Searching For God Knows What

After reading Blue Like Jazz I didn't really think I'd ever read another Donald Miller book, but I did and I am glad I did it. After reading Searching for God Knows What, I'm still not a sold out Donald Miller fan and I do not agree with all of the things he has to say in this book, but I am glad for a Christian who is willing to think differently and challenge the status quo.

Miller's greatest gift in this book, however, is his look into the gospel as a relational, beautiful story and not just a collection of facts. Of course, theology has its place and I love the study of theology, but if we are not careful, our commitment to dogmatics can cause us to lose some of the romance and beauty of the gospel. The Bible is a love story, and Miller recaptures that for us all.

Miller also reveals the unspoken commitment to mental assent that is prevalent in many churches today,

I grew up believing a Christian didn't have to love God or anybody else; he just had to believ some things and be willing to take a stand for the things he believed.

I think he goes a little too far in some of his personal critiques, for instance, his suggestion that Jerry Falwell did not resepect God (p.37). I agree with his moral ideas to some degree. For instance, Christians should be concerned with moral issues beyond homosexuality and abortion. But, as was my concern in Blue Like Jazz, it seems that in his attempt to de-politicize Christianity, he leans a little to far to the left to keep it from being political. Just because abortion and homosexuality aren't the only moral issues up for debate doesn't mean they shouldn't be important moral issues to Christians.

That critique withstanding, Miller's book is a read worthy of your time because it will cause you to look at the gospel through some slightly romanticized lenses, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I do not agree with everything Miller has to say, but at the very least, I respect the way he says most of it. I do believe that Miller is an orthodox Christian with a unique perspective, and a wonderful pen for writing. It is without doubt that very little Christian literature is as well and artfully written as Searching For God Knows What.