Taking Dominion by Shaping Minds: Summer Reading Lists

I’m a book lover.  Books change us.  And depending on what we read, they change us for the better…or for the worse.  The humanists are very well aware of how the shaping of minds eventually leads to dominion. They are busily shaping MOST of the young minds in America in the government schools.

We are responsible for shaping the minds of the next generation growing up under our own roofs.  That’s what education is all about.  The “Greatest Commandment” found in the Bible (that’s what God called it…so we Wemmicks should probably lift our little wooden heads to pay attention to it) is found in Deuteronomy 6:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.   You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.   You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

One pretty easy way of shaping the minds of our posterity is by providing them with excellent reading material, and then requiring them to read it. If you are educating your children at home, then you are probably doing that during the school year.  But do you take a break in the summer?

Don’t!

Whether you home school or have your kids in a private or public school, you can intentionally redeem those summer months!

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  (Ephesians 5:15-17)

Some kids love to read and don’t need a lot of prompting.  All they need are bookshelves full of excellent, life-changing books.  My almost-two year old boy adores books and would sit and listen to LONG books that are WAY over his head for HOURS.  (I think he’s destined to be a pastor…he talks a lot too.)

Other kids need a little friendly encouragement (or a firm kick in the pants), and that’s where the “Summer Book List” comes into play.

I’m not one of those folks who believes that SIMPLY READING is where it’s at.  Just because a child is reading, it doesn’t follow that he is moving forward intellectually…nor does it meant he is moving in a God-ward direction in his spirit. Reading has the potential to be just as big of a time waster as watching television if the reading material is junk.

Give your children a taste for pablum, and they will grow up lusting for garbage.  Give your children a taste for quality…and they will grow up thirsting for excellence.

It was really hard to pick (it always is….) but here’s what’s on the list for my 16 and 18 year old boys this summer:

1. Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt

2. Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling by Andy Crouch

3. The Next Story: Life After the Digital Explosion by Tim Challies

4. Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman

5. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

6. Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl: Wide Eyed Wonder in God’s Spoken World by N.D. Wilson

7. Wordsmithy: Hot Tips for the Writing Life by Douglas Wilson

8. A Serrated Edge: A Brief Defense of Biblical Satire and Trinitarian Skylarking by Douglas Wilson

9. The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment by Tim Challies

My sons are young men now.  And I don’t presume to run their lives anymore…especially that of my 18 year old.  However, we have a relationship built on years of love, acceptance, and input, and they enjoy the books I select because I’m thinking of their specific needs and interests when I pick them. 

Rather than being a “forced” issue, it is viewed as a provision of love and interest in them, personally, and they appreciate the opportunity to read and learn from masters in their fields.  I try to pick favorite authors, topics of their interest, a new book or two that is being widely read in the Christian community, and an older “classic” type book that provides good cultural analysis.  I’m excited about this year’s list.  (HERE is last year’s list.)

For my 10 year old son and my 12 year old daughter, this is “The Summer of George McDonald”.  They both got Kindles for Christmas, and so for a measly $1.99, I downloaded The Complete Works of George McDonald…over 50 great books!  I remember being lost in these beautiful stories as a child.  And I know they influenced my life in profound ways as the characters demonstrated true nobility and faith in the midst of hardships.

I’m just going to let those two “have at ‘em”…and I know it will be an unforgettable summer.

What are some books on your summer reading list?

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