It’s been 13 years since Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality hit Christian bookstores, bringing a flurry of controversy with it. To my knowledge, it was the first of the searching memoirs—stories of young Christians tired of the religiosity in the churches they attended looking for a deeper connection with God. In his own words,
I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn’t resolve. But sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself…I used to not like God because God didn’t resolve. But that was before any of this happened. – Donald Miller
I understand why Blue Like Jazz rocked the religious boat. Donald Miller speaks of his early years as a journey of exploring love and grace as he camped out with hippies, attended classes at one of the most irreligious schools in the country, got in fights with his roommates, and grappled with hard questions regarding the nature of God and the human condition. He leaves nothing out. His faults, his successes, his doubts—he explores every inch of his path as he recalls his teens and twenties. I believe this is why people are uncomfortable with him.
Miller doesn’t give suggestions for Christian living tied neatly in a bow with Scripture verses as decoration. There’s nothing wrong with that style of writing. If there was, I would have to retire my pen. Christian living writing is what most of us are used to, thus the jolt when reading something outside our comfort zone.
Instead, Miller prefers to suggest complicated questions and let the reader search for their own answers. He doesn’t advocate for every young mind to leave Christian education and attend an atheist led school. But he explains why doing so helped him grow in his beliefs and his boldness in sharing his faith.
He doesn’t suggest Christians adopt a one-love, hippie mentality. But he shares how he learned to accept others for who they are, love them despite their differences from himself, and listen to people who hold opposing beliefs from his own without becoming antagonistic towards them.
I believe Christians limit exposure to beliefs different from what they’ve been taught for fear of corrupting their faith. But if our faith is so fragile, is it even real? How can we effectively respond to questioning kids and adults if we refuse to listen to them? Can we be salt and light if we never leave the safety of our Christian schools and churches? Can we show an ancient Book to be relevant to today if we don’t live out its teaching on the streets? These are questions Blue Like Jazz brings to the surface.
As it says on the back cover,
For anyone wondering if the Christian faith is still relevant in a postmodern culture, for anyone thirsting for a genuine encounter with a God who is real, for anyone yearning for a renewed sense of passion in life…Blue Like Jazz is a fresh and original perspective on life, love, and redemption.
I encourage you to read it and tell me what you think. I’d love to discuss it with you.
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