We know there's something more. We sense it, we feel it, and we want it. But how do we find it - a spirituality that stands up to the questions of an honest, searching mind? "This book is for those who need a fresh take on Jesus and what it means for us to live the kind of life he teaches us to live," writes Rob Bell. "This pursuit of Jesus is leading us backward as much as forward...I am learning that what seems brand new is often just the discovery of something that has been there all along - it just got lost somewhere and it needs to be picked up, dusted off, and reclaimed." "We have to test everything," writes Bell. "Do that to this book. Don't swallow it uncritically. Think about it. Wrestle with it. Just because I'm a Christian and I'm trying to articulate a Christian world view doesn't mean I've got it nailed. I'm contributing to the discussion. God has spoken, and the rest is commentary, right?" Velvet Elvis offers original and refreshingly personal perspectives on what Christianity is really about.

2008-08-15 Best avoided

2 good things and a plethora of bad things:
Good thing #1: Rob Bell is an excellent communicator, and is very easy to read.
Good thing #2: He has some interesting Jewish/Greek background information that sheds new light on some familiar Biblical passages.
Bad thing #1: He has no idea what the Christian gospel is. Or more likely, doesn't like it. "This is what we are all dying for - something that demands we step up and become better, more focussed people. Something that calls out the greatness that we hope is somewhere inside of us." (p169) In other words, salvation is found in being good people. This is the exact opposite of what the Bible teaches. It's a disasterous liberal falacy.
Bad thing #2: Actually #1 is bad enough not to need a #2. But here's another example anyway: "Heaven is full of people whom Jesus died for. Hell is full of forgiven people whom Jesus died for. The difference is how we choose to live..." (p146) The guy is a heretic. And mixes truth with utter falsehood, like the worst kind of false teachers. Avoid like the plague.