“Reading brain” is a phenomenon discussed by psychologists, pastor Claude Atcho, where reading good stories expands your perspective—and your empathy. Claude shares why reading is an important tool in loving our neighbors as ourselves, because we can enter their lives through story.
Quotes
“I realized I had a unique angle from my literary background and then also my pastoral experience: those two things could really come together and help people process art and the beauty of art and stories.” - Claude Atcho
“We can't really understand American Christianity without thinking about African-American Christianity and how Black people were central and vital to preserving and upholding the faith, both in its doctrinal truth and also its lived truth, its ethical truth.” - Claude Atcho
“Literature is obviously story, right? It’s human experience. And what story does is preserve our deep longings, our deep fears, our questions and our hopes, and kind of our wandering and exploring through life. So we're trying to think about human experience as told through stories with all of its pain, all of its joy, all of its hope, all of its struggle. And then we're trying to think in the sense of God's kingdom and God's word as we consider those stories.” - Claude Atcho
“Sometimes I'm not brave like David. I don't have this sort of faith. I can be discouraged, I can be weak, I can be cynical and skeptical. And when I'm like that, God still saves and acts for His people through the real hero, which is Jesus.” - Claude Atcho
Guest’s Links
Website
Resources Mentioned in This Episode
Church of the Resurrection
Reading Black Books: How African American Literature Can Make Our Faith More Whole and Just
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones
Jesus Storybook Bible Facebook
Jesus Storybook Bible Instagram
*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
