Blue Like Jazz

I am reading a book right nowBlue Like Jazz that I had heard a lot about and wanted to read it primarily because I had heard a lot about it. Funny how that works. But something has surprised me about this book.

I like it.

Well, most of it at least. There are quite a few weaknesses, and I'm not done with the book yet, (there's around 100 pages left, so I might still get really ticked about something. Well, actually I already have gotten really ticked about something, and I'll talk about it later, but I have been very very surprised about how much of this book I have liked.)

Here's a quote that was the last thing in the world I expected from this book that I had heard was pretty much a postmodern EC type of book.

"A friend of mine, a young pastor who recently started a church, talks to me from time to time about the new face of the church in America - about the postmodern church. He says the neew church will be different from the old one, that we will be relevant to culture and the human struggle. I don't think any church has ever been relevant to culture, to the human struggle, unless it believed in Jesus and the power of His gospel. If the supposed new church believes in trendy music and cool web pages, then it is not relevant to culture either. It is another tool of Satan to get people to be passionate about nothing."

This sounds more like something I would expect to hear at New Attitude than something I would read in Blue Like Jazz. But it's there. Page 111 if you don't believe me.

Now, this new respect for the book does not lead me to totally recommend it. He says this on evangelism.

"He [Rick, his pastor] didn't really see evangelism, or whatever you want to call it as a target on the wall in which the goal is to get people to agree with us about the meaning of life. He saw evangelism as reaching a felt need."

This is what gets me red in the face. The gospel is not a solution to a felt need, it is the solution to an actual need, which may or may not be felt by whomever the person you are reaching to. We are to present the gospel to people not to get people to agree with us about the meaning of life, or to meet a felt need, but oh so much more! We are to preach the gospel because we love people and want to see their sin covered by the blood of Christ. We love them and do not want them to haveto stand on their own righteousness, because they will fail. We love them so we tell them about this way that has ben opened up to them in the incredible love of God.

The gospel is fuzzy in this book. I would endorse this book whole-heartedly if the gospel were moved from fuzzy to clear. Even that great quote above on page 111, the author does not make it very clear what the gospel is. Here is a gospel presentation he gives a little later in the book.

He is having a conversation with an non-Christian college student during an outreach (a really cool one at that) but this dialouge ensued.

"You said earlier that there was a central message of Christ. I don't really want to become a Christian, you know, but what is that message?"

"The message is that man sinned against God and God gave the world over to man, and that if somebody wanted to be rescuedout of that, if somebody for instance finds it all very empty, that Christ will rescue them if they want; that if they ask for forgiveness for being part of that rebellion then God will forgive them."

"What is the deal with the cross?" Jake asked.

"God says the wages of sin is death," I told him. "And Jesus died so that none of us would have to. If we have faith in that them we are Christians."

This presentation isn't great, but it isn't really wrong either. I mean there isn't a mention of the law, and only a very slight implication of God's justice by saying that he will forgive you. (Which implies that otherwise he won't,) and he never explained why Jesus' death makes it so that we don't have to die. But it at least you get most of the basics, asking for forgiveness to God for your sin will get you rescued because of the death of Christ. I guess that works.