Product Description

In "Searching for God Knows What", Donald Miller's provocative and funny new book, he shows readers that the greatest desire of every person is the desire for redemption (or at least the feeling of it) in his or her life, believing countless gospels that promise to fix the brokenness. Typically their pursuits include the desire for fulfilling relationships, successful careers, satisfying religious systems, status, and escape. Miller reveals how the inability to find redemption leads to chaotic relationships, self-hatred, the accumulation of meaningless material possessions, and a lack of inner peace. Readers will learn to identify in themselves and within others the universal desire for redemption. They will discover that the gospel of Jesus is the only way to find meaning in life and true redemption. Mature believers as well as seekers and new Christians will find themselves identifying with the narrative journey unfolded in the book, which is simply the pursuit of redemption.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #151936 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

About the Author
Donald Miller is the author of Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality and Searching for God Knows What, in addition to articles written for numerous magazines. He is a frequent speaker on issues concerning the relevancy of Christ to the human struggle.

Customer Reviews

Have a go...
I do find a lot of Christian books very hard to get into and a lot seem very dry and irrelevant. I actually picked up this book when I was in the States and found it extremely readable and interesting. He is basically trying to get back to the idea of Christianity as a relationship, rather than a rule book. His ideas that morality is the consequence of a relationship with God - and therefore is more of a betrayal in that relationship than the contravening of some rule book, was particularly key to the whole book. It was a good introduction too for those who may be attracted to Christ, but repelled by a lot of what they see in religion. There were flaws in it - there was a bit where his history wasn't quite right and there were a few things about his interpretation of the Bible that I thought a bit eccentric. But, even if you don't agree with everything he says, he holds to and explains the essence of the Christian faith in an effective and refreshing way and, the greatest compliment, I really wanted to read it.

Great read!
A phenomenal book. Reading Donald Miller is like eating a piece of gourmet chocolate cake - you try to eat it slowly because you think you should, to savour all it's richness, but you end up scarfing it down quickly because - you just couldn't help it! I stayed home for 3 nights in a row just to "cozy up with Don" and read this book. I seriously felt like I was hanging out with an old, funny, deeply insightful friend. That's why we read, isn't it? To feel like we're not alone? Don put into words things that have been knawing at me for the last few years but i didn't quite know it.

And he did so beautifully.

The overall point of the book is that Christianity is not a formula, or a list of facts and ideas that you intellectually agree with. Instead, at its core, it is a complex group of narratives (written about in the Storybook called the Bible) that illustrate the basic idea that God is a person with whom we were created to have an intimate, personal, mysterious relationship with. It is this relationship alone that gives one true, lasting security and validation as a beautiful and lovable person. This relationship was broken a long time ago in a garden far far away, and as a result we are all messed up and have been trying for the last few thousand years to get people to love us so that we will feel less insecure and more lovable. Only a Reunion to beat all reunions, a heart-felt reconnection with our Maker can give us the security, love, and ultimate freedom to really love others without expecting any sort of "redemptive love" from them in return. We can be loved like we were meant to be loved, and thus we can love like we were meant to love.

So thanks, Don, for copying all my sub-conscious insights and writing a book about them. You beat me to it. But i'm glad, as i'm sure thousands of other people are, that you did.

An enjoyable read
This book goes into my Best Ever Top Ten List. It was a rare combination of funny, stimulating, unpretentious and clever. I had to make notes as I read as there were so many gems I didn't want to forget.