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Hmmm. I really wanted to like this book.
I just thought that it was fake edgy the whole time. Maybe that poser-ness comes from just the age of the book. What was edgy then is kinda chill now (smoking pot, reading old books, liberals etc.).
It loses a star because he mentions Mark Driscoll, Joshua Harris AND Ravi Zaccharious (who cares that I spelled it wrong). I mean that’s like the holy trinity of terrible 2000’s Christian influencers. It actually made the read a bit more interesting because you only hear those names in negative ways now but he loved them!
However it gained that star back by him not perpetuating any of their harmful views and behaviors as far as I can tell.
I wanted to like it because it’s trying hard but I think it tried too hard to be cool… like jazz. I wonder if I would like this book more if I had read it before college and before the LOT. What he poses as a modern take on Christian spirituality feels (probably is) just out of date. To be fair, it is only out of date because it’s it was out of step with any viable tradition. As far as I can tell online Donald Miller is still a Christian but he doesn’t go to church anymore. What a shocker! Your religion is based on good vibes and semi-personality driven and it fades away.
In an odd way this is a good read to get a tell on that generation of the “postmodern” church or whatever they called themselves. It didn’t work, and we are facing the repercussions.
This is a long review but there was some beautiful moments. He seems to dive deep into the life of Reed students and show how Christ can change hearts and that is incredible.
All in all like a 2.5/5. Not terrible but I think any interest I have was not native to the text but almost anthropological. What an interest sector of American Christianity.
I just thought that it was fake edgy the whole time. Maybe that poser-ness comes from just the age of the book. What was edgy then is kinda chill now (smoking pot, reading old books, liberals etc.).
It loses a star because he mentions Mark Driscoll, Joshua Harris AND Ravi Zaccharious (who cares that I spelled it wrong). I mean that’s like the holy trinity of terrible 2000’s Christian influencers. It actually made the read a bit more interesting because you only hear those names in negative ways now but he loved them!
However it gained that star back by him not perpetuating any of their harmful views and behaviors as far as I can tell.
I wanted to like it because it’s trying hard but I think it tried too hard to be cool… like jazz. I wonder if I would like this book more if I had read it before college and before the LOT. What he poses as a modern take on Christian spirituality feels (probably is) just out of date. To be fair, it is only out of date because it’s it was out of step with any viable tradition. As far as I can tell online Donald Miller is still a Christian but he doesn’t go to church anymore. What a shocker! Your religion is based on good vibes and semi-personality driven and it fades away.
In an odd way this is a good read to get a tell on that generation of the “postmodern” church or whatever they called themselves. It didn’t work, and we are facing the repercussions.
This is a long review but there was some beautiful moments. He seems to dive deep into the life of Reed students and show how Christ can change hearts and that is incredible.
All in all like a 2.5/5. Not terrible but I think any interest I have was not native to the text but almost anthropological. What an interest sector of American Christianity.
