Why read the King James Bible? Douglas Hundley, an elder at the Second Presbyterian Church in Kansas City, answers that question.

His talk is presented in conjunction with the exhibit Manifold Greatness: The Creation and Afterlife of the King James Bible on display through August 10 at the Central Library.

Hundley uses his love of the King James Bible as a stepping off point for an even more fundamental question: Why do we read?

“That’s a question relevant to any text in any form, and it was as urgent in the days of King James as it is in our own,” Hundley says. “If we are taught to read well, we learn a kind of humility, an openness to thoughts other than our own. At the same time, we are reminded that we have standing to question, to aspire, to dream.”

Hundley describes himself as “a common reader” whose interest in the history of the King James Bible has led him to ask why reading itself is essential and how he can share the gift of reading with his children.