Searching for God Knows What

Donald Miller's third spiritual memoir centers on his desire to disentangle Christianity from "religion."Searching for God Knows What is just as open and engaging as Blue Like Jazz, but also more cynical and less inclined to accept good intentions as a substitute for actual goodness. He complains that Christianity has been hijacked by ritual, that churches have foisted a one-size-fits-all version of faith on their members, and that we offer God service when He wants relationship with His people.

Many of his arguments are compelling. He doesn't urge people to abandon churches, but that churches embrace the organic spirituality of Christ, the kind that leads to turning the other cheek and giving a needy person your clothes. He also doesn't claim that Christianity is moral license; rather, it's a commitment to Christ that conforms us to His image. He goes too far insisting that our relationship to Christ is overtly romantic—while God's love includes eros, it also transcends human understanding.

This is a heartfelt plea to abandon moralistic faith and embrace Christ as the center of existence. Miller's style is more mature than in his previous work, with the same blend of serious content, sarcastic hilarity, and earthy approachability that causes readers to take heed. There aren't a lot of answers here, but Miller asks the universal questions and offers hope that the truth is, in fact, out there.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.