Velvet Elvis -- Review
VELVET ELVIS: Repainting the Christian Faith. By Rob Bell. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005. 194 pp.
I was walking through Costco one day and happened across the two books written by fellow Michigan pastor Rob Bell. Both carry provocative titles, with the latest one entitled Sex God. That title surely is a grabber, but I decided to purchase the first of these two books, figuring that it would give me a good picture of Bell’s perspective. I’d heard a lot about Bell, but didn’t know much – I’ve discovered that he’s a Fuller Seminary alumnus as am I. It’s likely he was on campus when I was teaching there adjunctively, but as far as I know I didn’t have him as a student.
What I found in reading the book was an expression of what Brian McLaren calls a “generous orthodoxy.” As far as I know Bell doesn’t identify with Emergent Village or Emergent, nor should one assume that the name of his church – Mars Hill Bible Church – suggests he has anything to do with Mark Driscoll (Driscoll’s church carries a similar name). Like Doug Pagitt’s recent book, I wasn’t always sure what to make of Bell’s book. It’s written in a creative and engaging manner, and invites the reader to consider a different kind of Christianity, one that lacks the hard edge. He’s committed to his faith, but he understands that we’re on a journey.
Velvet Elvis is in part autobiography and part theological treatise. If you go to his church’s website, you’ll see that he embraces a “narrative theology.” The theology isn’t necessarily sophisticated, but it invites the reader into a conversation. It is generous in that he understands that the conversation isn’t yet complete. Faith is contextual and evolving. It is a process in which Jesus has entered and has invited us to work “out how to live as God crated us to live” (p. 11). We must, he believes, be open and flexible, for “this life is not the last painting.”
That desire for a more flexible faith comes out clearly when he speaks of doctrinal statements as “springs.” Using the analogy of a trampoline, he notes that the springs are “firmly attached to the frame and the mat, yet it has room to move.” These theological words aren’t absolute, for God is bigger than our words (pp. 22-23). On this he writes:
All of this leads to an important point. There needs to be room for people to ask questions. Doubt isn’t something to be suppressed, but to be explored. The questions are expressions of freedom.
This leads us to the part of the book that I found most fascinating – his take on Scripture. Now, it’s clear that he roots himself in a fairly traditional view of biblical inspiration. He doesn’t use terms like infallibility or inerrancy to define his position, but I imagine that he’s not moved that far from his roots (Wheaton and Fuller). That being said, he is quite open about how Scripture should be approached. He recognizes the difficulties we have in interpreting scripture, and the presence of texts that are not easy to affirm. Passages that seem to link ethnic cleansing with the purpose of God, can’t be easily dispensed with. Thus, we must interpret the text. We must read it in context. That perspective leads him to rail against those who would claim to know with absoluteness the meaning of Scripture. To those who insist they have no problem with one who teaches the Bible, he responds:
I find this refreshing. To insist that Scripture must be interpreted before it can be applied is so important. It reminds us that this is exactly what Jesus did. He took an ancient text and reinterpreted it in a way that made sense to many. In our own day, no one truly believes that every word of Scripture should be applied just as it reads. Consider texts about head coverings or holy kisses, or ones about giving away all of one’s possessions. We make judgments as to their applicability in our day.
But even more telling than this insistence that the Bible must be interpreted is his insistence that the “Bible is alive.” The Adam and Eve story is important not because of its factuality, but because it is our story.
Although there are elements that I find problematic, and though Bell would certainly consider me to his left, I find his book disarmingly honest and generous. It is a recognition that we don’t have all the answers. It is also recognition that the Christian faith will fail if it simply becomes a rigid restatement of old doctrines. The point of all of this is the restoration of all things and the reconciliation of humanity and God. Not everything is yet written – there is work for us to do.
The book was published several years ago, but I do think it’s worth reading, especially by those of us to Bell’s left. It suggests that while we might not agree on every point, we can have a productive conversation among fellow believers. Such is Velvet Elvis!
I was walking through Costco one day and happened across the two books written by fellow Michigan pastor Rob Bell. Both carry provocative titles, with the latest one entitled Sex God. That title surely is a grabber, but I decided to purchase the first of these two books, figuring that it would give me a good picture of Bell’s perspective. I’d heard a lot about Bell, but didn’t know much – I’ve discovered that he’s a Fuller Seminary alumnus as am I. It’s likely he was on campus when I was teaching there adjunctively, but as far as I know I didn’t have him as a student.
