awake & linking: Don MillerI also had it in my mind to try and email Don (just take a stab at it) and get his opinion on the "scandal" over the James Frey book A Million Little Pieces. Don writes in a similar genre: non-fiction/memoir, and the debate has come up about how factual a memoir MUST be. I knew Don would have a unique perspective on it.
Well, I didn't have to email him - I found a great, hilarious article he wrote called Tolkien Was No Hobbit. It's all about the Frey news and it's definitely a must read!!
I'm currently about to crack open his latest book To Own a Dragon, and I'll post on that soon. I guess I'm a fan.
-s.o
3 comments:
I guess we've had a few posts, and no comments recently ... hmm.
My question is: Did anyone take a listen to the Miller stuff? Did anyone read the linked article? I have finished his latest book, and I'm dying for some discussion on things he brings up!
come on!
-s.o
s.o.,
yo. i did both. i should've commented on the miller podcasts because they are well worth the listen.
especially when he's talking about how we (Christians) need to do a better job of talking about what we're for rather than what we're against.
the linked article was pretty darned funny. i haven't read the new book, so i can't talk about the book itself, but if he's bringing up some good stuff, throw it out here!
I listened to the podcasts again last night and some this morning on my drive to work and I've been thinking about something Miller said. It's in part two of the interview where he's talking about the Good Samaritan. A guy gets mugged on a street and beaten within an inch of his life. A couple of "theologically correct" Jews walk by and they ignore the guy, then a Samaritan (a cult member, marginilized by Jews) walks along and stops to help. Miller says something to the effect of, "So what Jesus is saying is, 'Look, your theology is right, but it's made you arrogant. These people who don't get it have more of a heart for me than some of you who do get it.'"
McLaren talks about this in "Generous Orthodoxy" as well. I don't have it in front of me, he's addressing the mistake of thinking you can get an A in Orthodoxy and an F in Orthopraxy and still be just fine.
As far as what Miller is saying, I like his point, I love the things he addresses before and after this snippit, but I gotta say that I think he's wrong to interpret Jesus as saying the Samaritan is the one who doesn't "get it" and the other two do. Only one of the people in that story actually did something to allow God's kingdom to come and His will to be done on Earth and it was the cult-member.
I think it's pretty obvious that a combination of the two is where we want to be, but I think a few more interesting questions are, "if you had to choose, which would you rather be?" Or, "who would you rather have as your neighbor?" Or, "who would you rather have chaperone your kids around town?"
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