Musings of a Theological Bibliophile, Part 1: A Problem
Admittedly, after my recent posts about loving Logos, diehard book lovers might dispute my claim to being a bibliophile. That tension notwithstanding, I want to take several posts over the next couple of weeks to discuss building a theological library from a pastor’s perspective. Though I am a seminary professor now, my library was built as a pastor, and although in recent years my book-buying habits have narrowed to my teaching areas, my core collection is a pastor’s library.
After reading the comment that Rushdoony had 60,000 books, almost half of which he read, I decided to do some math. Assuming his books averaged 200 pages, Rushdoony is alleged to have read some 5.5 million pages. If he read 93,334 pages per year, he could read that much in 60 years! But he would need to have read 255 pages per day! I had a professor in Bible college who claimed to read a book a day and I have heard of others who can read as fast as the pages are turned, so . . . I guess it’s possible.
Think of the cost, however, of 60,000 books. If each book averaged $10, you are looking at a collection of $600,000. I have few $10 books in my library! Good books now cost $40-$75 and up, with a few choice books costing less and some costing quite a bit more. So let’s settle on an average price of $25 per volume that a young minister should expect to pay for a book. I will leave for the time being the question of print vs. digital, though you will already know where my sentiments lie there. Let me justify the $25 per volume price also. I keep records of my collection including when, where and how much I paid. I have done this almost since being in college in the 1970s. I know, for the most part, what I have in my library, which I will estimate stands currently at about 3,500 print volumes plus Logos. Keep in mind, I have sold off my books when I added Logos files. Forgetting my Logos, my database tells me that the average price I paid per volume is $16.61. That’s over the last 30 years. I really don’t think $25 for a book in today’s world is unrealistic. I know there are ways to get books cheaper and I have used them all—Christmas wish lists, library book sales, Goodwill, etc. But the reality is, unless you have your own personal book fairy, you will have to make a sizeable investment if you are to have the tools for pastoral ministry.
The young men who graduate from seminary today face a daunting task of building a good working pastor’s library, when books average $25 or more. A modest library of 1,000 volumes would cost about $25,000. To duplicate what Rushdoony had, one could expect to spend $1,500,000! Not many of us have any realistic expectation of rebuilding his library, so what about something more modest? Let’s talk about the first 1,000 volumes—a good working library for a pastor. Where do we start, what are my priorities and how can I do this with little or no money? In the next post I will talk about the plan.
Jeff Straub
Jon Pratt
Daniel Brown
Kevin T. Bauder
Michael Riley
I find your article on Bibliophiles interesting. I have never considered myself one but ended up with too many books. I was saved in the Navy and when discharged had around 800 books read and shipped home. When I arrived at Biola I had about 1000. When I left I had about 1700. When I arrived at Central I had about 2500. Not counting some law books. The peak during Pastoral ministry was over 10000. I have been decreasing now as I will be 70 in two months. Now at about 7000. We will need to move into a smaller house so will need to get down to 2000 or less. Very traumatic for me. Like losing my friends. However I am trying to locate computer books as you are. However, there is nothing like marking and making notes as you read.
In 1972 I was serving in an interim basis at a church and on staff at GMAC of GM as a field claims adjuster. I read a Billy Graham’s “Decision magazine” that had an interview with Wilbur M. Smith. He was known as a self educated scholar and Bibliophile with about 25000 books. He was on the founding Faculty of Fuller Seminary. In the interview he was asked his greatest regret. He stated it was not having gone to seminary. That impressed me. I consulted my wife, eventually quit my job at age 32, and wound up at Central. You could say that Billy Graham led me to Central (class of 1975).
I am amazed that some Pastors have very small libraries. There is a Pastor in this area who has a church attendance of over 2000. I have been in his study and every room of his home (remodeling tour). Almost no library. I know this is the computer age but he appears to have little familiarity with Bible software. He has good sermons. I suspect he uses a sermon service or just borrows online messages. I wonder how prevalent that is among younger Pastors today?
Sorry for the long post. Found your article interesting. Thank you.
In His grace
Bob Topartzer
I can’t call myself a theological bibliophile. I’m just a booklover who also loves to study the Word, and loves to read, with a collection of 6000+ books, divided up between theology, biographies, (Marine Corps) military history, creation science, and miscellanea.
There’s several more reasons why pastors have small libraries, one of which is the need to pay off college and/or seminary debt when they finish their schooling. They don’t have the money.
Many pastors are in smaller churches which give them a paltry book allowance, or none at all. My father was a pastor of smaller churches all his life, and none of them ever gave him a book allowance. He was a book hound, and because two of the churches he pastored were within 55 miles of Grand Rapids, MI, and the book publishers located there, he managed to accumulate a respectable library of several thousand volumes over many years. But again, many pastors don’t have the money.
Also, as pastors get out of school, many are starting families, and the cost of rearing their children isn’t cheap. For some, it’s a matter of paying the household bills or buying books, and books always lose in this choice.
Lastly, Bob is right on target about pastors who “borrow” online messages. The availability of sermonaudio and all kinds on online religious material makes it too easy for a lazy pastor, young or old, to get his sermon from someone else.