A retired schoolteacher commented to a minister friend of mine, "Preachers don't quote from the classics anymore." The minister had just quoted from "Pilgrim's Progress" in his Sunday message.

He had heard a number of Christians question why Scripture wasn't quoted during sermons much anymore, but this was the first time anyone mentioned the classics.

As I pondered the schoolteacher's comment, I couldn't remember the last time I heard Bunyan, Dostoyevsky, Eliot, Tolstoy, Dunne, or Chesterton referred to in a sermon. Yet all were believers, full of relevant illustrations for life in this new century.

Do we avoid them because we're afraid our audience isn't well-read? Or is it that we aren't well-read? The libraries of most ministers I know begin with Bible commentaries and end with shelf after shelf of "how to" books.

Is the best illustrative material really a video clip from "Everybody Loves Raymond?" Is a quote from the "Chronicles of Narnia" the most intellectual we're allowed to get?

I have deep respect for the saints who taught me at Kentucky Christian College. One of the best was Alice Morgan. I studied English literature with Miss Morgan in the fall of 1972.

I was so focused on my Greek and Bible courses, I earned only a "B" in her class. But English Lit is the class I remember to this day. She taught me to love good writing. Like Kafka said, "A good book should be an axe for the frozen sea within us."

I understand the need for being in touch with popular culture. But what about being in touch with giants of the faith whose descriptions of the journey still tower above most?

Though their words may be read by a relative few, it's not too late. To the cry "It'll be over their heads," we might respond with a countercry, "Then help them lift up their heads."

There is a whole generation that needs the deep wisdom these giants bring to the Christian journey. So go ahead, quote T.S. Eliot in your worship service. You might be surprised by the response. And the next time you go on a study retreat, grab a copy of "The Brothers Karamazov." You'll be richer for it.

Paul S. Williams is editor-at-large for the Christian Standard, where this article first appeared on March 21.