A Review of Velvet Elvis

A Review of Velvet Elvis, Rob Bell, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI., 2005

Part 1

My guess is that if you like “your faith” and “your discipleship” to be as nebulous as possible then this is the book for you! Sometimes it seems that some are more in love with some “mystical” and “feel-good in my little group” journey than the Biblical treasure to be found which is Jesus Christ. The problem is that the Holy Scriptures relate to us categories like: COMMON SALVATION followed by THE faith and ONCE FOR ALL DELIVERED. Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. Jude 3, ESV (English Standard Version)

Notice that the text says we have a common or shared salvation but it is in the faith and that this faith has been once for all delivered to the saints (articulated in Holy Scripture). It is not unfolding like a new painting of Elvis. (Nor is the truth of the Scriptures "outdated" or "cheesy" like an old painting of Velvet Elvis.) If you would ask Rob Bell he would probably say; No, you have it all wrong, my Christian life and my church experience is becoming the portrait of Velvet Elvis and is thus somehow a painting of the real thing. But what happens in the wash is that the “experience” of deity in an individual and subsequent to that the community is what becomes the guiding authority for the life of the church. This instead of His Life defined and His Spirit illumining our minds and hearts as to who He is as we go to THE authority which is the Holy Scriptures to share together in that common salvation. In a very subtle way his Velvet Elvis is repainting the real Elvis to look quite different.

Unfortunately, this entire book, and many recent books that label themselves Christian have a great tendency toward a new-age world view disguised as an unfolding of The Kingdom of God upon the earth which starts in the church. (And many of these books are coming through Zondervan, which when you go up through their corporate ladder you come to a man by the name of Rupert Murdoch.) And there are many former new-agers or those very familiar with mysticism who have become true believers in Jesus Christ who very clearly see the deceptions in books like these. (For example, go here to buy and read books by Brian Flynn and Warren Smith or Ray Yungen.)

To underscore my point about new-age mysticism being disguised as Christianity simply realize that Rob Bell's speaking tour for the summer of 2006 is titled: “Everything is Spiritual.” And what could the logical end of this kind of thinking be but nothing other than the melding of deity and humanity! Everything is spiritual. Yea - everything is spiritual and some of it is spiritual truth but much of it is spiritual deception! They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. ESV I John 4:5, 6

And why does the Apostle John speak like this? Because the truth has been clearly articulated to His own through the Holy Scriptures! Spiritual truth is understandable by the renewed mind of one who has the Spirit! And the Spirit has made this spiritual truth clear to them and not vague! And the apostles heard and understood that truth (both proposition and incarnation) through Jesus Himself and articulated it as they were moved by the Spirit to write and speak.

"these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 'For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?' But we have the mind of Christ.
I Corinthians 2:10-16 ESV (English Standard Version)

There it is: spiritual truth is made plain and clear in the mind of those who have the Spirit! And it doesn't come in vague categories or mystical experiences but in spiritual words laid down for us in Holy Scripture. And we interpret and understand these text of Scripture as we would other human writings except for the fact that they are ultimately breathed out by the Holy Spirit through the authors. That same Spirit illumines these truths to our minds! It is articulated in human words and language but because it is God's revelation via God's inspiration then it is God's TRUTH! (You may find several instances in the book were Bell clearly downplays the role of God in revelation as Scripture is written.)

So what does Rob Bell bring to the table to help us understand the difference between spiritual truth and spiritual error? Let me answer the question with one rather irrational (sorry Rob) and mystical moment from the book. On page 40 he relates a mystical experience he had after college while he was working at a youth camp and asked to speak in their chapel. He had this “experience” which was quite “Moses like” in that he took off his sandals because he knew the ground he was standing upon was holy. He relates that a voice communicated with him. An internal voice. And he relates that the words spoken by this voice were very clear and very concise. The words: Teach this book, and I will take care of everything else. (He relates that in those moments his entire life changed and that it was like a rebirth.) And yet he spends this entire book (and I do mean entire) articulating how vague and unknowable and mysterious and questioning and difficult is THE HOLY SCRIPTURES! How is it that one can hear a “clear and concise” voice (with accompanying words) to teach what he hammers at over and over again as ultimately unknowable in Biblical Words? So - it is somehow okay if this inner mystical voice is clear but it is not okay that the Spirit could breathe out clear and concise words through the Scriptures for all the saints? But at least he's clear about his mission - I guess. (If you want to understand the “spirit” of the emerging church - this may be by far the best and only book you will need to read. But go to your public library and check it out - don't buy it.)

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