6 Quotes & Sayings By Leland Ryken

Leland Ryken is a professor of theology at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. He is the author of numerous books, including Christian Theology: An Introduction, Ephesians, and The Bible and the Future of Christianity. His passion for education has led to a number of speaking engagements and he is a frequent guest on radio and television programs. He has a weekly column in the Salem-News.

1
It is untrue that fiction is nonutilitarian. The uses of fiction are synonymous with the uses of literature. They include refreshment, clarification of life, self-awareness, expansion of our range of experiences, and enlargement of our sense of understanding and discovery, perception, intensification, expression, beauty , and understanding. Like literature generally, fiction is a form of discovery, perception, intensification, expression, beauty, and understanding. If it is all these things, the question of whether it is a legitimate use of time should not even arise. Leland Ryken
2
Passion is a far better prioritizer than any organization system. Soul refreshment comes from SEEING glory — not getting stuff done. Leland Ryken
3
Earlier in this century someone claimed that we work at our play and play at our work. Today the confusion has deepened: we worship our work, work at our play, and play in our worship. Leland Ryken
4
It is true that the Puritans banned all recreation on Sundays and all games of chance, gambling, bear baiting, horse racing, and bowling in or around taverns at all times. They did so, not because they were opposed to fun, but because they judged these activities to be inherently harmful or immoral. Leland Ryken
5
The Puritans' sense of priorities in life was one of their greatest strengths. Putting God first and valuing everything else in relation to God was a recurrent Puritan theme. Leland Ryken