How to Read Theology More Consistently
People ask questions on the channel that don't fit into my usual reviews. I usually just reply to the comment, but I thought it could be fun to answer some of them here. A while back someone commented: Can you share reading plans? It takes discipline to read so much. So, how do you read theology more consistently?
1. Pick your book
Obvious, but it's the first step. This year, for example, I'm hoping to get through Philip Schaff's History of the Christian Church (I'm on volume two, and not reading every single word). I'm also working through John Witherspoon's works again.
2. See how the book is broken up
Look at the table of contents. In Schaff, the chapter headings cover a lot of ground (chapter one runs 28 pages), but they're divided into many short sections, so there are lots of places to stop. Witherspoon's volume, on the other hand, is sermons: longer, consistent units without natural stopping points in between.
3. Decide how much to read each day
Once you know how the book is broken up, decide how much to read daily. With Witherspoon, one sermon a day seemed reasonable. With Schaff, my goal is 25 pages a day. Sometimes that's easy, and sometimes it's very difficult.
It can be as little as a page. I remember Matthew Everhard talking about reading an entire systematic theology one page a day. It took a long time, but you cover a lot of material, and if you really soak in one page a day you'll actually take more from it.
I'm not going to give you an actual reading plan. I've broken out a lot of big books this way (Toplady, Calvin's Institutes, Berkhof's Systematic Theology, Beeke's systematic, Robert Traill, Charnock), but my plan fits my life and needs, not yours. So: decide how much you want to read, see how the book is broken up, and combine the two.
4. Pick an end date
How long do you want to be in this book? My goal is to finish Schaff by the end of the year. I may not finish all of it, because I have other books to read, but it keeps me going. When I get up in the morning and think, "Do I really want to read Schaff?", the answer is probably no! But I know I'm aiming for that date, and whether I'm on track.
It can be any date. I'm getting married in June, and I'd like to be done with Witherspoon by then, because my wife-to-be wants to read Witherspoon, and I'll be out of her way!
5. Read every single day
Consistency is more important than quantity. If I read 100 pages of Schaff once every couple of months, I'd go considerably slower than reading 25 pages every day.
That's how I read theology more consistently, how I break out a reading plan, and how I find the discipline to read all that material. And of course, all of it is only through the grace of God. You never pick up a book and study His Word, or theology in general, without His grace upon you. So pray for the ability and the discipline to do it.
If you have questions you'd like me to answer like this, leave them in the comments on the video!
Soli Deo Gloria!
