Dialogue with Rob Bell

That’s a developmental thing. That’s someone who’s just stunted in their understanding of the Kingdom of God and they’re in such great fear; that if you can label it you can deny it and then you don’t have to deal with whatever questions it may be raising. That’s more about fear. A lot of people, when they talk about faith - what they’re talking about is fear. They have already assented to a particular list of things and all that’s left to do is defend it. Defend and convince. Defend and convince. But my understanding is that as a Christian you’re free. So I think - I assume the Emergent label is something cooked by people who are terrified with asking fundamental questions. Ultimately, the question is, have we missed anything? Is there something that’s central to the Gospel that we’ve missed and conversely is there anything that we have made central to the Gospel that isn’t?

So to me, the forward movement of redemptive history always involves those two questions. Is there anything that is central to the life and way of Jesus that we may have left along the way? We may have missed it; dropped it. We have to pick it back up. And is there anything that we have made central that isn’t; that’s not even tangential; that might even have nothing to do with the Gospel. So we need to be honest about that and leave it behind.

So that, to me, is kind of the endless work. Everybody should always be asking those kinds of questions.

I read that your dad was a federal judge.

Yes, he is a federal judge.

He is still. Okay. I’m going to make a gross assumption so slap me down if I’m wrong. I would assume that you grew up in a bit of a privileged life. You were probably upper middle class or above? We’re going to label you again - only because I want to make a point. So I assume you were doing okay as a kid?

Yeah. Sure.

Okay. Do you think that what you saw going on around you; the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-not’s and too many ‘have-nots’; and nobody attending to their needs; or they were enslaved in some sort of government program or whatever they did to them to make them feel like they were being taken care of when the real needs weren’t being addressed. Do you feel like that influenced who you are? Did that have a big influence on the way that you see things?

I think I have always had a passion for the underdog. I’ve always felt a deep connection with those on the outside who have been kicked around and knocked to the edges. I always enjoyed the Goth kids in the back row of English class. I always found that they seemed to have their hand on the pulse way more than the super star jocks and cheerleaders in the front row.

Secondly, my parents are extremely intellectually curious, so I can remember my dad endlessly saying, “Hey, check this out; read this; pretty interesting stuff.” They were endlessly passing books around - newspaper clippings. I remember from a young age - my parents were very serious about faith but very restless about church. I can remember my dad saying, “It’s not supposed to be like this.” So I think I picked up early on about being very serious about the ways of Jesus and what that means in the world we live in, and then wrestling and questioning. There were always lots of books around so everything for me ends up in some sort of search or exploration or discovery.

Yeah, I grew up in a normal neighborhood. I was very loved. So I’m very grateful in that way. My dad’s fascinating.

How long has he been a Federal Judge?

Like twenty years. 1987 I think. Oh yeah, he’s absolutely fascinating.

Who appointed him?

Reagan. Reagan called him. I remember that day.

To those that are disillusioned; that feel excluded; that feel like they’re missing it; that feel like they’re not getting anything; that feel like God doesn’t have anything for them - what would you say to them as a word of encouragement?

Find somebody worse off than you. The only hope is to find somebody who is in rougher shape that your perceptions about your own condition.

At our church we’re involved in a tutoring program at a couple of different schools. Go find a kid who’s reading two or three grade levels below what they should and try and help that kid. That’s where everything is to be found. Find somebody who needs some really basic need filled and take care of it.

To me the route to some sort of self satisfaction or peace is not through elevating yourself, but through serving. The only hope, to me, is the path of descent. Who can I serve? Because that’s where I will find a shalom; a peace in my soul. If everybody were to ask simply, “What am I passionate about and what are the greatest needs?” we’d be all set. It really would be that simple.

So it’s about relationship.

Yeah - and particularly a relationship of serving.

Seems pretty basic doesn’t it?

Well, if it was that basic everybody would do it so it’s a little more complex, but yes. At the heart of things that’s where it’s at.