Reading theology books.

Grumpmeister Supreme! said:

I hope this is the right place to post this. When I read any theology books I tend to forget what I read right after I'm done reading it. Does this happen to anyone else?

For what it's worth I'm currently I'm reading Calvin's sermons on 2 Timothy.

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You can't read theology books (or most non-fiction) like you would a novel. You need to study in a way that gets the information first into your working-memory and then ultimately in your long-term memory, and such requires a bit more than just reading and hoping you remember it.

You probably need to take notes, make flash cards for terminology and concepts that are unclear, create outlines and diagrams, and basically study it in a way that enables you to be able to teach it to someone else. Once you get to that point of being able to teach it, then you are less likely to forget it.

Grumpmeister Supreme! said:

Does this happen to anyone else?

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Yes. When I started reading theology, I would often read a passage two or three times. As @bekkilyn stated, you often have to learn new terminology and concepts, so writing things down helps.

Go slow, focus, read, and then re-read. Chew on the words and then swallow. I promise it will come if you're persistent.

Edit: example
I can remember reading Schleiermacher's The Christian Faith. I was having a terrible time keeping it all together in some coherent form. So, I started to make an outline of his main points. I was surprised at how clear it became. It took a bit more effort, but it was worth it for the understanding. Too bad I'm not a big fan of Schleiermacher, haha.

Grumpmeister Supreme! said:

I hope this is the right place to post this. When I read any theology books I tend to forget what I read right after I'm done reading it. Does this happen to anyone else?

For what it's worth I'm currently I'm reading Calvin's sermons on 2 Timothy.

Click to expand...

I agree with both public hermit and Bekkilyn as for the manner in which one approaches non-fiction. I have found, as the years have mounted, that note taking - in and out of the book - helps tremendously. (Years ago it seemed much easier to retain) This applies too for philosophy, especially when one encounters those books that require a considerable mental reach to understand. (Typically when reading something "dense" I also like to have some diversionary reading to "settle" my mind at times...)