Book Review: Velvet Elvis

Book Review: Velvet Elvis: Repainting The Christian Faith by Rob Bell

Velvet Elvis is the first book by Rob Bell, emergent church leader and founding pastor of Mars Hill, a 10000+ attender church in Grand Rapids. Written in a challenging yet gentle style the book is unlike anything I have read before. It is an invitation to think about faith in a new way. It is radical yet simple and easy to understand. Bell has the ability to take old concepts and make them new again, putting his unique slant on everything from missions to church growth to salvation. The book felt enjoyable to read but I found myself asking the same question "Is Rob Bell a heretic?" The reason is that there are some smart people people who say he is. The only close to heretical thing I found in the book was related to his understanding of forgiveness and how it applies to the unsaved. It annoys me how I could not fully drop the bias I received by hearing people's criticism ahead of reading his book.

Rarely have I found a book so difficult to review. I liked it very much yet also feel cautious? It's also difficult to categorize. Whether Bell is a heretic or not, I still benefited from reading the book and if anyone is looking for a jolt to their faith life, this book could be it. Could also be a great small group read. I rate it 4 ninja starts out of 5.