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Title: Velvet Elvis – Repainting the Christian Faith

Author: Rob Bell

Publisher: Zondervan

Price: £8.99

ISBN: 9780310273080

 

 

 

There is a fascination in the USA for a certain style of painting of Elvis Presley, which is apparently known as a Velvet Elvis. But don’t let the
Elvis thing put you off this inspiring book. The author uses the analogy
of art, not Elvis, for the journey of faith. Art has to keep going, keep
exploring, keep arranging, keep shaping and forming and bringing
new perspectives. So, too, has it been with the Christian faith for thousands of years. The author explores how a Christian can live as if with the conviction of a great artist who knows he has not yet (and never will) have painted his greatest painting.

 

There is always more to come.Rob Bell draws on church history to
encourage us to keep re-forming and re-traditioning – rediscovering and
reclaiming those beautiful aspects of our past, but doing it for today. He warns against faith that has become static, like a painting that once had its day for our parents and has now been stored away, because it is no longer relevant. Our tradition should be about creating new works of art, not making copies of the same old ones over and over again. Great art challenges us to create new paintings, having been inspired by the old.

 

Rob draws on his experiences as a “super-pastor” in Michigan, USA, reflecting on relationships and challenges in the light of biblical stories. He encourages us to explore and tell our own story. This is an unpretentious resource for all those searching to engage with the world today and articulate a Christian perspective.

 

This is not a book of answers, but of questions – probing, searching, challenging, reflective, philosophical, mysterious, inspiring, dangerous and even a touch surreal. There are no final conclusions, simply a collection of honest thoughts and feelings. For that, I found it wonderfully tactile and engaging. Bell, true to his artistic analogy, emphasises the importance of the journey rather than the destination, yet gives us hope that we are not journeying alone.

 

Tim Lowe, Trinity URC/Methodist, Stafford

 

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