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jfraser82's review
2.0
I really enjoyed Blue Like Jazz..but I had a hard time getting through this one.
megryanreally's review
5.0
Donald Miller breaks from a traditional formulaic, propositional understanding of the Scriptures to return to the ultimate beautiful love story that Christ presents to us through his gospel and all the implications of that for us as broken humans, attempting to find identity and egos fulfilled in a sort of lifeboat, contending for status and acceptance among our peers. Beautifully written, a must read.
amyhope06's review
5.0
I liked this book as it gave a pretty good look at how we all- Christians and non-Christians approach life. And especially, how we as Christians still try to compete with each other as if this competition will determine who is saved by Jesus Christ. Donald Miller is very whitty as usual and his descriptions while very easy to understand are so thought provoking. I would recommend it to anyone but especially those who are struggling with the church!
perilous1's review
4.0
A series of essays, this book needn't be read in order. In fact, I began with the last chapter; purely because of it's title: The Gospel of Jesus - Why William Shakespeare Was A Prophet. That particular chapter was a lovely and fascinating take on Romeo and Juliet, the likes of which I'd never heard before. It hooked me, and so I went back and read the rest.
I find it a little difficult to explain the book, as it encompasses such a range of thoughts on beauty -- spending a good deal of time examining poetry and the arts as the author shares his perspective on human nature. The most stunning and valuable insights I gleaned from the book, overall, would have to be his observations on personal Identity.
While I didn't mind Blue Like Jazz at all, this book really felt like a step up for Donald Miller. More balanced and less political, it maintains his charming and whimsical conversational style while showing more maturity in his development as a writer. I'd recommend this book for anyone striving to understand Jesus as a person rather than a a religious idea.
I find it a little difficult to explain the book, as it encompasses such a range of thoughts on beauty -- spending a good deal of time examining poetry and the arts as the author shares his perspective on human nature. The most stunning and valuable insights I gleaned from the book, overall, would have to be his observations on personal Identity.
While I didn't mind Blue Like Jazz at all, this book really felt like a step up for Donald Miller. More balanced and less political, it maintains his charming and whimsical conversational style while showing more maturity in his development as a writer. I'd recommend this book for anyone striving to understand Jesus as a person rather than a a religious idea.
caitlin_89's review
4.0
The Gospel is a love story, not a formula. We may "know" it, but we don't act like it. In Searching For God Knows What, Miller illuminates the relational nature of Gospel. His easygoing prose makes his message seem like an effortless flow of thought, and it's fun to see the different quirks he employs in different passages as his mood shifts.
This book was so refreshing for me. And I was hit totally unawares with the Romeo and Juliet thing at the end, but the English major in me was intrigued.
Read it. It's good.
This book was so refreshing for me. And I was hit totally unawares with the Romeo and Juliet thing at the end, but the English major in me was intrigued.
Read it. It's good.
tyhuze's review
3.0
Not a bad book overall. It had me sleepy in a few places but probably because I've read similar themed material from other 'emergent' type authors. The last chapter might have been a lot more enjoyable had I not recently heard Don Miller speak it's contents at a arts conference. I liked Blue Like Jazz better.
jenmeleon's review
4.0
A thoughtfully written collection of essays reminding us that Christianity is about relationships, not just a rigorous set of rules to be followed. Miller did not shy away from criticizing some aspects of what I'll call "popular" Christianity, and it was interesting to read his opinions on that and how he connected them back to Scripture. The last chapter--about the religious overtones of Romeo & Juliet--was unexpected, intriguing and something I'd never heard before in all the times I studied the play in school, and it's something from this book that will stick with me.
melissa_427's review
4.0
There was so much about Searching for God Knows What the was impactful and insightful. Most consistently, I found myself reflecting on what it means to view the Bible and the story of God and His people as a story rather than a formula and what it means to find my value in His identity rather than in cultural markers of success. But the truth is, I thought about so much more than those two main themes.
Here's a small glimpse at some of the nuggets of thought-provoking material I took from this read:
"Reality is like a fine wine," he said to me. "It will not appeal to children." (location 3249)
"God didn't know about the formulas, or the formulas weren't able to change a person's heart." (location 3261)
"I began to wonder if becoming a Christian was more like falling in love than agreeing with a list of true principles."(locatioin 3693)
"nobody engages another human being through lists and formulas." (location 3811)
"The Bible is a relational document, and theology is basically the charts and lists we have made out of the document." (location 4019)
"In my own life, I notice I validate people who like or validate me. When I say so-and-so is a nice person, what I really mean is so-and-so thinks I'm a nice person." (location 4552)
"Christ is saying that the two most important commandments of God are to have within us a relational commitment to God and to other people." (location 4766)
"It makes you wonder if we have fashioned a gospel around our culture and technology and social economy rather than around the person of Christ." (location 5157)
Here's a small glimpse at some of the nuggets of thought-provoking material I took from this read:
"Reality is like a fine wine," he said to me. "It will not appeal to children." (location 3249)
"God didn't know about the formulas, or the formulas weren't able to change a person's heart." (location 3261)
"I began to wonder if becoming a Christian was more like falling in love than agreeing with a list of true principles."(locatioin 3693)
"nobody engages another human being through lists and formulas." (location 3811)
"The Bible is a relational document, and theology is basically the charts and lists we have made out of the document." (location 4019)
"In my own life, I notice I validate people who like or validate me. When I say so-and-so is a nice person, what I really mean is so-and-so thinks I'm a nice person." (location 4552)
"Christ is saying that the two most important commandments of God are to have within us a relational commitment to God and to other people." (location 4766)
"It makes you wonder if we have fashioned a gospel around our culture and technology and social economy rather than around the person of Christ." (location 5157)
shicklin's review
4.0
I liked this better than Blue Like Jazz. I put it down half-way through and wasn't eager to pick it back up, but when I did I was pleasantly surprised with how much I really like it. I feel like he can be full of himself... but he recognizes that. He has some great ideas (lifeboat analogy) and he hits on a lot of truth.
He says, "it often seems what we really want is for people who are not Christians to think we are valid, or Christianity is valid, rather than showing them Jesus..." (p.207). This is too true. He goes on to talk about the beautiful people on Christian CD covers. It reminds me of the line on facebook that asks for religious views-- people have many answers that allude to "Christian," but also distance themselves from that label-- 'Christ follower" etc. I understand why we avoid a label because it comes with so much baggage, but you could say the same about your family and last name. I think it dis unifies a body of believers when we are always trying to stand out... Not sure, I have to think about this a little more.
He says, "it often seems what we really want is for people who are not Christians to think we are valid, or Christianity is valid, rather than showing them Jesus..." (p.207). This is too true. He goes on to talk about the beautiful people on Christian CD covers. It reminds me of the line on facebook that asks for religious views-- people have many answers that allude to "Christian," but also distance themselves from that label-- 'Christ follower" etc. I understand why we avoid a label because it comes with so much baggage, but you could say the same about your family and last name. I think it dis unifies a body of believers when we are always trying to stand out... Not sure, I have to think about this a little more.