Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Blue Like Jazz
First the positives:I think ol' Donny did an excellent job of reminding the church of our first and most critically important assignment (after loving the Lord our God with everything): love your neighbor as yourself. He reminds and challenges us to get in to the community and do practical ministry. He teaches us how to love with no strings attached. He shows that we lack awareness in politics, social issues, and what everyone else in this country is concerned with. He brings to life many of the thoughts and struggles within the church that people are incapable of putting in to words. In fact, I think the main reason his work is so well received is his gift of writing has people responding, "Yeah, that's how I feel! I couldn't organize my thoughts enough on my own, but he has nailed it on the head." I think it's great when an author can help a reader identify what's going on inside. Also, he is very entertaining and effectively covers many topics without diluting his message.
Now to explain my stamp of "bad theology": A perfect theologian does not exist. I give Mr. Miller much grace and don't slander his name nor his heart. However, we are warned time and time again in scripture to be on guard against bad theology and test all things before permitting them to reside in our minds and hearts. As John Bevere says in "Thus Saith the Lord?", "Teaching establishes us, but warnings protect us! If we are only taught, and the warnings are neglected, we can lose what was established through the ministry of teaching."(p.11) So, their are four main messages that permeate the book cover to cover.
The first is how he explains why he believes in God; more accurately, how he has no explanation for why he believes. His reason for belief in the Almighty is reduced to unexplainable warm fuzzies and this...thingy...that happens in his heart when he thinks about God. What scares me the most about his explanation is that I believe most people jump on board with him because that is the extent of their reason for believing. 1 Peter 3:15 says, "...and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear." The disciples reason for belief was that they knew Him, that they saw His power manifest, and that they performed His power. Paul's reason was that he encountered a great light and a great voice that blinded him for three days and spoke destiny in to his life. Peter's reason was because of a vision/dream where he encountered God and was given a message to take to the nations. Numerous others believed because they saw the manifest power at work in their lives through healing, deliverance, raising the dead, miraculous provision, etc. How happy Satan must be that the majority of the church has challenged their faith to the extent of warm fuzzies. So a challenge to those who read this: are warm fuzzies the greatest fullness of God you have experienced? Is that the extent you will teach and encourage others to experience as well?Nowhere in scripture are we told to settle for warm fuzzies. That reason for belief is as about as powerful as the waddle of a duck. We have a God who has given us wings.
The second concern I have is in regards to open slander of the bride of Christ. Warning is good. Evaluating is good. Admitting our weaknesses is good. But generalizing and slandering your Church before the entire reading community is far from responsible. It's like shooting your teammates' in the foot and then gossiping to the press that they aren't doing well in practice. And he does this cover to cover. If I let it absorb, I could walk away from this book embarrassed to identify with the faith I signed up for. I could go on with this, but I won't.
The third danger in this book is a overwhelming taste for the lack of the fear of God. His relaxed approach to sin and righteousness permits the lukewarm to continue being puke-able. Call me old fashioned, but irreverence for the commands of God won't keep you saved for very long.
The fourth red flag is what I believe to be the root of the previous three. To put it bluntly, I don't believe him. I don't believe he knows God. I'm not challenging his salvation, nor could I, but rather his intimate place with the Father. I don't believe he has been on his knees. I don't believe his Bible is tired. The more people I meet who truly know God, the more easily it is to identify those who don't. I'm not mad at him for not knowing God. I'm not criticizing his place on his journey. I am simply bringing attention to the necessity to qualify your teachers. It scares me to death to think that a man who does not appear to truly know God can be so influential to those who are trying to. Without true intimacy and pursuit of God Himself, all of the love of others and involvement in the community amounts to nothing. As can be seen with many other ministries, it is barely more than the YMCA or Big Brothers Club wearing a Jesus name tag.
I felt like I finished this book knowing more about Donald Miller than I did about true intimacy with the Father and how to turn that in to visible fruit. I felt as though he were selling his approach to spirituality more than the Bible's approach. Again, it permeates from cover to cover, ever so subtle. I also understand why so many people enjoyed it. I enjoyed it. I grew from it. I was reminded of many things that I was forgetting. It is probably the most enjoyable read I've ever had. I don't look down upon those who hold it as a favorite... at all. Especially those who are theologically sound in pursuing who God is. If that is the case, this book has much to offer.
So why did I finish it? My reason for starting it was to see what food is out there that is pleasing the appetite of the American church. In light of what I found, I am heavily reminded...We have much work to do.
Now to explain my stamp of "bad theology": A perfect theologian does not exist. I give Mr. Miller much grace and don't slander his name nor his heart. However, we are warned time and time again in scripture to be on guard against bad theology and test all things before permitting them to reside in our minds and hearts. As John Bevere says in "Thus Saith the Lord?", "Teaching establishes us, but warnings protect us! If we are only taught, and the warnings are neglected, we can lose what was established through the ministry of teaching."(p.11) So, their are four main messages that permeate the book cover to cover.
The first is how he explains why he believes in God; more accurately, how he has no explanation for why he believes. His reason for belief in the Almighty is reduced to unexplainable warm fuzzies and this...thingy...that happens in his heart when he thinks about God. What scares me the most about his explanation is that I believe most people jump on board with him because that is the extent of their reason for believing. 1 Peter 3:15 says, "...and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear." The disciples reason for belief was that they knew Him, that they saw His power manifest, and that they performed His power. Paul's reason was that he encountered a great light and a great voice that blinded him for three days and spoke destiny in to his life. Peter's reason was because of a vision/dream where he encountered God and was given a message to take to the nations. Numerous others believed because they saw the manifest power at work in their lives through healing, deliverance, raising the dead, miraculous provision, etc. How happy Satan must be that the majority of the church has challenged their faith to the extent of warm fuzzies. So a challenge to those who read this: are warm fuzzies the greatest fullness of God you have experienced? Is that the extent you will teach and encourage others to experience as well?Nowhere in scripture are we told to settle for warm fuzzies. That reason for belief is as about as powerful as the waddle of a duck. We have a God who has given us wings.
The second concern I have is in regards to open slander of the bride of Christ. Warning is good. Evaluating is good. Admitting our weaknesses is good. But generalizing and slandering your Church before the entire reading community is far from responsible. It's like shooting your teammates' in the foot and then gossiping to the press that they aren't doing well in practice. And he does this cover to cover. If I let it absorb, I could walk away from this book embarrassed to identify with the faith I signed up for. I could go on with this, but I won't.
The third danger in this book is a overwhelming taste for the lack of the fear of God. His relaxed approach to sin and righteousness permits the lukewarm to continue being puke-able. Call me old fashioned, but irreverence for the commands of God won't keep you saved for very long.
The fourth red flag is what I believe to be the root of the previous three. To put it bluntly, I don't believe him. I don't believe he knows God. I'm not challenging his salvation, nor could I, but rather his intimate place with the Father. I don't believe he has been on his knees. I don't believe his Bible is tired. The more people I meet who truly know God, the more easily it is to identify those who don't. I'm not mad at him for not knowing God. I'm not criticizing his place on his journey. I am simply bringing attention to the necessity to qualify your teachers. It scares me to death to think that a man who does not appear to truly know God can be so influential to those who are trying to. Without true intimacy and pursuit of God Himself, all of the love of others and involvement in the community amounts to nothing. As can be seen with many other ministries, it is barely more than the YMCA or Big Brothers Club wearing a Jesus name tag.
I felt like I finished this book knowing more about Donald Miller than I did about true intimacy with the Father and how to turn that in to visible fruit. I felt as though he were selling his approach to spirituality more than the Bible's approach. Again, it permeates from cover to cover, ever so subtle. I also understand why so many people enjoyed it. I enjoyed it. I grew from it. I was reminded of many things that I was forgetting. It is probably the most enjoyable read I've ever had. I don't look down upon those who hold it as a favorite... at all. Especially those who are theologically sound in pursuing who God is. If that is the case, this book has much to offer.
So why did I finish it? My reason for starting it was to see what food is out there that is pleasing the appetite of the American church. In light of what I found, I am heavily reminded...We have much work to do.
# posted by jonathandy @ 4:54 PM 
