Some of us have a tendency to take life to seriously, while others of us don’t take life seriously enough. In Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality, Donald Miller shares his personal journey of sifting through religion, love, and Jesus. His ramblings gave me a new perspective that is a mix between questioning things and not taking life too seriously.
When I tried to explain to my friend what this book was about, I couldn’t. There really isn’t an obvious plotline or structure to the story. In fact, I’m not really sure what it’s about. Miller shares his heart and experiences on everything from love and loneliness to grace and faith. This was the first book I have read by Donald Miller, and I absolutely loved his writings. I am captured by his boldness and honest criticism of religion, the church, and stereotypical Christianity.
Written in 2003, the book has now been made into a movie, which comes out April 13th of this year. From Houston, Texas to Portland, Oregon, Miller has lived in the woods with hippies, started a revival at an atheist college, and lived in community with several other men from his church. In Blue Like Jazz, he shares a little snippet of each journey, and God’s faithfulness throughout it all.
The downfall of this book is that most Christians won’t like it. It’s very honest, very real, and almost critical of the church. Some people will think this is exactly what needs to be examined in order to leave behind the hypocritical stereotype Christians have accumulated over the years. Others feel judged and misrepresented by Miller’s thoughts.
I highly recommend Blue Like Jazz to any mature being looking for raw answers and truth. I am loaning this to a friend searching for God, and I have recommended it to several strong Christian friends as well. The word "sugarcoated" is not at all coming to mind as I think of the truth revealed in Miller’s writing. I can’t wait to see the film on April 13th.
Article comments
1 - Trevor
Since you enjoyed his reading maybe you will enjoy the fact that Blue Like Jazz has been turned into a movie and will be in theaters starting this Friday, April 13th.
Hit up the trailer in the mean time, Blue Like Jazz Official Trailer