A bit of Rob Bell…

We are just back from Greenbelt festival, where Rob Bell was one of the main speakers.

I tried to get to hear him speak a couple of times, but the queues to get into the venues were so vast that there was no chance. I ended up feeling slightly resentful of the ‘celebrity Christian’ phenomenon which grows through the money driven search for media friendly folk that can churn out marketable chunks of meaning to fill our empty lives with something that has the appearance of worth (did I say slightly resentful?)

However, I did get to see Rob Bell speaking outside in a Q and A session- and he was BRILLIANT. Witty, humble, uber-cool and spoke in a way that gathered deep thoughts and connected them with others. Greenbelt- if he comes back, perhaps you need to get him on the mainstage!

So forgive me for my moment of cynicism Rob- even if you appear to have forsaken all forms of clothing that are not black.

One of the questions asked was about the high cost of products (books, Nooma, speaking videos etc) and Bell did say that they were working on some free materials.

For now, here is one of the more recent Nooma from you tube- no doubt uploaded illegally, along with Spanish subtitles (I wonder if they decided to leave it up there unchallenged, particularly given the content!)

Thanks Rob…

Rob Bell, ‘Breathe’

We have used quite a lot of Rob Bell’s ‘Nooma‘ DVDs in our group. There are about 20 of them at present- each one a little package of creative film making, Bell’s unique presentation style, and subtle reframings of things we thought we knew…

Bell’s high profile (his church is huge and his books and films are known the world over) has meant that he has also come in for a lot of criticism. For many, he is a heretic. For me, he is a man with something to say, who says it well.

I found a copy of one of the films on-line. They cost about £10 to buy, so this might be a way to enjoy one of them (in low quality, with the annoying subtitles) and find out what the fuss is about. Then you can save up and buy some for you and yours!

May it bring to you something new about the wonders of God.