I walked into a store recently and was greeted by a middle-aged women standing behind a booth strategically located in the entrance. “Good afternoon sir, do you get the Omaha-World Herald delivered to your home?” I did not, so I smiled politely and answered her question explaining that while I skim the newspaper on my phone I do not have plans to read the paper regularly. As I walked off I wondered about why I don’t read the paper. The answer seemed obvious: I don’t enjoy it, I simply scan it for information.

This reminded me of something that Alan Jacobs observed in his book The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction. He noted that with the advancement of technology, in particular web media, we are becoming people who are relentless scanners for information. This is not a bad thing of course, but we must remember that technological advancements are never free—they always cost us something. In this case our grazing for information is costing us our love for reading. His book, in my view, is eye-opening.

I have seen a similar phenomenon in the church. When I visit with people and ask them about their Bible reading they often look and sound guilty. Comments include: “I need to get back to that.” “I just need to be more committed.” “I really need to do a better job.” However, when I ask why they don’t read the answer is almost always the same: “I don’t know.”