Books and Hero Worship
Posted by Martin Murphy on Wednesday, March 9, 2011 Under: Books
I wonder how many blogs are posted on the internet each day? I wonder how many people read those blogs? On the average there are over 700 books published each day in the United States. I’ve read some reports indicating that the majority of those books will sell less than 100 copies. I wonder why people follow and read some blogs and not others? I wonder why people read some books and not others?
Even though I expect only a few will read this blog, I will still give my opinion for what it’s not worth. Obviously a person has to discriminate when selecting books to read. I’ve never counted the number of books I’ve read, but it has been a considerable number over a 30 year period. Why did I select certain books to read? The reasons are numerous. Time restrictions have been the primary reason. A person can only read so many books. Then there are financial limitations. The average person has to budget book buying. There is another reason. I call it “hero worship.”
I remember visiting Dr. Bryan Beyer's office soon after I arrived at Columbia International University. He was on the phone, so I admired his large collection of books. He finished the phone conversation and proceeded to look at some papers on his desk. I promptly asked him if he had read all those books. Without looking up or hesitating he said, “Some of them twice.” After a moment of being in awe, I was engaged with “hero worship.” What a great man he was. Then he suddenly broke his mirror by saying “but some, not once.” He taught me a valuable lesson.
God graced me with the opportunity to study under the teaching of some godly, but erudite, scholarly academicians in the field of philosophy and theology. Hero worship was a mighty temptation. Although I’ve read books because they carried the name Jonathan Edwards, I’ve also read books written by little known authors like Glenn Gordy.
Hero worship is the reason many books are purchased and never read. Many books are purchased based on the author’s name rather than the content of the book.
Whether I go to a bookstore or a thrift shop, I look not only for the name, but I look at the table of contents. I look for summary statements on the back cover and endorsements if there are any. I try to avoid “hero worship” in my book selection.
Even though I expect only a few will read this blog, I will still give my opinion for what it’s not worth. Obviously a person has to discriminate when selecting books to read. I’ve never counted the number of books I’ve read, but it has been a considerable number over a 30 year period. Why did I select certain books to read? The reasons are numerous. Time restrictions have been the primary reason. A person can only read so many books. Then there are financial limitations. The average person has to budget book buying. There is another reason. I call it “hero worship.”
I remember visiting Dr. Bryan Beyer's office soon after I arrived at Columbia International University. He was on the phone, so I admired his large collection of books. He finished the phone conversation and proceeded to look at some papers on his desk. I promptly asked him if he had read all those books. Without looking up or hesitating he said, “Some of them twice.” After a moment of being in awe, I was engaged with “hero worship.” What a great man he was. Then he suddenly broke his mirror by saying “but some, not once.” He taught me a valuable lesson.
God graced me with the opportunity to study under the teaching of some godly, but erudite, scholarly academicians in the field of philosophy and theology. Hero worship was a mighty temptation. Although I’ve read books because they carried the name Jonathan Edwards, I’ve also read books written by little known authors like Glenn Gordy.
Hero worship is the reason many books are purchased and never read. Many books are purchased based on the author’s name rather than the content of the book.
Whether I go to a bookstore or a thrift shop, I look not only for the name, but I look at the table of contents. I look for summary statements on the back cover and endorsements if there are any. I try to avoid “hero worship” in my book selection.
In : Books
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My first priority in life is to glorify God by writing books with the layman in mind. My joy in life is spending time with my wife and enjoying life together. After spending nearly 30 years in the class room, the pulpit, the lectern, the study, and the library, I now devote most of my time consolidating my academic and practical gains by writing books.
I have a B.A. in Bible from Columbia International University and a Master of Divinity from Reformed Theological Seminary.
