Stick to the Truth

For the life of me, can someone explain to me what Rob Bell means when he writes in his book, Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith (Zondervan, 2005),

For a Christian, Jesus' teachings aren't to be followed because they are a nice way to live a moral life. They are to be followed because they are the possible insight into how the world really works. They teach us how things are. I don't follow Jesus because I think Christianity is the best religion. I follow Jesus because he leads me into ultimate reality. He teaches me to live in tune with how reality is. When Jesus said, 'No one comes to the Father except through me', he was saying that his way, his words, his life is our connection to how things truly are at the deepest levels of existence. For Jesus then, the point of religion is to help us connect with ultimate reality, God. (p. 83)

For those of you who are not in the know, Rob Bell is the teaching pastor at Mars Hill Bible Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan.  He is an influential figure in the Emergent Church movement. The emergent church appeals mostly to post-moderns, disaffected by the modern era.  It is difficult and frustrating to say the least to define this movement.  Many of those who speak for this movement insist that there is no movement.  Rather they say, it is a "conversation" as to what it means to be a follower of Christ.  Emergent Church theology if there is such a beast, can be surmised by Bell's candid 'conversation' starter,

The Bible is a collection of stories that teach us about what it looks like when God is at work through actual people. The Bible has the authority it does only because it contains stories about people interacting with the God who has all authority (Elvis, p. 65).

In other words, no on can be as arrogant to suggest that mere mortals could even begin to imagine to write what they believe to be their experiences with understanding who God is and what he wants.  This is essentially what Bell wants us to believe.  "The church for two thousand years has gotten it wrong, time and time again, but blessings people, we are now getting the program ... ooppsss ... conversation back on track."

What I also would like to know from these people, is why bother with the bible at all.  Rob, for Jesus' sake, why even include the word in the name of the church.  Even more puzzling is Mars Hill Bible Church's use of Acts 17:23 in their name.  It is obviously meant to indicate something of the direction and philosophy of their church.  It is recorded in Acts 17:23,

Acts 17:22-23 (NIV)

²² Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. ²³ For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.

This hill that Paul stood on was named by the Romans, Mars Hill and it stood in Ancient Greece, including the time mentioned here.  Paul noticed this inscription to the unknown God, and preached to the leaders there.  He proclaimed to them that the God they were searching for could be known.  This God, sent his son Jesus for the atonement (The reconciliation of God and humans brought about by the redemptive life and death of Jesus) of human sin (disregarding God's intentions for us to love and follow him).  What is most peculiar here, is that Paul is saying you can know God.  Yet Rob Bell has turned this around to say you cannot know God, and there is no certainty in truly knowing him.   However, if you dare you can "live in tune with how reality is."


Jesus did say to his followers, John 14:6-7 (NIV)

⁶ I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.

 Rob, that sounds like some kind of certainty to me.  People don't be deceived by such teachings and hold fast to the promises of God.