Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested. So says Francis Bacon; but who will help us design this literary menu? Left to ourselves, often our reading diets consist of empty calories and artificial flavors, or perhaps we starve, unaware of the banquet within easy reach. To us Dr. Leland Ryken extends an invitation to a feast: the feast of the Classics, which can be enjoyed with especial pleasure and benefit by Christians. In his new book, A Christian Guide to the Classics, Ryken makes the case, particularly to Christians, that there are great books, that they are worth reading, and that this rich and nutritive diet of Classics will be good for us: good for our minds, good for our hearts, and good for our souls. In this episode of Christian Humanist Profiles, David Grubbs speaks with Dr. Leland Ryken, professor of English at Wheaton College and author of The Christian Guide to the Classics (Crossway, 2015).
P.S. Dr. Ryken alludes toward the end of the interview to an older book of literary criticism, American Literature & Christian Doctrine. The author is Randall Stewart, and the book was published by Louisiana State University Press in 1958. Used copies are still available on Amazon.
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