Literacy is Dead Buried deep within my brother's blog was this conversation about the function of words. I was reminded of it while reading Kevin VanHoozer's essay "The World Well Staged" where he addresses the relationship between theology, culture and hermeneutics. He writes, "There is a growing distrust of the Word, and of words in general. The cult of nonverbal experience theratens the whole cultural inheritance of Western civilization. "To deverbalize an already depersonalized society is all the more to dehumanize it" (Carl Henry)." VanHoozer's claim might be a tad overstated, but I am initially inclined to accept it, in part because the quote highlights my reasons for reading: words are an intrinsic part of being a human person, and the ability to create and understand words deepens the human experience. I will preempt (hopefully!) the objection that "illiterate people/cultures" are less than human by pointing out that prior to texts, stories were transmitted orally. After texts came, they were read aloud for the people to hear. I have recently realized that few people speak in complete sentances anymore. Perhaps this is because few people ever come into contact with complete sentances. For an excellent example of using words, check out decorabilia. It is my brother's blog and I have found his writing engaging and intelligent all summer long.