In the past week I just finished two books by Don Miller--Blue Like Jazz and Searching For God Knows What. I have mentioned several of the concepts in the first book on this site already because that has been what we have been using in Sunday School. The second of the two books does have some equally interesting points.
The point of the book seems simply to point out and illustrate that Christianity is a relationship and not a formula. This disagrees with much of Christian pop culture, but lines up with what the Bible indicates. We don't arbitrarily pray a certain way to have God expand our territory. We approach God as a son or a bride in love and reverence.
As an illustration of formula versus relationship Miller mentioned a Reed College student who read the majority of the Bible for a religion class and approached him with questions about Christianity. This student was trying to compare a tract he had to what he found in Scripture and was confused about how the tract reduced the book of Romans to five bullet points, while there seemed to be much more to the book than what the tract indicated. How were people without that tract supposed to understand that there were five important truths literally hidden in the book? Paul should've underlined them or something.
Going deeper into the relationship description, Miller explained that Christ appealed to those who had little on earth because a relationship with Christ means giving up everything. At least one of his stories about someone who had nothing (a bucktoothed kid everyone picked on at his school) hit me in the gut like some songs hit Golden.
In short, this book joins Mere Christianity and The Great Divorce on my list of books that have had the greatest impact of my understanding of my relationship with God. It's worth a read.
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5 comments:
Wow!
I have a few chapter left that I need to pick back up and read. I have trouble reading more than one buck at the same time - not a good multitasker.
I did find it interesting how much of pop christian culture - just look at the books - reduces everthing down to a formula. 7 ways to a better you. 40 days of purpose. Pray like jabez. the power of a praying (insert you identity here.)
I have read the first chapter of "Searching" and I already like it.
Cliche formulas are so lame. The fill-in-the blank worksheets/workbooks that you fill out during a bible study are fluff. They will give me warm fuzzies inside but I won't really learn anything or grow.
speaking of fill in the blank worksheet, it's almost time to go to church tonight. I wonder what I'll dooodle tonight.
We have been doing family devotions lately and have been coming across some of those bullet point scriptures. During our last reading (matthew 10) we ran into His eye is on the sparrow .... and even your hairs are numbered.
Somehow these semmed a lot less 'bumper-sticker-chic' when read along with Christ's instructions for the 12 (right after being warned about floggings and public scorn).
I heard an NPR story today about Rod Parsley (and other) evangelicals that are mobilizing the faith-based voting block in the Ohio elections. Now, I'm all for living your faith in the marketplace (and in town halls) but to say that God wants you vote for "X" ... seems so far out of bounds.
Then again, these are the same folks that can tell you how much to give (and how much you'll get back for investing' - they must have some sort of spiritual instant messenger service that keeps them up to speed on all of God's whims. Parsley even refered to Christians as the largest special interest group in the country ... as he was setting up voter registration "outreaches".
They say you will know a tree by it's fruit; why did God have to plant so many nut trees?
I think I would share that point of view. But it does beg the question from me..."What is so wrong with mobilizing Christians for change (hint: Did anybody observe MLK jr. Day?)? I am not sure Rev. Parsley represents my views of political change, but I here many who oppose his views swear they were a part of the Civil Rights Movement. Food for thought.
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