Have you read Blue Like Jazz? What did you think about it? Jared gives it high marks for narcissism and thought message was “Look how cool me and my friends are.” He also cannot recommend A Heretic’s Guide to Eternity, whose authors apparently want to remake God to appeal to the modern world.
I know I’ve always thought the most culturally appealing things about Christianity were genuine godly character and authentic Christian living, which I suppose is another way to say loving our Lord wholeheartedly and loving each other properly. But that’s the most repelling thing about Christianity too. We can count on being slandered for our good deeds. I wonder if the emergent crowd understands that or if they are working to be appealing only.
I read it.
I have ambivalent feelings about it.
It hasn’t been added to my church library. But, I gave it to my 22 year old and he loved it. He’s passed it on to a few friends who could also relate. I could not relate. Although, I tried.
I read it and liked it. I think Miller is very talented at self-disclosure.
On the other hand, he drives me crazy with his constant swipes at conservative evangelicals. In his follow-up book he reprises the tale of the good Samaritan with a version in which conservative Christians are the ones passing by and a gay man is the one ministering to the Samaritan. I’m still thinking about writing that one up for a magazine or website.
I’m also bothered by the stuff he and his friends did at Reed College where they apologized for the Crusades and other Christian sins. Not having lived in the relevant period, I’m not any of us can say that we should apologize for the Crusades. If anything, I think the verdict on that adventure is still out.
What I’m rambling toward is a sense that it is easier to apologize for the sins of others, especially mass sins, than for your own sins. And there is a terrible temptation to seek the approval of others. Miller and his friends buy that approval through criticizing their right wing brothers.
C.S. Lewis wrote in “Dangers of National Repentance” (in GOD IN THE DOCK): “The first and fatal charm of national repentance is, therefore, the encouragement it gives us to turn from the bitter task of repenting our own sins to the congenial one of bewailing–but first, of denouncing–the conduct of others…. A group of such young penitents will say ‘Let us repent our national sins’; what they mean is, ‘Let us attribute to our neighbour (even our Christian neighbour)…, whenever we disagree with him, every abominable motive that Satan can suggest to our fancy.'”
He was speaking about Englishmen apologizing to Germans during World War II, but I think it applies to historical sins as well.
Lars, was the problem with the Englishmen that they felt bad some Germans were slandered as being Nazis or were the Englishmen saying the Allies destroyed more of Germany than they should have?
I think they were saying what the Left is saying today–everybody’s equally guilty; we have no right to claim that right is on our side; they wouldn’t be angry if we hadn’t made them angry. I was surprised there was such a movement during WWII, but apparently there was. I don’t think it was very large. And this was before the fighting got serious.
My guess is that what you are referring to stems from the harsh treaty requirements the English and their allies imposed on Germany after WWI. I know John Maynard Keynes felt the treaty provoked the Germans.
My guess is that what you are referring to stems from the harsh treaty requirements the English and their allies imposed on Germany after WWI. I know John Maynard Keynes felt the treaty provoked the Germans.