Blue Like Jazz
We've been reading this book by Donald Miller. It's about his life and faith. What's the connection to Jazz in the book? So far, Miller hasn't talked about this theme very much (at least not explicitly). In the beginning of the book, he mentions that Jazz does not "resolve" for him and that similarly he thinks God does not resolve. What does it mean to resolve?
resolve
v. tr.
- 1. To make a firm decision about.
2. To cause (a person) to reach a decision
3.-8. [...]
9. Music. To cause (a tone or chord) to progress from dissonance to consonance.
10.-14. [...]
Looking at the 9th definition related to Music, Miller suggests he hasn't found a progression from dissonance to consonance in his experience with God.
dissonance
n.
- A harsh, disagreeable combination of sounds; discord.
- Lack of agreement, consistency, or harmony; conflict
- Music. A combination of tones contextually considered to suggest unrelieved tension and require resolution.
n.
- Agreement; harmony; accord.
- [...]
- Music. A simultaneous combination of sounds not requiring resolution to another combination of sounds for finality of effect and conventionally regarded as harmonious or pleasing.
Our latest discussion at Ryan's house focused on how God or faith can't be rationalized or scientifically proven. Don's friend Laura struggled that she couldn't simply "decide" to believe like she could decide she liked pancakes. Penguins don't know why they do what they do... and I think the scientific community would be hard pressed to explain it as well.
Last time we talked about the tension we have with accepting God's grace and living our lives on Jesus terms rather than our own.
I used to play saxophone in a jazz band and I still like jazz very much. But there are some tunes where I agree... they don't resolve. I mean I know the musicians are following the same tempo and chord progression but it's just not a sound I'm in tune with...
Comments
Specifically, he is quite happy embracing the Pomo basic belief that tension is basic. Struggle, tension--this is more Nietzsche than the Psalmist. It may well characterize our fallen, sinful lives but at least for the past 1900 orthodox Christians have held it to be a temporary condition.
"MY heart shall not rest til it finds rest in Thee," wrote St. Augustine. For him, and so many Christians until the last century, Eternal life-- spiritual life--is not a matter of tension but of harmony, of rest; of arrival, of shalom.
This is because there is no tension within the Trinity. I challenge Miller to show me how one might speak of the Father, Son and/or Holy Spirit in competition, struggle, or otherwise "out of synch" with one another.
IMO, to say that God does not resolve is a dangerous exaggeration. What was that about babies and bathwater?
There. Got THAT off my chest! (grin)
To me, he's drawing a parallel with his experience of God. He says he "used to not like God because God didn't resolve" for him. Then he says "but that was before any of this happened."
This is my perspective on Miller at this point and to a degree it resonates with me. We haven't finished this book yet (and maybe you're more familiar with more of his writing) but in the first half of the book Miller relates stories about his struggle to work out his faith and belief in God into something "authentic". Now what Christian doesn't go through that experience -- where things just don't feel quite right... they don't resolve. I don't think he's claiming that God Himself doesn't resolve (tension within the Trinity as you put it). But at times our experience in life doesn't not resolve with our faith or belief in God. When it does resolve (and I'm expecting him to get to that), it's because we have changed.
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