Learning to Write and Making Disciples

There is an interesting essay by William Zinsser, author of On Writing Well and Writing to Learn, in The American Scholar. Many of you may have had to read his books in university. In this essay, Zinsser offers a number of fascinating reflections on the writing process itself, and why he decided to write On Writing Well. Regarding his motivations for writing the book, one point in particular caught my eye. Zinsser, who was profoundly shaped by E.B White (author of The Elements of Style),writes:

The Elements of Style was essentially a book of pointers and admonitions: Do this, don’t do that. As principles they were invaluable, but they were only principles, existing without context or reality. What his book didn’t teach was how to apply those principles...

Zinsser, instead, sought to write a different book about writing, one that provided the reader (and aspiring writer) with exemplars to follow, for:

Writing is learned by imitation, and I want my students to imitate the best.

In this regard, the writing process, is not unlike the process of learning how to follow Jesus. Principles and admonitions, while invaluable, are not sufficient in and of themselves. We need models, people to follow, people to teach us how to live truth within our own particular contexts. As pastors, parents, and theological educators, we not only need to offer our students principles and admonitions, we need also to help them learn how to embody the truth in their own unique settings; and as a part of our curriculum, we need to place them in contact with the countless exemplars who have gone before us, faithful imitators of Christ. These can be found in the Gospels themselves, Paul's letters, the Psalms, in the Church Fathers, the Desert Fathers, historical fiction, novels, and well...the list goes on.