Belief: The Birth of Cool

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...