i was given a copy of the audio read of blue like jazz from a couple friend. they apparently think donald miller and i would get along. i think we would actually. so, over the last two trips to birmingham we listened to donald miller read. not the most dynamic read.. i have a number of audiobooks, sometimes the writers read the books with a nice flare, sometimes they don't (dallas willard cough! cough!). if you can get past that (they are writers, not voice personalities) i have found audiobooks to be a fun way for me to engage in thought while driving or doing brainless work at the office.
i am behind the times for avid readers on blue like jazz. so who cares about a book review now. as erin & i processed the book the grand idea that we sorta agreed on was that this book represented a postmodern apologetic.
the book wasn't what we expected. people had talked so highly of it i think we expected timeless jems at every sentence. however, it is one mans honest journey with some well written framework & perspective. there are those jems, nuggets of knowledge, but mostly it is a this walk & struggle with God. we have had nice stories like this before, why was this book so profound for so many people?
i think in some ways it was apologetic.. stating first off, i am no apologetics theologian, though i do make many apologies for the church & faith. we read heard the words of miller saying 'i participated in that & i was wrong in so many ways' along with 'i struggled too.' expanding on it were many tenets that perpetuated the lies.
the story that i think paramount in the over all story was when he and his Christian friends at university set up a confessional booth at a campus wide party. the confession was them to the non-Christian student, saying how they & the church have failed to love, follow Jesus, etc. the imagery of the whole concept is fabulous. the effect to me, seems wonderful. a step of faith, amazing. miller claims it as a profound moment in his life, which i am transferring as a profound theme to the book.
could this be a blueprint to a postmodern apologetic?
