David here. I hope everyone has been enjoying reading Donald Miller's "Blue Like Jazz". I know it has brought many questions up front about my faith, and the tenth chapter titled "Belief" does the same. Miller confronts the idea of why Christianity is not more popular than it is, especially with the claims of faith and salvation that it includes, and what it would take to make Christianity "cool" so more people would be drawn in. I think that is a new approach in church ministry, to make church "cool". Before we get to some specifics on the chapter, what do you think about the change that many churches are taking to make Christianity "cool"?
Here are a few more questions that came to mind through this chapter...
1. Miller was having a conversation with one of his friend's mothers about love and marriage, and she made the comment, "...when a relationship is right, it is no more possible to wake up and want out of the marriage than it is to wake up and stop believing in God. What is, is what it." What do you believe about believing in God - can someone fall out of "belief" in God?
2. A little fun question that Miller asked himself and wanted to see what your response was, "Why is it that we turn pop figures (celebrities) into idols?" Looking forward to this answer...
3. "Satan, who I believe exists as much as I believe Jesus exists, wants us to believe meaningless things for meaningless reasons. Can you imagine if Christians actually believed that God was trying to rescue us from the pit of our own self-addiction?" Imagine that world for a second, where we do not focus on ourselves but focus on others and the needs around us. What would this look like?
4. Miller states that the problem with deep belief is that it costs something. What has your belief in Christ cost you? Or has it?
5. Have you ever followed someone or a cause because they were "passionate" about it? Miller states that people will follow you if you are passionate. What was the situation/person and was it positive or not?
6. "Dying for something is easy because it is associated with glory. Living for something is the hard thing. Living for something extends beyond fashion, glory, or recognition. We live for what we believe." Taking this quote into consideration, what does your life testify? Miller states that his life testified that he was the most important person in the world. What does your life testify?
Take up your cross and follow me...
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3 comments:
I always think about these churches trying to be so convenient (drive thru sermons), but I sometimes am torn with whether or not we make things too convenient. Should church be something that you can fit into your schedule (or entertainment mentality) or should it be something that you form your schedule around?
1. Can someone fall out of belief in God? No, but I think one can be angry at God, bored with God, or disinterested in God. Belief in God simply means accepting his existence. Isn't it funny how many "atheists" are former Christians? If you push them, most admit they are at least atheists and most have had a negative experience with God or a Christian leader.
2. I think we have pop idols because we are always wanting to look up to someone and in the absence of Jesus's presence here on earth, we look to someone else who is good at the thing we want to be good at.
3. Reading this question, I couldn't help but think about William Wilberforce who everyone will learn about when they see Amazing Grace in a few weeks. He was so overwhelmed with his focus on others that it literally made him ill. Perhaps he was ill to get him to pay attention to what he needed to. Not an answer to the question, but something to think about!
4. My belief in Christ has cost me speaking my mind at times, holding grudges I'd like to hold, seeking things for personal gain o success...
5. In college Ralph Nader came and spoke, and he was so passionate that I wanted to follow him. I signed up to be a Nader raider but never got anything back.
6. My life would testify that I live for my family-- my husband and child (almost children).
I have really enjoyed reading this book. I have never really thought about some of these topics that Miller has discussed. I focused on question 2. "Why is it that we turn pop figures into idols?"
Having an idol means to "adore someone blindly." Which I thought was ironic since this particular chapter talks about admiring people, yet not knowing what they believe in, not knowing what they stand for- blindly admiring. Blindly admiring someone or something means to do so without understanding, or with a reservation. With all that said, I believe that having idols and our "need" for idols goes back to what Miller said in the chapter. "And it is very, very, important that we ae cool. So, when we find somebody who is cool on television or radio, we associate ourselves with this person to feel valid ourselves." Society, myself included here, looks to things outside of God to help ourselves feel valid. If you have an understanding about why a particular thing or person is your "idol" chances are they will not be your "idol" for very long. If you come to reach an understanding about what need you are trying to fill with your "idol" you can pray about it. God will fill that need. With that need filled, who will need the idol. I have said it before, you can only fill a God shaped hole in your life with the shape of God. SR
I find Jennifer's mention of William Wilberforce interesting and timely. Wilberforce once wrote that the struggle of Christianity in his day was that so many Christians were focused on how faith made you "a better father, a better husband, a better friend" that they had lost the central focus of the gospel: Jesus Christ. I do not disagree that the church should help folks find the practical application of faith in life; however, I do think that sometimes churches go overboard and make it all about the practical and leave Christ and his kingdom out of the equation. Our faith is not just about this life. I think this kind of mentality can lead to the church to actually promoting the kind of self-addiction and self-focus that Miller speaks of.
I agree with Stephanie on the whole idol issue. I do think that we turn celebrities into idols because they are the most tangible example we have of something larger than ourselves. I would say the same is even true with our sports. How many people when Duke beat UNC said, "We beat the Tarheels"? How many people said, when UNC beat Duke, "We beat the Blue Devils"? How many of those folks actually played in the game? We get caught up in something bigger than ourselves. Maybe that is that part of us that wants to focus on something other than ourself.
What has belief in Christ cost me? This is hard to answer. I entered the ministry because I believe in Christ and I believe that He had a purpose for my life: to serve His people in the local church. Following that call meant living life in a fish bowl at times, missing family functions at times, operating on lack of sleep at times. I would be lying if I didn't admit that there have been moments where I have wished that I were doing something else, living a "normal" life. However, again and again, something happens to remind me that I chose to respond to God's call and that, in all honesty, I could not imagine doing anything else in my life.
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