|
Yesterday’s Roanoke Times had an uplifting article about two siblings, Kinley (age 12) and Camden, 10, who have set up a “Little Free Library” in their front yard in Northeast Roanoke (Virginia USA). The Little Free Library movement seeks to foster literacy by encouraging people to create their own, well, “little free libraries” in their front yard or such. The children gathered a collection of books, which people can then borrow at will (no due date!). Likewise, patrons and neighbors can also donate books to beef up the selection. What a clever idea!
The article says the parents always take care to be sure a Bible is among the “holdings.” This brought to my mind a point that is vast but I only have time to scratch the surface of, but it is the link between the Bible and literacy. It is a key part of both Judaism and Christianity that they are based on scripture, on the written word, and the belief that the written word is God’s main way to communicate with people. When the first settlers came to North America, one of their chief goals was to establish schools so that the pastors could train new pastors, who in turn could teach the Bible (and thus literacy) to their congregations. Many are surprised to learn that this was the reason Harvard University was founded: The founders of Harvard recorded their reasons for establishing this center of learning: After God had carried us safe to New England and we had builded our houses, provided necessaries for our livelihood, reared convenient places for God’s worship, and settled the civil government: One of the next things we longed for and looked after was to advance learning and perpetuate it to posterity; dreading to leave an illiterate ministry to the churches, when our present ministers shall lie in the dust. What wonderful young leaders. And to quote financial guru Dave Ramsey, “leaders are readers.” |
