Velvet Elvis 1

From Rob Bell's Velvet Elvis

Rob Bell describes the reformation. He tells of how Luther struggled to follow a faith set up on rules that seemed out of date, out of step and far more centered on keeping the powerful in power than it did on leading others to Christ or promoting the Gospel on earth. He tells of how Luther broke new ground to make religion personal and assessable to everyone in his time. Bell speaks of a tradition of reformers, far more than just Luther, but including monks, and nuns and theologians through the 2000-year history of the church that have all had this quest in mind, to make the experience of being a Christian more relavent. Bell points to the new emerging heartbeat in the church and says the following:

I’m part of this tradition.

I’m part of this global, historic stream of people who believe that God has not left us alone but has been involved in human history from the beginning. People who believe that in Jesus, God came among us in a unique and powerful way, showings us a new kind of life. Giving each of us a new vision for our life together, for the world we live in.

And as part of this tradition, I embrace the need to keep painting, to keep reforming.

By this I do not mean cosmetic, superficial changes like better lights and music, sharper graphics, and new methods with easy–to-follow steps. I mean theology: the beliefs about God, Jesus, the Bible, salvation, the future. We must keep reforming the way the Christian faith is defined, lived and explained.

Jesus is more compelling than ever. More inviting, more true, more mysterious than ever. The problem isn’t Jesus; the problem is what comes with Jesus.


In the days to come I will share what Rob Bell sees as the baggage that comes with Jesus. I hope you find my little quotes intriguing enough to buy this book. It's amazing.

Grace and Peace,

Digger