First, a bit of background; I'm the resident heathen in a "Methodist" church (sorta kinda Methodist), and by extension, a Methodist "small group." They're too nice to call me heathen (seeker being the churchy word), but by "heathen," I mean I'm quite certain there's a God, though I'm pretty Jeffersonian in my Christianity. In other words, my beliefs about Jesus don't comport with conventional Christianity.
Anyway, we've been watching these Nooma videos in our small group get-togethers. Nooma, as we've learned, is the phonetic spelling of the Greek word pneuma, which means spirit or breath. These videos feature Rob Bell, the young, hip, charismatic pastor of Mars Hill Church. I like listening to Rob Bell. He's very conversational, very energetic, very cool. But, in each of these videos, I've had a "what the--?" moment... a moment in which what he's saying seems kind of incongruous with what he's doing. It's not that he's being a hypocrite. Hell, he probably doesn't have anything to do with the script. It's just there are moments when I've thought (with a chuckle) "what were you thinking, Rob Bell?"
The first video has Rob in his living room. Wherever Mars Hill is, it's cold and there's snow on the ground. I don't remember the exact message, but the gist of it was you spread the word of Jesus by the way you live and what you do, not what you say. As he's saying all this, there's this person--some of us think it's a portly teenage boy and some think it's a portly middle-aged woman--shoveling snow from a driveway. Rob occasionally glances out his window, coffee mug in hand, watching the portly person shovel snow. Eventually, the person finishes shoveling and then we realize it's not their driveway; evangelism through unsung good deeds. But then I thought "Hey! Where was Rob Bell during all this?" Drinking coffee in his living room, talking to us, the lazy schmuck! ;) Now, wouldn't it have been a more effective message if Rob is talking to us while he's putting on his coat, grabbing a shovel and helping the neighbor shovel snow? It's not unheard of, ya know. Jack (Kelley's hubby) has done this on a number of occasions. Maybe Jack should narrate these videos... now that would be a hoot. ;) But it begs the question: what were you thinking, Rob Bell?
I didn't get to see the next video until the Father's Day sermon, though we apparently showed it in small group (I must have been AWOL). It's really a very touching video which probably elicited a tear from more than one father in the congregation. Rob Bell is walking through the woods with a baby, his son, in one of those little backpacks. He tells of how it started to rain and how his son started to scream in terror and how he would do anything to get his son home safely. The gist of the message was that God, as our father, loves us as his children and would do anything to protect us. But here's the "what the--?" moment; he says he puts the baby's hood up (he's wearing a cotton hoodie, like that'll help), that the hood slips off and that he doesn't know this as his baby screams in terror, completely drenched, over the course of a mile that he has to walk through the woods, with rain pounding and lightning flashing. I'm thinkin' "take the kid out of the backpack and put him inside your raincoat, ya knucklehead." Or at least hold him in front of you so he can see your face. Eventually he does this, but you've got to ask: what were you thinking, Rob Bell?
The last video has Rob on the subway, and he's talking about breathing. We finally learn what that groovy little "nooooooma" that comes at the beginning of each video means. Spirit. Breath. The gist of this message is that the spirit of God is in our breath and gives us life. That the ground we walk on is holy (God made it) and that each of us is a holy, sanctified child of God (God made us). Knowing this, we should change how we treat our fellow human being. Be nice. There's probably also an environmental message buried in there, but I won't go there today. So, Rob gets on the subway train and there's this guy. A black guy. Nothing particularly notable about this guy other than his head is hanging like he's put in a 14-hour day somewhere. Rob sits down a seat or two away and the body language is perfect; he turns his body away and looks away from this guy, his fellow child of God. Hello! No nod, no smile, no how ya doin', how's it goin' how's it hangin'... nuthin'. Now is that any way to treat a fellow holy, sanctified child of God? It makes one wonder: what were you thinking, Rob Bell? Ok, the answer to this one is probably "please don't hurt me," but c'mon! Child of God. Be nice.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
Since Rob Bell is currently my hero, I feel the need to defend him. :) I get the impression that Rob is a narrator/commentator on what's happening in the world around him. As such, he's kind of "removed" from what's going on . . . the guy on the subway, the boy/lady shoveling snow. He's superimposed on the background, not reacting with it. Make sense?
Sure, sort of like that guy on the Christian Children's Fund who tells us the plight of little Maria, who walks through the squalor of a slum with no shoes because her parents can't afford to buy her shoes. Yo, Mr. Christian Children's Fund Guy, don't just tell us about Maria's plight--buy the poor kid some shoes.
I get what you're saying--I'm just pokin' fun at Rob Bell because the videos strike me as ironic in an amusing way. ;)
I had the same impression when I watched the video and I googled "take the kid out" and "rob bell" and "backpack" and came across your blog.
I too think Bell, like a lot of these hip speakers, are stuck on themselves and want to have a forum to talk about how they are better than everybody else and everybody else, especially traditional Christians, are wrong.
Also from Velvet Elvis, when he says to the effect that John inserted that Jesus turned water into wine because other cults also believed their gods could turn water into wine and he wanted to prove God is better than all the other gods out there." John added it? So I guess this Jesus thing is just a fictional story and John's making this up as he goes along with the crowd. Which is it?
There's also other beliefs who says their god rose from the dead. Did Matthew, Luke and John make that up as a "me too" idea, Rob? (Mark's a little weak on the resurrection thing). I thought rising from the dead was kinda central to the gospel.
Hiya anonymous. Thanks for posting. :) I'm kinda surprised that anyone outside my little circle of friends and family know of this experiment.
Allow me to clarify. I don't think Rob Bell is "stuck on [himself] and want[s] to have a forum to talk about how [he is] better than everybody else and everybody else, especially traditional Christians, are wrong." Actually, I think he comes across as fairly humble, but these things are a matter of perception (if you want an example of someone who is stuck on himself, that would be me). I think we all want a forum to express our opinions, such as this, but I've never gotten the sense in all his videos that he seems to think others, particularly traditional Christians, are wrong. The point of my post was simply a tongue-in-cheek critique of the incongruity of word to action in the videos mentioned.
As to your other points, well, I agree with the position you ascribe to Bell. Many religions that predate Christianity have similar stories, and in fact, all of the miracles attributed to Jesus (save the resurrection) mirror Old Testament examples--examples that all the disciples, actually, all Jews, would be very familiar with. Again, being very Jeffersonian in my view on Jesus, the miracles and the resurrection aren't particularly important to me. I know--that's shocking to traditional Christians, and most would say my views don't comport with Christianity in general. Maybe, maybe not. It doesn't matter. In my opinion, the lack of miracles and a resurrection story doesn't invalidate or lessen Christianity in any way. It's the life Jesus lived and what he espoused that's important, and why I think his principles and precepts represent life best lived. That to me is the essence of Christianity.
Again, thanks for posting and feel free to chime in if you disagree.
gotta say, i am also a critic on many levels, but this is pretty extreme. he was simply observing something that could have easily been him. possibly even telling a story from his own life. i think the videos are supposed to be pragmatic for rob bell as much as for the people watching. whatever.
Talk about turning on the "way back machine." :p
Thanks for posting, Anonymous, though it's helpful to read the comments before doing so. Just sayin'. If you had, you would have read that "[t]he point of my post was simply a tongue-in-cheek critique of the incongruity of word to action in the videos mentioned." I'm not a critic of Rob Bell; if anything, I'm a fan. You're welcome to perceive them as "extreme," to which I'll quote you by saying "whatever." *shrug*
Post a Comment