Searching For God Knows What
Encyclopedia
Searching for God Knows What is the third book by Donald Miller
, published by Thomas Nelson, Inc., in 2004. This work continues and expands many of the "Non-Religious Thoughts on Christian
Spirituality
" that appeared in his second book, Blue Like Jazz
. In Searching For God Knows What, Miller primarily focuses on his view that Christianity should not be approached as a formulaic "how-to" guide or moral checklist, but rather as an invitation to enter the only relationship that can provide ultimate fulfillment.
Don Miller (author)
Donald Miller is a best-selling American author and public speaker based out of Portland, Oregon who focuses on Christian spirituality as "an explanation for beauty, meaning, and the human struggle".-Biography:...
, published by Thomas Nelson, Inc., in 2004. This work continues and expands many of the "Non-Religious Thoughts on Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Spirituality
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
" that appeared in his second book, Blue Like Jazz
Blue Like Jazz
Blue Like Jazz is the second book by Donald Miller. This semi-autobiographical work, subtitled "Non-Religious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality," is a collection of essays and personal reflections chronicling the author's growing understanding of the nature of God and Jesus, and the need and...
. In Searching For God Knows What, Miller primarily focuses on his view that Christianity should not be approached as a formulaic "how-to" guide or moral checklist, but rather as an invitation to enter the only relationship that can provide ultimate fulfillment.
Quotations
- "Some would say formulas are how we interact with God, that going through motions and jumping through hoops are how a person acts out his spirituality. This method of interaction, however, seems odd to me, because if I want to hang out with my friend Tuck, I don't stomp my foot three times, turn around, and say his name over and over like a mantra, lighting candles and getting myself in a certain mood. I just call him. In this way, formulas presuppose God is more a computer or a circus monkey than an intelligent Being. I realize that sounds harsh, but it is true." (13)
- "Imagine how much a man's life would be changed if he trusted that he was loved by God? He could interact with the poor and not show partiality, he could love his wife easily and not expect her to redeem him, he would be slow to anger because redemption was no longer at stake, he could be wise and giving with his money because money no longer represented points, he could give up on formulaic religion, knowing that checking stuff off a spiritual to-do list was a worthless pursuit, he would have confidence and the ability to laugh at himself, and he could love people without expecting anything in return. It would be quite beautiful, really." (177)
- "The tough thing about Christian spirituality is that you have to mean things. You can't just go through the motions or act religious for the wrong reasons... After all, if we are going through religious motions to get people to think of us as religious, praise us and all that, we are receiving our false redemption from a bunch of people who are going to be dead in fifty years. This is a shabby replacement for an eternal God." (203)