velvet elvis

I haven't read Rob Bell's Velvet Elvis. People I have deep respect for have warned about some serious pitfalls and some people that I think are a little too free in their thinking have bragged strongly about it. Net, I decided that was one I didn't need to read.

I like the Rob Bell Nooma series. I stopped buying them at the 10th in the series simply because of financial reasons but until that point, while not steeped in doctrine, I found them to be good conversation starter, consistent with Scripture, and pointing toward godliness.

Other than that, I don't know much about Rob Bell. So why am I writing? Because if you are interested in what seems like a honest and sensitive analysis of Bell's Velvet Elvis, here's a link to Greg Gilbert's critique. Here's the summary.

On its surface, Bell’s first book, Velvet Elvis, might seem rather innocuous. His stated goal is to rethink the Christian faith in terms that will "strip it down to the bare bones" and get it back to "the most basic elements." For the most part, he pursues that goal in a style that is reasonable and to-the-point. He talks about humility, about asking questions, about wrestling with the biblical text—phrases that many evangelicals use daily.

But I am convinced that when Bell brings all these things together, the result is something far more revolutionary than what appears on the surface. In fact, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that Bell actually ends up throwing the entire Christian gospel up for grabs. God is made so mysterious, doctrine is deemed so questionable, and biblical interpretations are so relativized that in the end, Bell leaves us wondering if anything can be known for sure, or if any understanding of the Christian faith and gospel is any better than any other.

Gilbert's article is worth the read in that he cites specific examples and models specific and gentle criticism.

HT: TP

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