into the mud to help someone out of it.
It is for this reason I often question the gut reaction of some, to one book or another, when some try to tell others not to read specific books, because they didn’t like the content, style, and themes in them. While it might be beneficial for such a person to avoid it, if it will affect them so, it is not best for everyone to ignore it. There is much talent, creativity, and good, in any work of art – no matter how corrupt it is, so that others, able to avoid that error, might still benefit from that work. Indeed, sometimes the most difficult texts might be what someone else needs, just like an athlete often needs to meet a greater challenge than that which they have faced before to grow. That a challenge is not for the inexperienced, and indeed, might harm them if met when not ready, is not indicative that such a challenge should never be met by anyone. There are too many factors involved with such contests to make universal rules, although one could suggest particular prerequisites before such a challenge is met, and the same might be true for books (and why parents should be active in the discernment over what books their children do or do not read).
In similar fashion, music, movies, television, the internet – the media as we have today, all pose particular challenges, and should, like books, be treated similarly to what we have said about books. There is much which could trouble particular people, and if they know in advance that they would be troubled, they should avoid them. There might be some forms of entertainment which, for the most part, would be sinful to engage and should be avoided. But for the rest – not only might such forms of entertainment be acceptable for a Christian audience, they might, in the end, be beneficial for a Christian, not because its contents are Christian, but because they show us the state of the world, so we know exactly what we are working with when engaging the world. If grace perfects nature, then, in the end, we can’t end up as Gnostics rejecting the world, but as Christians embracing it.
Footnotes
[1]St Theophan the Recluse, The Spiritual Life and How to be Attuned to It. Trans. Alexandra Dockham (Forestville, CA: St Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1995), 285.
[2] Ibid., 286.
[3] Ibid.
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