false 7214 0785263705 9780785263708 8376 1403 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165609725m/7214.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7214.Blue_Like_Jazz_Nonreligious_Thoughts_on_Christian_Spirituality 4829 Donald Miller 13213 2090 3 0 false Mon Jul 20 14:56:01 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 27 14:40:34 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 20 14:56:01 -0700 2009
What I'm finding best about the book is how well it depicts many of the "intellectual", postmodern "Christians" of today. If you are looking to get a better handle on their views, and ways of thinking this is a good book. It is basically a postmodern christian who volunteers to tell us all about his worldview and how it evolved without us having to question him to find it.

...Ok, I finished it.

I still have to say I thoroughly enjoyed his writing style and sense of humor. Don makes this a very easy read.

He makes his point by sharing his life experiences and most of these involve discussions with other friends. It seems he can't talk to another friend with out smoking or drinking. He writes on several occasions of how he like certain preachers and other who cussed.

Most of his points are good and common to the Emergent movement. He really wants to see everyone just "get along". His desire is a greater tolerance in the church. I personally believe his tolerance is out of balance and goes to far. This tolerance would cause the church to:
- apologize to non-christians for judgmental and inconsistent living
- hang out with folks who have free sex, smoke, drink and do drugs
- make no distinction regarding peoples sexual lifestyles
- avoid focusing on any doctrinal differences between religions
- make greater strides towards humanitarian efforts
- allow "what we like" be our primary guide if it doesn't hurt others

Don actually describes a liberal college as more moral than many churches because they make absolutely no judgements against anyone. Their broad tolerance of everyone is the ideal love. This same college has a huge campus wide party every year where the administration has positioned school guards at all the entrances to keep the local authorities away while the students run around nude, drunk and doing drugs. Don chose his churches, friends and many other decisions simply because of how he felt. At no point was there any biblical reasons for his decisions. There were Bible quotes that did effect some of his thinking but no clear foundational truths other than the need to love and minister to man's physical needs.

His points regarding the inconsistencies in the church are actually pretty good and even said very well. But he does not see where the love, value and concern for a person requires that we speak in regards to how God's holiness can be reflected in our experiential living. To know a person is going to hell and simply living for sinful pleasures and speak to them regarding it is actually more loving than just to accept them and ignore their eternal destiny. But this needs to be authentic.

It is true that often times we simply reject others and leave them to live and die in sin rather than to missionally reach out to them.

The emergent young people of today view the church as stuffy, non-loving, judgmental people who live in a legalistic culture that they want nothing to do with. The pendulum swing is to then allow you to live a sinful lifestyle that enjoys "hanging out" with all people and ministering to their physical needs while ignoring their eternal destiny.

Can there be a balance? I don't believe this book provides it.]]>