Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith (Cover Image May Vary) | Rob Bell

Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith (Cover Image May Vary) | Rob Bell | Fresh perspectives on ancient concepts

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Velvet Elvis: Repa...

	Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith (Cover Image May Vary) Rob Bell Zondervan, 2006 - 208 pages average customer review:based on 114 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

What a refreshing book...

"Just because I'm a Christian and I'm trying to articulate a Christian worldview doesn't mean I've got it nailed. I'm contributing to the discussion. God has spoken, and the rest is commentary, right?" Rob Bell commands the attention of his readers, even down to the blip on the back of the book. He encourages his readers to look at the Christian faith a little differently, from biblical history that describes Jesus as a real person to ideas of the Christian individual's role as a witness, with the environment, and in the church. Bell does not ask the reader to agree with him; in fact, he begs that the reader test and probe what he says. "Don't swallow it uncritically. Think about it. Wrestle with it." I just love that Bell is so humble--that he offers a lot of truth in the book, yet begs the reader to question it. It's time for the true Christianity to step forward. People like Rob Bell, who know they don't have it all right but keep at it, are the people who are leading the pack.

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Fresh perspectives on ancient concepts

Rob Bell does an excellent job applying ancient concepts from early Christianity and Judaism to our modern world. Whereas many recent works on Christian spirituality fall short in substance, Velvet Elvis is strengthened by Bell's scriptural grounding and historical contexting.

For example, my favorite part of the book was the chapter on the significance of Christ's call to "follow me." Bell highlights how rare it was to be worthy of a rabbi asking you to follow him - you basically had to be in the MENSA of Talmud interpreters. In contrast, Christ invites mere fishermen to follow him. Thus, when Christ invites average people like us, he is showing the same confidence in us as the rabbis showed in their selected followers.

By placing in its proper context a portion of scripture that I had previously overlooked, Bell helped shed fresh, new light on my faith. Bell uses this new light to reenforce his ideas on what the church should look like today.

I recommend this to both Christians and non-Christians alike. Bell may convince you that following Christ is actually much different than what you had assumed. I know he did for me.

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Rob Bell modern Christian

Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith written by Rob Bell is a short novel, only 177pages.

Rob Bell is the founding Pastor of Mars Hill, a church in Grandville, Michigan. Bell graduated from Wheaton College in Illinois and Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. He has written two books, Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith, and Sex God. Bell is also featured in a series of short films called NOOMA. He
and his wife Kristin have two boys.

Things that work about this book are, that the author has brought a broad view of what a person's individual interpretation of the Bible does and does not tell the audience. Bell uses everyday examples of family and ministry occurrences to inspire thought. He defines vocabulary terms that the society as a whole may be unfamiliar with.

Although the writer is obviously a Christian, he is
writing probing and eye-opening what-ifs on every other page. He tells the reader about his own struggles with faith and gives little tips throughout the book in the reading on how to hone in on the struggles of life and overcome them.

The book needed a larger font. Reading the script chosen was difficult because the line of the letters is so thin. When the editors separate chapters, they use sub-headings. This does nothing for the reader except distract from the reading.

Rob Bell has written a great novel in Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith. This book would be best for the Christian who needs a jumpstart, a person
seeking Christ, and for anyone who simply wants something to think about. Anyone who considers themselves spiritual in any way would finish this book without wondering why they started it.

Ultimately, Velvet Elvis will open the eyes of anyone reading it. This book would be especially interesting to the casual Christian reader.

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