What I found in reading the book was an expression of what Brian McLaren calls a “generous orthodoxy.” As far as I know Bell doesn’t identify with Emergent Village or Emergent, nor should one assume that the name of his church – Mars Hill Bible Church – suggests he has anything to do with Mark Driscoll (Driscoll’s church carries a similar name). Like Doug Pagitt’s recent book, I wasn’t always sure what to make of Bell’s book. It’s written in a creative and engaging manner, and invites the reader to consider a different kind of Christianity, one that lacks the hard edge. He’s committed to his faith, but he understands that we’re on a journey.
Velvet Elvis is in part autobiography and part theological treatise. If you go to his church’s website, you’ll see that he embraces a “narrative theology.” The theology isn’t necessarily sophisticated, but it invites the reader into a conversation. It is generous in that he understands that the conversation isn’t yet complete. Faith is contextual and evolving. It is a process in which Jesus has entered and has invited us to work “out how to live as God crated us to live” (p. 11). We must, he believes, be open and flexible, for “this life is not the last painting.”
That desire for a more flexible faith comes out clearly when he speaks of doctrinal statements as “springs.” Using the analogy of a trampoline, he notes that the springs are “firmly attached to the frame and the mat, yet it has room to move.” These theological words aren’t absolute, for God is bigger than our words (pp. 22-23). On this he writes:
“The moment God is figured out with nice neat lines and definitions, we are no longer dealing with God. We are dealing with somebody we made up. And if we made him up, then we are in control.” (p. 25).Thus, the springs, as valuable as they may be, are not God! That said, Bell makes it clear that he affirms a fairly traditional understanding of the Christian faith – including the virgin birth, Trinity, and biblical inspiration. At the same time, he doesn’t fear the loss of a spring – for God is bigger than our formulations.
All of this leads to an important point. There needs to be room for people to ask questions. Doubt isn’t something to be suppressed, but to be explored. The questions are expressions of freedom.
This leads us to the part of the book that I found most fascinating – his take on Scripture. Now, it’s clear that he roots himself in a fairly traditional view of biblical inspiration. He doesn’t use terms like infallibility or inerrancy to define his position, but I imagine that he’s not moved that far from his roots (Wheaton and Fuller). That being said, he is quite open about how Scripture should be approached. He recognizes the difficulties we have in interpreting scripture, and the presence of texts that are not easy to affirm. Passages that seem to link ethnic cleansing with the purpose of God, can’t be easily dispensed with. Thus, we must interpret the text. We must read it in context. That perspective leads him to rail against those who would claim to know with absoluteness the meaning of Scripture. To those who insist they have no problem with one who teaches the Bible, he responds:
What that person was really saying is, “As long as you teach my version of the Bible, I’ll have no problem with you. And the more people insist that they are just taking the Bible for what it says, the more skeptical I get” (p. 44).Thus, Scripture must be interpreted.
I find this refreshing. To insist that Scripture must be interpreted before it can be applied is so important. It reminds us that this is exactly what Jesus did. He took an ancient text and reinterpreted it in a way that made sense to many. In our own day, no one truly believes that every word of Scripture should be applied just as it reads. Consider texts about head coverings or holy kisses, or ones about giving away all of one’s possessions. We make judgments as to their applicability in our day.
But even more telling than this insistence that the Bible must be interpreted is his insistence that the “Bible is alive.” The Adam and Eve story is important not because of its factuality, but because it is our story.
The reason the Bible continues to resonate with so many people isn’t just because it happened. What gives us strength and meaning and direction is something in addition to the historical events: It is the meaning of these events. Some call this the more-than-literal truth of the Bible (p. 61).It would be appropriate to note that this last statement references positively something written by Marcus Borg.
Although there are elements that I find problematic, and though Bell would certainly consider me to his left, I find his book disarmingly honest and generous. It is a recognition that we don’t have all the answers. It is also recognition that the Christian faith will fail if it simply becomes a rigid restatement of old doctrines. The point of all of this is the restoration of all things and the reconciliation of humanity and God. Not everything is yet written – there is work for us to do.
The book was published several years ago, but I do think it’s worth reading, especially by those of us to Bell’s left. It suggests that while we might not agree on every point, we can have a productive conversation among fellow believers. Such is Velvet Elvis!
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