Undoubtedly some of the names on my book reading list would cause some people to raise their eyebrows. “Doesn’t Omar realize that author is bad!?!!” I do not read after these people blindly or readily swallowing everything they say. I think there is much profit to be had in reading after people with whom I disagree.
I read these people so I am better able to argue for the truth. I can better argue the truth when I am aware of the arguments of the opposition. I do not want to be the guy who only builds ridiculous straw-man arguments and then feels successful when he proves it wrong. (But, that does not mean I read just so I can tear apart their arguments. I read in order to learn.) Also, when I read these men, it helps me to prove what is right. We gain greater confidence that our understanding is accurate if it stands up agains other proposed solutions. Truth with always stand cross-examination. If I refuse to read a contrary opinion, is it because my view is so fragile that it cannot withstand scrutiny.
Another reason I read people with whom I do not agree 100% is in order to avoid the Elijah Syndrome. I am encouraged to find many people who “have their head on straight,” though there are other areas in which we would disagree. Just because a guy does not see everything the same as I do, does not mean he is evil and maliciously attacking God. Without exposure to people like this, I could easily have a “me against everybody” mentality.
One of the most obvious reasons I think it is good to read these people is that I understand that I do not have a monopoly on the truth — perhaps I am wrong. I want to be in pursuit of the truth — not merely advancing my cause. When I read opposing viewpoints, it forces me to think! True education begins when I make myself vulnerable enough to accept the possibility that I might be wrong. Real education is different from “brainwashing.” One mark of “brainwashing” is constant repetition of a phrase, ideology, or dogma. That is helpful to nobody. Real truth is still truth, no matter its source.
And, I also read broadly in order to glean new side-topic truths. Almost every theory has some evidence in its favor, so even if a particular view is ultimately judged to be incorrect, it helps me sharpen and enrich my understanding of what is right.
Speaking of “bad” people…
Note that when we talk about disagreeing with people, I think it would be good to slow down and find out what they mean by what they are saying. Sometimes we are using different words to describe the same ideas. Instead of writing them off as a heretic, it would be helpful to learn what they really mean so that we can debate ideas, not merely words.
Often, I find that we agree on the underlying principles but disagree on how to put them into practice. For instance, all christians believe that we should help the poor, but what does that look like? Does that mean that if I have three dollars and you have only one, then I should give you one of mine? Not necessarily. I may disagree with someone else on who the poor are and how to help them, even though we both agree on the principle of helping the poor.
Reading broadly has benefits.
And one last random thought: Recently I have developed a renewed appreciation for fictional novels. I believe it is helpful (not merely permissible) to read non-christian fiction because it opens your eyes and lets you get into the shoes of people completely different from you. You get to feel their feelings and think their thoughts. I used to bemoan all the time I “wasted” as a teen reading about the Hardy Boys and Louis L’Amour, but I no longer think of it as a “waste.”
We often cannot appreciate the significance of facts we have learned until we see how they apply to real-life experience; reading fiction gives a broader realm of “experiences” on which to hang the truths we have learned in theory. It is hard for me to see the world from a non-Christian perspective but fiction allows me to travel around for a day in someone’s head who does not know Christ. Fiction also shows us how non-christians think about what is going on in the world, and I think that helps us in our evangelism to them.
