Syncopation. Call-and-response. Creativity. Listening. Freedom within constraints. These are some elements of a jazz-shaped faith articulated by Robert Gelinas in his new book Finding the Groove: Composing a Jazz-Shaped Faith (Zondervan, 2009). Gelinas harnesses powerful jazz metaphors to cast a vision for a Christian faith fully alive, embracing creative tension while playing in concert with others. Here are a few highlights that may pique your interest to read the book:
Improvisation. Our Christian lives progress not by playing predetermined notes, but by improvising in the company of others. Improvisation is not just about spontaneous originality, because good improvisers draw on rich traditions and practice “in the woodshed.” Improvisation is an apt description of our Christian practice, and church is our rehearsal studio.
Playing the blues. All jazz is blues. That is, pain and suffering are the native soil of jazz. Gelinas includes fascinating reflection on the nature of jazz, and how jazz is more than music, but an entire society full of “red, white, and the blues.” A jazz-shaped faith, therefore, is a blues-shaped faith, expressing joy through suffering.
Ensemble. You can’t play jazz alone. You can’t be a Christian alone. Both require practicing and playing in ensemble, which means listening to others, needing others, becoming who we are because of others. We need to find our own voice, but that means playing in concert.
Finding the Groove is a creative, inspiring, vision-casting book. The jazz metaphor is packed with potential for shedding new insight on our Christian lives, and I look forward to future “jazz notes” from Gelinas. In the meantime, you can visit his website to read more about this jazz theologian, and you can put on a jazz album and start developing your ear for syncopation, improvisation, and call-and-response. The book ends with reference to Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, which would be a great place to begin.
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