As we close out this week of reflecting on gleanings from my week of personal retreat, we come to the topic of “chronological snobbery.” I was first introduced to the term by C.S. Lewis. Lewis pointed out in every age there is a tendency toward chronological snobbery, that is to think the ideas of the current age are superior to the ideas of previous ages. Lewis thought chronological snobbery cost the people of his age a great deal, because much of value comes from the writings of the ancients and from those who have gone before us.
Lewis’ point is well-taken and never more so than in our era, when a new idea about just about everything comes out every fifteen seconds, or so it seems. The expansive access we have to information, and the instantaneous nurture of that access makes it seem that only the new holds merit. In a world where thousands of pages of information are being written and uploaded to the cloud daily, why would we turn to the past for wisdom? The short answer is: if it’s still around it was of enough value to be preserved and passed on to future generations. The Bible is the ultimate example of old books with old ideas that are still relevant for today. Old books is in the plural because while the Bible is one integrated whole, it consists of 66 individual books written by dozens of authors under the guidance of the Holy Spirit so its truth is superior to anything ever written in any era.
As leaders who lead in Jesus’ name, we dare not think the latest leadership podcast, or book on time management has more to speak into our lives as God’s leaders than His written word. When we succumb to chronological snobbery we miss out on some of the most profound wisdom available to us. For example, I invested a great deal of my week of retreat re-reading, studying and dissection Watchman Nee’s Normal Christian Life, which was written in 1977–forty years ago. I had read the book before, but as I re-read and compared what Nee said to the Book of Romans from which most of the content is derived I was amazed at the depth of Nee’s insight, and of how much I had missed both in Romans and in Nee’s work.
Had I decided only to take “new” books with me last week, I would have gained benefit to be sure, but it would have been nothing compared to the deep insight I gained by taking a classic off the shelf and returning to it. Even Nee’s work is “nee” by comparison to some of the classics of the faith written hundreds and even more than a thousand years ago. When we put together our reading or listening lists, we do well not to assume that if it hasn’t come out in the last six months that it’s out of date. If you haven’t read The Normal Christian Life, I encourage you to read it. You may be surprised how relevant the work is, and how powerful for the practical application and living of our faith in Jesus. After all, leading effectively always starts with living faithfully when it comes to those of us who are leading in Jesus’ name.
Here’s to leading better by taking the time to consider and delve into some of the classic works of the faith–today! (or in the near future!)