Finding the Groove: Composing a Jazz-Shaped Faith (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Picture the possibilities if American churches operated like jazz combos instead of slick corporations. Drawing brilliant parallels between the body of Christ and the qualities inherent to jazz, Robert Gelinas points us beyond the ordinary to the often overlooked freedom, beauty, grace, unity, creativity, and power that are our birthright as believers.

From the Back Cover

“A jazz-shaped faith … balances freedom with boundaries, the individual with the group, and traditions with the pursuit of what might be. I have discovered in jazz a way of thinking, living, communicating—a way of being … a groove.”

You don’t have to be a jazz musician, or even a jazz connoisseur, for this book to speak to you. If you love God and his Word, and if you’ve longed to follow Jesus Christ outside the slick corporate structures that some American churches erect, this book is for you. If you want to discover a freer, more genuine expression of Christianity, Finding the Groove will be music to your ears, your heart, and your mind.

Using brilliant metaphors from the world of jazz, Robert Gelinas reveals breathtaking possibilities for the body of Christ. What might a “jazz-shaped faith” look like—and how could it help us fulfill the message of the gospel in a way no method, movement, or structured program ever could? How can understanding the beauty of jazz help you better understand Jesus, his vision for those who follow him, and his heartbeat for a world that is badly out of sync?

But this book isn’t about music. It is about a passionate, biblical, fully integrated way of looking at life and salvation that will free you to find your own unique groove in the kingdom of God.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310282527
• ISBN-13: 978-0310282525
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #426,877 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get in the Groove, March 31, 2009

By	Dr. Gregory Laughery (Switzerland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Robert Gelinas has a new book! Finding the Groove: Composing a Jazz-Shaped Faith is a joy just to look at, with its well designed cover, and to handle, with its unusual and helpful dimensions conceived for the reader. The book looks like a gem, and in addition to these important aesthetic attributes, it reads like one too. Reading Finding the Groove is like going to a jazz concert with all its originality and vision and then seeing how these grooves apply to living a finely tuned Christian life that matters to and for God, each other, and the world. Brimming with striking harmonies and exquisite orchestrations, Robert's well written words affirm a creative tension in Scripture, while also highlighting the necessity of practicing a lively faithful improvisation on the score. This is theo-jazz at its finest. Readers are invited to find their voices and develop their ears in order to better follow the rhythms, beats, and off beats, which impact and address every area of life, of Jesus the Master jazz theologian. Robert carefully composes these notes with flair, tenacity, and passion as one well versed in jazz and its profound implications for theology. Get this book. Read it. You'll love it. Excellent and highly recommended!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Surprisingly Powerful Metaphor, June 29, 2009

By	Phillip H. Steiger (Colorado Springs, CO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was once told by an octogenarian seminary professor that though multitudes of theology texts had been written, every generation needed to write them again in order to find their voice and relate orthodoxy to their world. Robert Gelinas' book, Finding the Groove, is a fresh look at Christian theology through the surprisingly powerful, and uniquely American, metaphor of jazz.

Though not a musician himself, Gelinas has a lot to offer for the outworking of the Christian life through his reflections on jazz and how it works. Among the pleasant surprises along the way, he includes several biographical sketches and anecdotes that serve his thesis well. I have played and (sporadically) followed jazz for years, and I found his grasp of the topic refreshing and exciting.

The book is broken up into a handful of the characteristics of jazz music, and each is used to reflect on living a Christ-shaped life. I deeply appreciated his commitment to sound doctrine - after all, improvisation on a theme only works if the musician is playing with the chord progression laid down by the song. I also appreciated his use of the images of "ensemble" and "call and response" to reflect on how we live in community as people devoted to Christ and each other.

Overall, this is a book on discipleship and spiritual formation with an eye on what it means to live life in community. If you are a musician, I think you will enjoy his insights, and if you are not, you will still have a lot to gain from the book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In Response to a Beautiful Call to Life Together., May 26, 2009

By	Pete Gall (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviews

Length:: 3:50 Mins

My name is Pete Gall (My Beautiful Idol), and I'm proud to know and cheer for Robert Gelinas. I met Robert in Denver in the mid-1990s, and I remember going to see him preach at local African-American churches where -- as a very pale and obvious guest -- I would be asked to stand and introduce myself. My response was always that I went wherever I could still see Robert preach for free. I love what he's put together in this book, and cannot recommend it highly enough. Robert's invitation to community, to life in ensemble, makes sense of our differences, celebrates our voices, and holds the promise of meaningful living dialog. Do yourself a favor and buy three copies now -- save yourself the shipping costs you'll incur if (when) you come back for more.

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