When people ask John Mark Reynolds why we should read books other than the Bible, his response is brilliant: “Why are you talking to me when you could be talking to God?” He goes on to mention how it is obviously better for humans to talk to God, but we humans crave human interaction…something God has instilled in us.

And this: “Reading is a kind of licit necromancy.” We get to talk to those who are long dead. 

And my suggestion is to look for an opportunity at your next dinner party to blithely mention the glories of “licit necromancy!”

The rest of the interview is here: