Finally a review of Blue Like Jazz

It has come to my attention that I promised a review of Blue Like Jazz, which I never got around to writing. As Adventists, we are very good at coming up with doctrines. If the Bible says A that means B and if the Bible says C, we have D. And when you put B and D together you get E. For example, vegetarianism is not really discussed in the Bible (outside of an oblique reference to the time before the flood.) But yet it is a very Biblical doctrine. And I am getting a little side-tracked here, but the point is that Adventists tend to be very cerebral and logical about our faith.

Miller's book is a jumble of anecdotes and stories. If you don't look too closely, there is a logical progression of sorts. The book is very entertaining and humorous, but of course then he will you surprise you with some deep thought. In my favorite story, a Christian group of students at Reed decided to put together a confessional booth for a festival on campus. This festival consisted of mainly large amounts of drugs, alcohol and partying of all sorts. The twist was that the Christian group confessed the sins of Christianity. I thought it was a very powerful story.

His book has very little doctrine. It is mostly just experiences about God and how God has worked in his life. It was helpful for me to remember that Christianity is about a relationship with Jesus and not just a bunch of doctrines.