To Donald Miller: An Open Letter

Dear Donald  Miller,
I think you’re probably an okay dude.  I want to believe that you have reasons for your career endeavors.

I was really moved by Blue Like Jazz, and I’d like to think you’re fairly progressive, even though you attend a church that won’t allow women to be pastors.

But today, in my e-mail inbox, I got this monstrosity:

This is the ultimate problem, not only with you, Donald Miller, but for the whole Emerging/gent/postmodern/hipster movement I am a shameless part of: it’s run by money above all else.  Book sales.  Speaker circuit.  Books-on-CD.  Video series.  I never called you a sellout for being a New York Times Bestseller.  I never called Brian McLaren one either.  I’m glad progressive Christian writing gets out there.  I want you to be successful!

But do you realize what it does to the whole damn movement when it’s so clearly being run by capitalism?

• CHRISTIANS DO NOT NEED TO BE REMINDED HOW TO LEAD A TEAM OR ORGANIZATION!
• CHRISTIANS DO NOT NEED TO LEARN HOW TO WRITE A BETTER CAREER!
• CHRISTIANS DO NOT NEED TO RENEW THEIR PERSONAL VISION(S)!
• CHRISTIANS DO NOT NEED TO HEAR ANOTHER MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER A LA JOYCE MEYERS / TONY ROBBINS / JOEL OSTEEN / AMWAY INTERNATIONAL!

We’re supposed to learn how to die.

We’re supposed to surrender.

We’re supposed to give up our own power.

I can’t tell you I have done a great job of giving up my power, but for the life of me, I’m trying.  I’m quite confident that the motivational circuit is not the place to start.

Donald Miller, I still think you’re probably a cool dude.  I know people who know you.  I even met you once – you seemed down-to-earth.  But is this the natural progression of your gifts?  Is this where the rest of us are headed?  Take off your headset.  There’s a lot of work to be done, and fueling Christian businesspeople and the Evangelical masses with progressive-sounding fodder only feeds the beast.  Don’t let the publishers define you.  Keep working to help boys without fathers.  While you’re at it, try picking up the cause of women, too, invisible in Christian culture.  Maybe think about advocating for your queer friends, too. 

You can do better.  I guess we all can.  I’ll still read your book when I have the chance…