BLUE LIKE JAZZ Week Two

I really enjoy the parts of the book where Donald seems to find a way to reconcile being a Christian while attending a highly secular college. To me, this has always been one of the hardest parts of Christianity. How do we maintain our Christian life and identity while having to live within a secular context?

I think one of the most important parts of these chapters for me was the fact that Donald acts as a Christian model for non-Christians whether he chooses to or not. He doesn't go around proselytizing. He simply provides an active example of what a Christian should be for others. And it seems that this approach is very effective. It can be very hard for Christians to overcome all of the horrible things that have been done in the name of religion. Non-Christians often come to us with very valid arguments such as Donald's friend Laura.

I thought the part of the chapter about Laura seeing Christianity as irrational was especially interesting. It DOES seem irrational. As Donald put it, "I think Laura was looking for something rational, because she believed that all things that were true were rational. But that isn't the case. Love, for example, is a true emotion, but it is not rational."

The end of Chapter six really spoke to me as well. It seems like all have to do is to believe and then everything else should fall into place. So, why do we continue to struggle? "I thought that if God would make it so I felt convicted all the time, I would never sin." Wow. That sounds familiar. Why CAN'T we feel strong about our faith all the time? And why CAN'T we conquer sin with self-discipline? I have wondered this myself many times. I'm looking forward to seeing Donald's explanation.