Rob Bell and Shane Hipps Interview

[theNCGstudios]

You guys are doing a good job.

[dallasmckinley]

Yeah... these guys seem to start out with a catch phrase/thought... which develops into nothing. Never learn a thing except that its really useless if your goal is to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. People have probably come to Jesus through the emerging church, like they do through dead religion occasionally, but it is deeply flawed. Back to the vid: yeah, a waist of my time.

[mananacl]

It's ironic that this is a Youtube video.

Medium matters, but not not as much as Hipps says, I think. And of course we're the most important medium; it doesn't seem to be a new idea to me.

[Thresholds]

From selling Porsches to selling Jesus. Sounds totally great.

[UnrealHelix]

I never learn anything from these guys. Not a thing.

[ReaderDan]

@UnrealHelix

Cool.

[dmoniac69]

why do christians turn the bible into an object of worship? Seems very much like idolatory to me. The jewish faith [unarguably from where christianity was born] continues to allow interpretations of the texts, but not so for many "Christians".... hmnn.... not sure jesus would agree with this form of idolatory

[flugjung]

@dmoniac69 You have a good point. I have a partial Jewish background and in spite I became Christian some years ago, something was not right with contemporary theology. Many pastors have turned the words of the Bible into a golden calf and whenever someone comes with a new teaching they fear more about themselves and losing their flocks (and jobs). I read the Bible many times but somewhat Rob Bell helped me to put all the pieces together and now I freely and openly accept that I believe in Jesus

[MarmaladeINFP]

@dmoniac69 It's not merely seeming like idolatry. It is idolatry. Also, a cross or a crucifix is idolatry. Even churches are often treated with a sense of idolatry. The ironic part is that the Gnostics were the ones who worshipped experience of God above all else, who directly followed Jesus' rather than idolized him example and it was a Gnostic who created the first New Testament canon. Without the Gnostics, there might be no Christian Bible today, just a bunch of disconnected texts instead.

[gingernutpreacher]

i agrea with mensmaterial

[naoip]

No way another book, just what the body need's :P chinggg

[xoxCarlyx7]

I like Rob Bell... Shane Hipps though... he may be onto something but the way he explains it and words himself makes himself look like a bit of a nut. I hope he isn't saying that God isn't powerful enough to transcend through mediums cause that's what it sounds like and that just doesn't sit quite right with me.

[firstclassblueboy]

wrong. thats why the bible was writ. so that the message wouldnt change while the world does. well... one of the reasons.

[norqvader]

BTW, as to money-grubbing...I wasn't aware that Rob Bell gave his books and DVDs away. Now, you're gonna say he donates a lot..ok, so, you know what every pastor does with their money? Yes, there are abuses...it doesn't void God's word. God works inspite of wingnuts...Jacob, Moses, David, Solomon...The OT is full of leaders making huge errors, and God moves anyway because He's sovereign. The early church wasn't universalist, they were all about Jesus...not the same thing.

[MarkToTheSky]

They were universalist, how can you wildly claim something you obviously have no knowledge about. I take theology at my college, and it's quite painful to see you make all these wild defenses. What are you defending? are you defending Jesus? Jehova? or the church? Even if universalism is a heresy(which is not) believing in hell and eternal tortures never gave salvation. In fact, the concept shows more love, in terms making the christian more loving and generous.

[norqvader]

"wild defenses"??? Yeah, it's a shame that the Bible is clear on all of this. That's wild.

OK. You obviously worship Rob Bell, and I'm not going to convince you otherwise. I pray that God reveals Himself to you, and you will actually stand for the true Gospel...see Galatians, Ephesians, 1Peter, and James. Put down Velvet Elvis, and pick up a Bible. Peace. I'm done with you.

[MarkToTheSky]

This is amazing. This is God's children, using their God-given intelligence and spirituality, to convey the loving Father, just as Jesus intended to do. Do you think Jesus came to earth to begin a religion? He came to shout from the mountains of his Father's ineffable love. There is nobody who taught more spiritual, or more emergent, than Jesus our savior. Don't let the difference scare you, God is revealing this to you for a very specific reason.

i love you all.

god bless forever.

[claytonhougham]

I love this guy. Shane Hipps is awesome. And it's true, the internet is simply a place where people can safely, anonymously express their opinion. All the negative youtube comments in the world only reinforce his point. He's a genious.

