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Book Briefs are designed to serve
as a kind of silent secretary. They are not
intended to reinforce the lack of deep reading that is such
a huge problem in our culture today. Book Briefs are
not Cliff Notes; they are more than that and
go beyond a standard book review by providing:
***A brief introduction to the book...why this
book needs to be read.
***A brief overview of the book...what are the
major themes discussed in each chapter.
***A brief summary of each chapter along with page
notations...where specific ideas are discussed.
***A brief list of information on related subjects...what
further resources are available.
Book Briefs are presented in the
form of a report. They are not necessarily intended
to take the place of actually reading the book. An author
painstakingly nuances his thoughts and those thoughts deserve
to be read but there may be times when "short essays
could have one advantage over the book. They might appeal
to readers who have not the leisure to read, or who might
get bogged down in, longer works." (C.S. Lewis)
Conscientiously extracted in a way that preserves the spirit
and intent of the author, a Book Brief may function as:
***A personal guide which will highlight main ideas
and underscore important points.
***A prepared report which can be used as notes when
presenting the ideas of the book to others.
***A detailed reminder for future reference.
A Brief Cost: Book Briefs are offered free of charge to those in His service---costing only the time it takes to read one. As long as the Lord
wants this service provided, He will keep on providing the needed funds. Any contributions will be gratefully received and used towards providing this service.
A Brief Illustration:
In 1794 Samuel Bagster compiled daily Scripture readings for
his family’s worship. Arranged according to theme (references
are noted), reflections in The Daily Light are drawn
entirely from the Bible (with no commentary). The Daily
Light is not a dumbed-down version of the Bible. The brief
selections do not take the place of in-depth Bible study,
but when used as a starting point, specific passages can then
be looked up and read in their context. Oftentimes, seeing
verses arranged in a different form allows the reader to appreciate
connecting themes. It has been a resource of encouragement
and is an example of how even God’s Book, in a different form,
may be "helpful for building others up according to their
needs" and may benefit those who read it.
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