A reading nation builds a knowledge economy – Rev. Builderman

Reverend Acheampong E. S. Builderman, a theologian, intellectual and author has called on Ghanaians to make reading, writing and critical thinking a national culture.

He said literacy should no longer be understood merely as the ability to read and write, but as a foundation for intellectual independence, responsible citizenship, spiritual maturity, innovation and national development.

Rev. Builderman, Missions Director and Lead Pastor of Thanksgiving Place Chapel and Ministries Incorporated in Accra, made the called in an interview with the GNA ahead of International Literacy Day, observed globally on September 8.

He argued that generations of Africans had inherited historical narratives which, in some instances, diminished the continent’s achievements, distorted its identity and weakened confidence in its intellectual and developmental potential.

According to him, Africans must return to the discipline of reading and research if they were to distinguish historical fact from inherited assumptions and develop the intellectual capacity required to shape their future.

He said, “Reading gives you the capacity to interrogate what you have been told.”

The Reverend Minister said the challenge facing Africa was not simply illiteracy in the conventional sense, but also the failure to cultivate a population that reads deeply, thinks critically and applies knowledge responsibly.

He said Christians, in particular, must become people of the word and people of knowledge, capable of engaging scripture, history, science, economics, culture and contemporary social questions intelligently.

He said knowledge acquired through reading should ultimately translate into character, competence and action.

He said, “If we read but do not think, we have only accumulated information. If we think but do not act, knowledge has not yet become transformation.” 

He urged pastors and Christian leaders to challenge young people to read beyond religious literature and engage books that would broaden their understanding of society, history, leadership, economics, science, governance and human development.

He said a spiritually mature Christian should not be afraid of questions, adding that truth should withstand honest investigation.

The call for a stronger reading culture is closely connected to Rev. Builderman’s latest literary project, Africa Beware: The Chains, the Choice, and the Almighty God Who Sets a Continent Free, a work that examines questions surrounding Africa’s history, identity, slavery, colonialism, leadership and development.

The book was inspired, he said, by questions from his daughters while they were studying African history.

Their questions, he explained, compelled him to revisit issues that many adults had either failed to interrogate or had become accustomed to accepting without sufficient examination

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