Life > November 10, 2006

By Dawson Cooper

Staff writer

Blue Like Jazz, a New York Times bestseller, has impacted some of my friends who claim it as one of their favorites.  So, when I had an opportunity to find out what all the hype was about, I took it.

I think that my expectations might have been too high, but nevertheless, I did uncover new perspectives on Christianity from the author Donald Miller, a new-age, self-proclaimed Christian spiritualist.

Blue Like Jazz’s premise is not on Christianity, but about Christian spirituality, a rather new-age term that to me seems to be aimed at a more personal concept of God. 

In his efforts to walk the reader through his personal journey of Christian spirituality, the reader, me specifically, turned inward and recognized similarities and his clarification enabled me to see my inner, spiritual self more clearly.

In my opinion, Miller seems to encourage his readers through his personal stories.  He tells a story at the beginning about a Navy SEAL who in an effort to save American captives huddled in a corner like them in order to gain trust. The captives, who had been held prisoners for so long, were unable to trust the Navy SEALs that they were in fact genuine rescuers.  It was not until the SEAL was on the floor with him that the prisoner could even make eye contact. 

Miller equates this to God and his sending of Jesus Christ. Miller reveals personal struggles of his own life, emphasizing with that reader who just might be struggling with the idea of Jesus and challenging the other reader who, in fact believes in Jesus Christ, but is in need of personal introspection.

After reading a little of the book, I asked a friend what she thought about it. She said it was a little disappointing after all the hype it generated, but there were pages that she said you could just tear out and say “Yes! That’s it!” Upon completion, I would have to agree.  I had trouble adhering to the artsy, hippie side of Miller, but there were indeed passages I wanted to tear out and highlight.

I think that this book would be very interesting to those who are not believers in Jesus Christ or who are skeptically curious. Miller and his friends were those curious skeptics, so his diction reflects that. He shows his process of being a believer in a sometimes non-religious environment, something to which some people might relate. 

At the end of the book, Miller addresses Jazz music through a beautiful analogy saying, “I thought that it [jazz music] was beautiful because, while it is music, it is very hard to put on paper; it is so much more a language of the soul. It is as if the soul is saying something, something about freedom.  I think Christian spirituality is like jazz music.  I think loving Jesus is something you feel.  I think it is something very difficult to get on paper. But it is no less real, no less meaningful, no less beautiful.”

To me this statement rings true, but to others it might not.  And I seem to think that Miller would say that that is okay.  However, he might suggest that person give Christian spirituality a try. 

Maybe after reading Blue Like Jazz, that person might discover that Donald Miller at some point felt quite the same. 

It might be hard to get that Jazz piece to sound just right, and similarly it might take time to get Christian spirituality to sound just right, but once you get there, it sure is beautiful.