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Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith (Cover Image May Vary) | 
 enlarge | Author: Rob Bell
Publisher: Zondervan
Category: Book
List Price: $14.99
Buy New: $6.35
You Save: $8.64 (58%)
New (35) Used (15) from $3.35
Avg. Customer Rating:  99 reviews
Sales Rank: 1282
Media: Paperback
Edition: New Ed
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 208
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.7 x 0.6
ISBN: 0310273080
Dewey Decimal Number: 261
EAN: 9780310273080
ASIN: 0310273080
Publication Date: July 1, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: New. No dust jacket as issued. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 194 p. Audience: General/trade.
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Product Description
God never changes, nor do the central truths of Christianity. But our understanding of those truths is in constant flux. Christians will always be exploring and discovering what it means to live in harmony with God and each other. Now in softcover, Velvet Elvis offers original and refreshingly personal perspectives on what Christianity is really about.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 94 more reviews...
 Wonderful! April 16, 2008
This book was an awesome tool during group discussions with some young adults. It opened conversation and allowed for some deep personal insights to be discovered. Rob has a way of giving information and allowing you to discover your own truth. Thanks Rob!
Great for Christians with Critical Brains April 15, 2008
Not since Daniel Taylor's 'The Myth of Certainty' (InterVarsity Press) has a book been so encouraging to Christians with critical brains. Both authors contend that rational certainty is impossible, implying that everyone has faith in something - whether in the god(s) of a particular religious system or in the supremacy of reason and logic over metaphysical speculation. Where both Taylor and Bell use honest questioning and story telling to illustrate their points of view, Bell adds the use of scholarly exegesis to help paint a portrait of Jesus' message that challenges a host of the theological assumptions that many contemporary Christians hold (intentionally or unintentionally) without question. He presents his material in a way that invites those of us who are unsure about Christ and/or the church to see the good news of the Kingdom of God from a different (and more accurate) perspective. Bell's writing is accessible, which, when considering the weight of some of the concepts he attempts to convey, is quite a feat. 'Velvet Elvis' has the potential to be mutually encouraging to those who follow Jesus and those who do not. Needless to say at this point, I highly recommend this book.
 Elvis Has Left The Building April 15, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Rob Bell is an author that makes you angry while reading his stuff - in a good way and a bad way. This is because he says something that seems so off the wall, but then he writes to show exactly what he means. So usually you are left with thinking, "Okay, I think I see the point he is trying to make." And other times he just seems flat-out wrong. This can make it a frustrating book (that, and also the fact that the book jumps around so much that there is not a lot of cohesiveness).
Also, Rob Bell makes some bold claims that seem to go against Christian thinking. Others have pointed out that he talks about it doesn't matter where there was a virgin birth or not, and that the translation may be wrong. This is a pretty bold claim, and he really has nothing to back it up with. If we are to believe the Bible, and hopefully not just pick and choose, then it seems pretty obvious that the Bible refers to a virgin birth. Read Matthew 1:18-25. In verse 18, it says that Mary "was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit." And in verse 25, it says "he [Joseph] had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus." So if there is a wrong translation on the word "virgin," then I think those two verses clarify it, making his argument pointless.
Also, Rob Bell goes on later in the book talking about why he thinks that Jesus was a Rabbi. He makes very good points and illustrations as to why he believes this. I enjoyed learning how Jewish boys in villages became rabbis and how only the brightest and the best were selected to continue. I liked his connection to how if Jesus was a rabbi, how much more that would have meant when he summoned Peter and Andrew to become fishers of men. He points out that they would have not been chosen to be rabbis and thus entered the family trade as fisherman. So for Jesus, a rabbi, to choose them to follow them, would have meant everything since rabbis had proteges. It sounds all well and fine, except for one problem. The Bible talks about how Jesus was a Carpenter, like Joseph. And in Matthew 13:55, people in the synagogue asked, "Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?" So if he was a rabbi, why did the crowd question where he got his wisdom from and see him as a carpenter and not a rabbi. It is points like these in Rob Bell's book that I see as off-base and wrong. These are two pretty big, glaring errors in his book.
So Rob Bell is repainting the Christian faith, but doing it in a very dangerous and irresponsible manner. Although I still enjoy some of Rob's teachings and insights, I think that this book was more miss than hit.
Fresh Perspective on Christianity April 10, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
One of the best, most refreshing Christian books I've read in a long time. Unique perspectives.
Semper Reformanda April 1, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
I hope there are more guys out there like Bell before the Church ends up more broken than before Luther rattled it's cage
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