As part of my candidating process I had to read a theological book. It was suggested to me that I tried Rob Bell's Velvet Elvis Repainting the Christian Faith as a good book. So I did! I found it to be a brilliant book, energising and inpspiring! So thought I would share some of my thoughts on the book.
Bell uses the metaphor of a painting that has become redundant and no longer used or seen to look at the need for "repainting the Christian faith".
Bell looks at the need for exploring our faith, he speaks about how in the Bible Jesus demonstrates what it means to explore faith, to ask questions and calling the disciples to rethink the Christian faith. I love the challenge that it brings: "The challenge for Christians then is to live with great compassion and conviction, remaining open and flexible, aware that life is not the last painting."
I think that sometimes for people today, Christianity has become a painting that is no longer relevant or seen as representing something important to them. Yet what Bell highlights clearly is the challenge and task that Christians need to engage in, asking questions, rethinking and redefining our faith today.
The book looks at Church history, engaging with reformation and reforming! Looking at how the tradition that Martin Luther was a part of not just the reformation as a period in history, but as a reforming task, continuing to go on. A great book and not a difficult read!
I think Rob Bell engages with issues that are a problem today, when we think about updating our faith, how often do we think of updating it in technology! Ensuring the Church has a good technology system, yet what Bell challenges people to think about is the need to reform theology. as Bell writes: " We must keep reforming the way the Christian faith is defined, lived and explained." So the question for me personally has been, how do we define our faith today in 21St Century, in a culture that is rapidly changing. How do we define faith, live it out today and explain it in a way that expresses and demonstrates the relevance to lives today?
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2 comments:
Nice post! The thing that has always attracted me to Christianity and continues to attract me to it is the idea that God is the same yesterday, today and forever.
I find it important in an ever-changing and quickly changing world to have a place that remains the same because that is what God does.
When Jesus interacted with people in the New Testament, it seems to me that he saw through the questions that people were asking him and answered the question that they were really asking. I think that this might be the key.
I don't think it so much about reforming the Church as it is about an awareness and engagement with the world, in which we discern the real questions that people are asking and in which we reflect on them and try to discern what Jesus' answer to those questions would be.
It is no good to go around telling people that Jesus died for their sins if that is not the answer to the question that they are asking.
Does that make sense or is it just waffle?
I also read the book "Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christin Faith". Rob Bell's book really gives you a fresh perspective on Christian faith. It shows how the Christian faith is a painting that is constantly changing with our rapidly changing world.
I think Matthew answer your question on how to make Christianity relevant to a post modern society. By making the correct responses (The way Jesus would respond) to people we meet and interact with we make our faith relevant to them. That's how we become the "light of the world". It's about communicating to a person and giving answers to their questions not just merely selling a product(religion in this case).
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