[mensamaterial]

"Interesting. Isn't the whole Christian message a set up?"

I don't really believe the above statement at all. But what I am certain of is this: people in our time are quick to defend man and very slow to defend the Word of God. The only way to be able to discern the truth in our time is to STUDY God's Word and stop filling our eyes and ears and minds with garbage. Bell's occasional accuracies are overshadowed by his frequent fast and loose messages.

[norqvader]

If the medium is the message, then that negates the whole"conversation". So, Rob's Nooma dvds, all podcasts, websites, video lectures, tv programs have all changed the gospel? OK, I won't buy another book, dvd, cd, mp3, m4v, podcast, vodcast, do any tweeting, no more youtube or tangle, I will unsubscribe to Zondervan and Crossway, get rid of my eBibles and eBooks...Funny how we're marketing a book to counter the marketing of the gospel.

[mensamaterial]

Rob Bell tried to inject that Hipps was setting them up...wow...when are people going to see that the entire emergent movement is a setup...a bait and switch..."everything must change"..."the shift"...the medium is NOT the message, but it is the method of raking in the big bucks...as for the guy who referenced the Balaam story: God did speak to me thru this video...and the word was run from this false teaching as fast as you can...

[raventelevision]

Interesting. Isn't the whole Christian message a set up? Take the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus sets all of us up: "You have heard it said ..." Yeah, we all reply. "But I say to you ..." It's a total set up. The question Christians must ask is, "What are we being set up for?" Are we being set up for hate, or are we being set up for love, forgiveness, and reconciliaiton? We should critique all Christian movements in that Spirit.

[stucerocks]

@mensamaterial amen. 

[thehumblepotatoe]

heres the brilliant thing. in calling this "rubbish" and "pure foolishness" you are actually proving his point.

if this was a conversation you had with him, and he explain these points, you would never respond in the way you did. at the very least, you would respond with your negative opinion, but back it up with some sort of statement.

thanks to the internet, and youtube, you can be a jerk from anywhere in the world, and dont even need to give some reason for your statement. well done.

[norqvader]

Rubbish. BTW, I posted my response first, then called this video rubbish.

[MarkToTheSky]

What's rubbish is your opinion that you for some reason weight on a scale with gold. Rob Bell's intellectual interpretation of the gospel scares you and your man-made traditions that you indeed put before God and his everlasting love.

Your God is a god of fabricated eternal totures, fabricated financial assistance. "Heresy this, heresy that!" Is that all you can say when you hear something revolutionary in christs love? Just as the pharassees'?

The foundation is Love. love wins, god is love.

[norqvader]

First, I fear God only, not Rob Bell. Man-made? I'm just using scripture. You know, God's word? 2 Tim. 3:16, Matt. 24:35, Proverbs 3: 5,6? Rob's definition of love is manmade...not the love that scripture defines. Study the word, and don't elevate a man's interpretation above scripture. Jesus's own words..."Do not think that I have come to bring peace, but a sword" Matt 10:34. The gospel is Jesus's death and resurrection...that's it. If it's anything else, we diminish Jesus and elevate us.

[MarkToTheSky]

haha. so you use a verse that you have no idea how to interpret. The sword means, that if you turn to him, to be ready for constant extreme criticism even from your family members. & don't make accusations about Bell just because he chose to talk more about Jesus' teachings, rather than constantly stress the immaculate conception, and the resurrection, for those would be meaningless without his teachings and promises. Don't diminish Jesus with the very scripture.

[norqvader]

I use a verse that is clear.There is no secret message in scripture. The whole Bible is about Jesus.The OT points to his coming, and the NT shows how he fulfilled the OT.Jesus's death and resurrection was the point of his coming to redeem man, and reconcile us to God the Father.That is the act of love that matters.His brutal death.Jesus showed love more than talking about it.Also, He taught about hell and repentence A LOT too.You should read the Bible, and not take a guy's word for what it says.

