Blue Like Jazz by Don Miller (Thomas Nelson, 2003) is a collection of remarkably honest autobiographical jottings about life and faith. It is always refreshing to read someone who is honest, who doesn’t pretend to have all the answers but is prepared to let God be God in their life and see what happens as a result. I think I enjoyed his chapter on church the most. It is subtitled – how I go without getting angry. He eventually found a church community that he could love and though it is not perfect he is happy there. He has a formula for how to go to church without getting angry: Pray that God will show you a church filled with people who share your interests and values. Go to the church God shows you and don’t hold grudges against other churches.
There were many quotes I could have included but I chose this one because he expresses something that I have often felt but didn’t feel safe to put into words. I don’t have any hippie friends but I have come across the “little unwritten social ethics”; though for me they weren’t as obvious as “don’t cuss and don’t support the Democrats” but certainly “don’t ask tough questions about the Bible”.
Quote: (Miller wrote this prior to attending the church he now goes to) “I was even more amazed when I realized I preferred, in fact, the company of the hippies to the company of Christians. It isn’t that I didn’t love my Christian friends or that they didn’t love me, it was just that there was something different about my hippie friends; something, I don’t know, more real, more true. I realize that is a provocative statement, but I only felt I could be myself around them, and I could not be myself with my Christian friends. My Christian communities had always had little unwritten social ethics like don’t cuss and don’t support Democrats and don’t ask tough questions about the Bible.” Pg. 210
thanks for your insight. since you enjoy miller, you may actually enjoy the writing of the pastor of the church he attends. Rick McKinley’s book, Jesus in the Margins may intrigue you. blessings~
thanks for your insight. since you enjoy miller, you may actually enjoy the writing of the pastor of the church he attends. Rick McKinley’s book, Jesus in the Margins may intrigue you. blessings~
Love and acceptance … for who you are no matter what … there are very few people who do not respond positively to love and acceptance. There are so few who know how to freely and lavishly love others without fear. It is the very thing that the Lord wants us to do for each other.
I would love to hear your tough questions, Susan … 🙂
About hippies … I spent a whole year with hippies on the West Coast of Canada … they have their little unwritten social ethics,too.
Get naked, cuss if you feel the urge and always go left. LOL
Oh and don’t miss magic mushroom season.
LOL God Bless You Susan.
Love and acceptance … for who you are no matter what … there are very few people who do not respond positively to love and acceptance. There are so few who know how to freely and lavishly love others without fear. It is the very thing that the Lord wants us to do for each other.
I would love to hear your tough questions, Susan … 🙂
About hippies … I spent a whole year with hippies on the West Coast of Canada … they have their little unwritten social ethics,too.
Get naked, cuss if you feel the urge and always go left. LOL
Oh and don’t miss magic mushroom season.
LOL God Bless You Susan.
Thanks, “Ableknife”, I will look out for that book. I visited your blog and I found it most intersting but you haven’t posted for a while … Hope the pregnancy is going well.
Wendy, I was in a Bible study group once where someone visited their overseas relatives. For the period of their stay they decided to attend church with their relatives who went to a Calvinist Church. When they came back to Australia I was very curious. I don’t know any Calvinists and I am fairly unfamiliar with their beliefs except I know they believe in predestination. But it seemed like there were “little unwritten social ethics” about me asking too many questions. Like I was somehow being disloyal if I asked too many questions about predestination. This was one situation, (I think there have been others but I just can’t think of them at the moment) where I felt I was being given the subtle message, “toe the party line” and “don’t ask tough questions about the Bible”.
Thanks, “Ableknife”, I will look out for that book. I visited your blog and I found it most intersting but you haven’t posted for a while … Hope the pregnancy is going well.
Wendy, I was in a Bible study group once where someone visited their overseas relatives. For the period of their stay they decided to attend church with their relatives who went to a Calvinist Church. When they came back to Australia I was very curious. I don’t know any Calvinists and I am fairly unfamiliar with their beliefs except I know they believe in predestination. But it seemed like there were “little unwritten social ethics” about me asking too many questions. Like I was somehow being disloyal if I asked too many questions about predestination. This was one situation, (I think there have been others but I just can’t think of them at the moment) where I felt I was being given the subtle message, “toe the party line” and “don’t ask tough questions about the Bible”.
I know … 🙂
We should be able to question, talk, study and discover anything the Bible says … I don’t get it either .. it’s almost as if people are afraid they might find out that the Bible is actually wrong about something.
… I don’t think it’s wrong but I DO think we are limited in our understanding at times including those who have gone to study to be able to teach this wonderful gift from our Creator. So instead of risking seeing something that challenges them they tend to ignore it and pretend it’s not there like those scriptures that refer to predestination and those scriptures that talk about alcohol…. The hippies would say that the Lord made every plant on the earth for our use … LOL
No, I don’t smoke pot … but I used to for a very short time in my life. There was oodles of fun to be had in those days but there were things, like in any walk of life that were not good for you.
Even walking among church goers can be hazardous to your health. Need a BIG sense of humour and a CLOSE walk with the Lord. Amen?
I know … 🙂
We should be able to question, talk, study and discover anything the Bible says … I don’t get it either .. it’s almost as if people are afraid they might find out that the Bible is actually wrong about something.
… I don’t think it’s wrong but I DO think we are limited in our understanding at times including those who have gone to study to be able to teach this wonderful gift from our Creator. So instead of risking seeing something that challenges them they tend to ignore it and pretend it’s not there like those scriptures that refer to predestination and those scriptures that talk about alcohol…. The hippies would say that the Lord made every plant on the earth for our use … LOL
No, I don’t smoke pot … but I used to for a very short time in my life. There was oodles of fun to be had in those days but there were things, like in any walk of life that were not good for you.
Even walking among church goers can be hazardous to your health. Need a BIG sense of humour and a CLOSE walk with the Lord. Amen?
Amen
Amen