Jesus and Jazz

scot posted on April 29, 2009

The Origins Project remains faithful to Jesus Christ and to humans as made in God’s image (what I call “eikons of God”). To relate Jesus Christ to humans today summons us to be “innovative,” the third term in The Origins Project. So, we seek creative metaphors to describe what we are doing. I want to recommend one such creative metaphor… and it comes from an African American pastor in Denver.

Do you know about Robert Gelinas and his new book Finding the Groove: Composing a Jazz-Shaped Faith? There are very few books like this one — in fact, there is none. I really liked this book, and I will return to it over and over as the image shapes my own thinking.

I’ve got a question for us to discuss: How is bringing Jesus and humans together like jazz? How does jazz help us understand our task?

For Gelinas, Christianity itself is jazz and he is a jazz theologian. Though many may not use his terms, he is in the company of many other jazz theologians. I’ll admit it: I don’t know jazz, but when I read Gelinas I think – “He’s got it. This is what we need to be doing.” What is that?

This book explores our missional task and our missional vision through image of jazz — that is, through syncopation, improvisation, and call-and-response.

Robert Gelinas is known in Denver as the teaching pastor of solid church, Colorado Community Church. I met Robert a few years back, and I was hoping someday to sit down with him for a long spell and get to know his heartbeat. Jazz tells us his heartbeat for our task today.

Along the way we are introduced by Gelinas to the history of jazz and all kinds of jazz, including major jazz musicians – John Coltrane – and “jazz novelists” like Ralph Ellison and to a host of other African Americans who have shaped the soul of African American Christians. And along the way we are introduced to hermeneutics as jazz improvisation (came close to what in my Blue Parakeet I call “wiki” stories) and to jazz helping us to understand human paradox and tension. We learn what it is like to be in an “inter”denominational (not “non”denominational) church, and jazz explains it. To finding your voice — in the big musical picture and doing your own solo in the midst of the community’s music. The image of “jazz” is so suggestive and so fruitful.

Surely the most potent chapter in this fine, and well-written book, was the chapter on singing the blues – and he moves from Billy Holiday to the cross of Christ. Jazz theologians alone see the blues in the cross of Christ and the call to follow him.

Scot McKnight is the Karl A. Olson Professor in Religious Studies at North Park University on the Creative Team and will be a regular contributor here. You can read more from him on his Jesus Creed blog.