The Scandal of Holiness: Renewing Your Imagination in the Company of Literary Saints by Jessica Hooten Wilson
“Stories are capable of inspiring people to change their lives,” writes Jessica Hooten Wilson. She then builds a case for gaining holiness through reading fiction.
Here’s a quote that will capture your attention: “I would argue that reading beautiful literature forms a person in a much deeper way than watching content that has been catered to our lowest common denominator.” How do we escape succumbing to the common denominator of our current media? “I recommend that we spend more time reading stories about those who pursue holiness,” writes Wilson, “for we too are called to be saints.”
Wilson builds her book around themes like “Holy Foolishness,” Creation Care,” “Contemplative and Active Life,” and “Communion of Saints.” Each chapter features one-two prominent works of fiction, works which she comments upon and interprets for the reader. At the end of each chapter, she provides four-five additional books to read.
The theme of finding holiness through literature is an intriguing one. My challenge was the author’s selection of books. My fiction reading is limited, and I was unfamiliar with many of the books selected. Some would be an acquired taste for me to read. An academic like Wilson (PhD and scholar in residence at the University of Dallas) has tastes different from mine. However, I came away with a short list of books that I look forward to exploring.
Jessica ends the book with this great conclusion: “Novels introduce us to ways of imagining God already at work in our hearts, present in the world, transforming and sanctifying his creation all the time. By reading these stories about those who pursued holiness, our desire for sanctity strengthens, and we. . .. join the company of saints who have been set free to become scandalously holy.”
