This is so timely for me. Our Sunday School class is currently reviewing the spiritual disciplines. Last week we discussed daily Bible reading. To illustrate just how rare and precious an era we live in, I created a parallel timeline of Church history and world literacy. (Please tell me I didn't inadvertently steal this from you!) On 21 blocks of centuries, it shows just how long Christians relied on the communal reading of Scripture for their contact with God's words. It's only in the final 2.5 "blocks" that books become truly democratized, that literacy rises above 10-15%, that newspapers and novels become popularly available, and the average Christian can read and possess a copy of the Bible. Seeing this so starkly portrayed evoked humility and gratitude. But it also presented the very questions posed by East and by you. This essay is a perfect complement to our study. Thanks for sharing it, Jessica!
A wonderful, respectful, and excellent response. I cannot agree with you more.
This is so timely for me. Our Sunday School class is currently reviewing the spiritual disciplines. Last week we discussed daily Bible reading. To illustrate just how rare and precious an era we live in, I created a parallel timeline of Church history and world literacy. (Please tell me I didn't inadvertently steal this from you!) On 21 blocks of centuries, it shows just how long Christians relied on the communal reading of Scripture for their contact with God's words. It's only in the final 2.5 "blocks" that books become truly democratized, that literacy rises above 10-15%, that newspapers and novels become popularly available, and the average Christian can read and possess a copy of the Bible. Seeing this so starkly portrayed evoked humility and gratitude. But it also presented the very questions posed by East and by you. This essay is a perfect complement to our study. Thanks for sharing it, Jessica!