Velvet Elvis

" . . . sometimes when I hear people quote the Bible, I just want to throw up. Can I just say that? Can I get that off my chest?" (42) Yes! Thank you, Rob Bell, for saying what many thinking Christians experience. Also, ". . . the Bible is open-ended. It has to be interpreted. And if it isn't interpreted, then it can't be put into action." (46) If this claim causes you concern, stop to think about why. I think a lot of us have been influenced by modernist attitudes toward the Bible, i.e. that it can be approached scientifically. But that just doesn't work. Another question raised is that if you leave room for personal context and experience, you are somehow compromising the inerrancy of scripture. But it is not possible to read the Bible (or anything, for that matter) without also bringing to it your personal experiences, historical contest, your own way of learning, knowing, etc (more on Polanyi's concept of "Personal Knowlede" later). This is a complex issue, and is tied up in the characterization of Christianity as a bastion of certainty, which I am strongly against (an area in which I agree with the postmoderns). I am excited to see Bell embracing the idea of mystery in our faith. I believe the quest for certainty has cause many problems for Christians and non-Christians alike. Does the Bible say "Seek ye first the certainty of God" or "Seek ye first the ability to answer all questions beyond a shadow of a doubt"?