William Cunningham on the snare of merely devouring books

[Reformed Covenanter]

In directing your attention to the consideration that from the vast extent of theological science, and the number of different subjects it embraces, there is required much laborious study before you can become theologians, it is right to warn you against a temptation to which some of you might be exposed upon this subject, that, viz., of dissipating your time and even injuring your faculties, by the indiscriminate perusal of a great number of books. ...

For more, see William Cunningham on the snare of merely devouring books.

 

[RamistThomist]

In directing your attention to the consideration that from the vast extent of theological science, and the number of different subjects it embraces, there is required much laborious study before you can become theologians, it is right to warn you against a temptation to which some of you might be exposed upon this subject, that, viz., of dissipating your time and even injuring your faculties, by the indiscriminate perusal of a great number of books. ...

For more, see William Cunningham on the snare of merely devouring books.

Very true, and on a practical side, would you rather buy five $10 books which might argue pro or con on the latest controversie, or would you rather spend $50 on a leading monograph by Oxford and Cambridge which will let you have competence in the field? I would have said "mastery in the field," but that will come at least a decade later after much suffering.

 

[Stephen L Smith]

I thought the snare would be that devouring books would give you indigestion

 

[Tom Hart]

I thought the snare would be that devouring books would give you indigestion

 

[arapahoepark]

Convicting...especially as one with very mild Tsundoku...

 

[RamistThomist]

Here is some advice. If the book isn't worth finishing, don't finish it. Or maybe you don't need to finish it right now. Swallow your pride and move on. I recently started Kuyper's Our Program that I borrowed from my library. It's probably worth reading, but I just don't feel like it right now.

 

[timfost]

I thought the snare would be that devouring books would give you indigestion

I'm offended...

Regards,

ReformedSilverfish