[MarkToTheSky]

Wow. No secret message in the bible. So yeah, you must not understand the meaning of allegory. The biggest mistake you condemners make, is you interpret things literally that are supposed to be symbolic. Like the lake of fire, you actually interpret it as a lake of fire, when it clearly means second death. You're the one who takes word for it, you take the word of money hungry evangelists that feel their foundations are being threatened by Bell, and they are. Religion is out, GOD is in 100%

[norqvader]

"Religion is out" You got that one right. Jesus accomplished everything precisely because we can't. I don't take any word for it. I read the Bible for myself. Of course there is allegory.There are 66 books written over a 1600 year period, by 40 different people, hence there are different genres of literature in the Bible. The whole Bible is neither ALL allegory, nor ALL literal. But it can be understood through the Holy Spirit, study, and prayer.I'd provide references, but I'll let YOU read it.

[norqvader]

BTW, allegory is not secret, it's poetic...that's NOT "secret".

[MarkToTheSky]

allegory - a representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms; figurative treatment of one subject under the guise of another.

The morals and dogma of the bible always leads back to the love of God, the salvation through the messiah, God reconciling all things between heaven and earth through Jesus. You're right, the books of the bible were written by men, not God, not Jesus. Men, that are capable of error...

[norqvader]

The books were written by men under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit(2 Tim. 3:16...um, that's God, dude. Yes, the grek/Hebrew and Aramaic are the best sources...keep trying. You'll get there.

[MarkToTheSky]

and? you and I are in the inspiration of the holy spirit, but still we don't agree. As did a a lot authors disagreed on certain things. They try their best to give their versions, all we can do is take what we can, and build a relationship, build a story of our own. They've been kind enough to spread the word of God, but does that mean they know 100%? They are men, don't put their words on a pedestal. You clearly put scripture before Christ.

[MarkToTheSky]

& yes it's been centuries. Centuries of misinterpretation, leading to so many denominations, leading to burning people at the stake, leading to calling everything heresy. I suggest you read a real translation from a greek/hebrew bible. Early orthodox christians (the christians closest to Jesus' time) practiced "universalism" but they didn't call it anything because to them that was just what Jesus taught. UNTIL the church said it was too dangerous to think this way, and...

[MarkToTheSky]

shouted heresy! Just as foolish pharisees' did when Jesus taught in the synagogues. They then began using translations of the bible from Latin. Latin? The language of Pagans? then Hell became a doctrine. Hell? a word of northern english origin(but all words in the bible must be translated from hebrew or greek), and belief of norse pagans? Looks alot like the roman hierarchy were trying to make their religion a little pagan friendly for some of their friends. The false teachers have BEEN here.

[norqvader]

There have been false teachers since Biblical times. OK, you seem to only want to be technical when it suits you. Jesus mentions gahenna((and many other "allegories" for hell-our word. I wasn't aware of any scripture written by norsemen. The second half of your post is a lot off. Reply with coherency, please. I'm not Catholic.

[MarkToTheSky]

The proper word is "Sheol" in the old testament. And whether or not you are catholic, they established most of the doctrines that you obviously still live by. When non-denominational christianity branched out, it still didn't have it's own ideals. In the old testament, "Sheol" was the destination to both the unrighteous and righteous. And when Moses gave the Mosaic Law, he never stressed that the punishment was HELL, or even Sheol. Even in genesis, Hell is absent.

[norqvader]

Oh, so there's no hell...separation from God? Well, that's fabulous...I'll just love my family and friends, and, if you need me I'll be at the casino and the strip club, having lots to drink, and lots of sex with women AND men. That's great! I don't have to worry about hell, and Jesus loves me so that means I can do whatever I want, and He'll accept me. That is way better than living a life of obedience(I can ignore John 14:15, 15:13) and love for Jesus. Thanks.

[saritadove]

beautiful.

[shanewx]

Absolutely rubbish.

[daniykf]

Please explain why you think its "absolutely rubbish."

[jgrig2]

that is perfectly true and inline with the Reformed teaching on worship. Mancentered worship is the mainstream when historically the RPW has been the standard rule for protestant churches.

[micahxmp]

Pure foolishness.

[raventelevision]

Woa. This blew my mind. Thanks. "The medium is the message" - that's powerful. It reminds me of a challenge to the cliche - "Does the end justify the means," - the truth is that the means always become the end. Violent means will always lead to a violent end.

To your point, I take great hope that if God can speak through Balaam's ass, God can speak through anything.

This is a great vid. I wonder if you have you looked into mimetic theory? It might be another helpful tool.