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Blue Like Jazz

Davion Mandeville

Mr. Holley

Senior Seminar

May 8, 2014

There are many great things I enjoyed in the book Blue Like Jazz. It seems that

this writing wasn’t intended to be a theological type book, but more of a reflection on the

long journey of a man with an authentic desire to love Christ, and who’s been unsatisfied

with the type of Christianity he had been grown up in. Throughout the book he talks a lot

about his friends and housemates, his childhood, the start of his career, his life in the

woods and in the suburbs of Houston with intelligence, spirit, and charm, that also stirred

up the same doubts and fears we all have and explain the same minor weaknesses, wicked

behaviors, and the small things that characterize us. I liked his humor throughout the

read, because it made the book an easier read. Although it seems that Miller did not write

this book in order to present a theological point, he did write it to talk about his

understanding of who he is in his personal relation to God, and it’s pretty hard to do that

without bringing theology into the discussion.

Throughout the book Miller is extremely open in his dislike of institutions and the

church, and if we take into consideration his background, it’s not surprising. However, I

can’t help to get the sense that he couldn’t separate the one from the other, as if the

church were little more than a machine. This may be why the book has such harsh

criticism from some Christian circles.

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 I liked the stories in it because I was able to relate to some of them and it made

the book feel personal when I came to those chapters. I feel like its one of those books

that kind of tell you author’s life story (or any story in general) and then you learn from

them. I think the book also brings to your attention some of the things that we don’t really

care enough about. For example, when he talks about the Cango and how 2.5 million

people are killed every year, and the eight tribes there are at war with each other. We

can’t just say we want to make a difference, we have to act first and do it. It also seems

that throughout the book, as Donald Miller shares his personal journey of shifting through

religion, love, and Jesus, his stories give readers a new perspective that is a mix between

questioning things and not taking life too seriously.

The book had a pretty big impact on my life as well, mainly because I was able to

relate to some of the stories told in a few of the chapters including “Beginnings: God on a

Dirt Road Walking Toward Me” and “Romance: Meeting Girls Is Easy.” The first one

that relates to my life is the story where he talks about how he had a certain amount of

money to buy Christmas gifts, and he instead used a majority of that money to by some

fishing poles, while spending a very small amount to buy his mom a book that she would

never be interested in reading. This story stood out to me because not only have I spent

more Christmas money on myself then my family, but I still find myself doing it almost

every year. That story actually caught my attention a lot. The story also got me thinking

hard about how he had a change of heart about what he did such a young age, and I’m 18-

years-old still doing it.

The next story Miller tells that caught my eye was the story of his personal

thoughts about dating and how he thinks his friends might view him if they knew the real
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Blue Like Jazz

Donald Miller. “I don't date very often. People really like me a lot when they only know

me a little, but I have this great fear that if they knew me a lot they wouldn't like me.”

(Blue Like Jazz Page 143) The reason this part hit me was because I feel the same way he

does. I feel that if my friends or someone I actually liked knew the real me, they might

not like me as much or I wouldn’t be as much fun. That has been my main problem with

dating as well. The fact that if the girl knows me past the jokes and laughter, she might

not like what she sees and rejects the real me.

One way this book ties into Christian Atheist: Believing in God but Living As If

He Doesn't Exist by Craig Groeschel is the amount of stories he gives and then making

his point afterwards. I like this style of writing mainly because it intrigues me to read

what the author of the book went through and sometimes even being able to relate their

experiences with my own and maybe even get an answer on how to solve it if it’s a

problem. This book also is like The Next Christians: The Good News About The End Of

Christian America by Gabe Lyon because each story is an eye opener and each question

is one that you ponder on. All three books are similar in my opinion. They have the same

feel and the same way of telling a story then making their point and giving you something

to think about in the end.

Lastly, the thing that was admirable about this book was the boldness and honest

criticism of religion, the church, and stereotypical Christianity. The downfall of this

entire book is that a lot of the older Christians who have been in the church for years and

have lived their lives one way won’t like it. I would honestly not suggest this book to

them. Blue Like Jazz is very honest, very real, and almost critical of the church. Donald

Miller does not hold back. There are those who will think this is just might be exactly

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what needs to be looked at in order for us as Christians to leave behind the hypocritical

stereotype we have accumulated over the many years. Others will defiantly feel judged

and misrepresented by Miller’s thoughts. I would only recommend Blue Like Jazz to

someone who is a mature being looking for raw answers and truth.