My most recent faith struggle is not one of intellect. I don't really do that anymore. Sooner or later you just figure out there are some guys who don't believe in God and they can prove He doesn't exist, and some other guys who do believe in God and they can prove He does exist, and the argument stopped being about God a long time ago and now it's about who is smarter, and honestly I don't care. I don't believe I will ever walk away from God for intellectual reasons. Who knows anything anyway? If I walk away from Him, and please pray that I never do, I will walk away for social reasons, identity reasons, deep emotional reasons, the same reasons that any of us do anything.I believe Miller had good intentions when writing his book, but is this really the kind of faith that you desire to have--or desire anyone else to have? Miller's postmodern 'memoir' has certainly captured the attention of young Christians today, and I don't doubt why. Blue Like Jazz is a mirror in which the postmodern reader may gaze; it echoes the thoughts and emotions stirring in the troubled souls of today. The danger is when looking into this mirror the reader may be comforted by what they see, and with this contention fall into complacency, and fail to seek God and know Him in a tangible way.
- Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz. From the chapter titled, "The Birth of Cool".
Like all postmodern appeal, Miller builds upon ideas we have all observed. Yes, arguments-- often disguised as debates--may quickly loose sight of God, and reflect more a cavalier show of knowledge then reflect any truth. Yes, there is certainly more to God, and faith, then can be encapsulated by intellect and logic. However, there is no sense in the idea that one can prove God exists, and another prove He does not exist. They are mutually exclusive conclusions, and one or more of the postulates must be wrong. The jump to concluding that this is all just human ego is fallacious, and more importantly, fails to seek out the truth about God. It is an even farther jump to say that the endgame of this is to say that no one knows anything anyway--what a sad conclusion to draw out of frustration.
If, "social reasons, identity reasons, [and] deep emotional reasons" are, as Miller proposes, "the same reasons that any of us do anything" then Miller's decision to believe in God must be made for those same languorous reasons. Can emotions play a role in our relationship with God? Yes, absolutely, in the same way emotions play a role in any relationship, but they should stir us on to greater knowledge, not thwart our desire to seek truth. How sad would it be if my emotional response to my wife's presence was the only reason to marry her, and I was never spurred on by that response to know who my wife is in a deep, personal, and true way. My relationship would be truly empty.
If, "[no one] knows anything anyway" then we can't know God. In Miller's self-constructed worldview and theology, knowledge of God must not be necessary--more important are his feelings and emotions. He must forget, however, that a full relationship with God relies on knowledge, "And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." (Eph 3:19) and that the purpose of the heart is to know God, "I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD" (Jer 24:7).
How far the church has come, even recently, since the days of A.W. Tozer, who realized the importance of knowing God. As Tozer prayed:
They that know Thee not may call upon Thee as other than Thou art, and so worship not Thee but a creature of their own fancy; therefore enlighten our minds that we may know Thee as Thou art, so that we may perfectly love Thee and worthily praise Thee. -- A.W. Tozer, Knowledge of the HolyI appreciate Miller's attempt to discuss God in a modern and personal way, and understand that in his postmodern approach he is not attempting to claim an authority on the subject, only relate his experiences. However, I personally feel that young Christians today, or those seeking spirituality, would be better off picking up A.W. Tozer than Miller, and that the book is enough to make both Tozer and Miles Davis turn over in their graves.
Thoughts??
2 comments:
I couldn't agree more. One major challenge with postmodern thought is that it just SOUNDS good. It's so easy to hear a guy talk about how he makes his decisions and forms "beliefs" only based on emotion, and think "Sure, makes sense.".
... All the more reason to press into Him and pursue true knowledge and *informed* love for God.
Agreed. The fact that it sounds good also makes it very difficult to find faults or point out inconsistencies. I always find myself saying, "This is a great point, and it makes so much sense, but something is just not right." I think this also highlights the importance of having (and knowing) sound doctrine. It's subtle twists of good theology that lead to a diminished and ineffective gospel.
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