What does happen constantly with all kinds of people I meet is they say "I had this encounter with Jesus, can you help me understand it..." The labels, more than ever, simply aren't big enough to contain what the cosmic Christ is up to in the world. Rob Bell More Quotes by Rob Bell More Quotes From Rob Bell Being a pastor for 20 years I realized that the labels, agnostic, atheist, believer, everybody's human and everybody wants to know what kind of universe we're living in, and everybody's living according to a story. Rob Bell atheistwantyears I have met countless people who call themselves Christians who don't appear to have any living breathing vibrant connection with the resurrected Christ and I've met countless people from every religious background including atheists that tell me of their very personal and real experiences of the living Christ. I don't have people asking me why they should believe something - that's starting off on the wrong foot to say the least. Rob Bell atheistreligiouschristian People received, affirmed and experienced grace in many different forms. Rob Bell differentgracepeople Faith can take many different forms and expressions. Rob Bell formdifferentexpression Enjoy mystery and speculation, but don't drift into dogma. Rob Bell dogmaenjoymystery My interest is in what's true, where is the life, where is the heart and what inspires. Rob Bell interestheartinspire I would hope that wherever I go I bring good news - that's what that word means, right? It began with the first followers of Jesus taking a Roman military propaganda term and co-opting it for their own subversive purposes, insisting that the world isn't made better through coercive military violence but through sacrificial love. How great is that!? Unfortunately this word has been hijacked in several years for other purposes but no worries, we're taking it back. Rob Bell militarymeanjesus It's absurd and quite tragic the way people have managed to pit science against faith. They aren't in conflict at all - they're long lost dance partners. I don't divide the world up into Christians and other people - we are all human beings, brothers and sisters, and we embrace truth wherever we find it, whether that's in a lab, a field or a cathedral. Because sometimes you need a scientist and sometimes you need a poet. Rob Bell brotherchristianlong Your life is a gift. Before anything else can be said about you, for some reason the universe (or God, or being, or force, or reality, or whatever you name it) chose to give you life. Rob Bell namesgivingreality That may sound a big vague, but what has struck me in city after city is that despite our differences and diversity, there's a common humanity we all share. In many ways we're all searching and longing for the same things. Rob Bell common-humanitydifferencescities Culture is already there and the church will continue to be even more irrelevant when it quotes letters from two thousand years ago as their best defense. When you have in front of you flesh and blood people who are your brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, co-workers and neighbors and they love each other and they just want to go through life with someone. Rob Bell auntunclesbrother Many in the modern world fell for the myth that we're living in a static, fixed, flat reality of just material things. Rob Bell modernrealityworld There's way too much wonder and mystery all around us to not stay open to more that's going on here. You can wake up, and sense and feel and taste and hear a whole world right here within this one, right here in this breath you're about to take. Rob Bell wake-uptoo-muchworld I thought that Christian was a noun, a person looking for authenticity. I never understood that idea that a band could be Christian or something could be Christian. But it just can be and is. Rob Bell bandchristianideas What's interesting is, if you take the scientists and the theologians, the really good ones, they end up both filled with this wide-eyed sense of wonder and awe about look at this world we live in. Rob Bell looksworldinteresting There are moments when we have to return to our roots. Rob Bell returnmomentsroots You can be living in a big house, driving a nice car, going on exotic vacations and still be empty inside, crippled with fear and dread. Rob Bell vacationcarnice Over the years, I've realized that I have as much in common with the performance artist, the standup comedian, the screenwriter, as I do with the theologian. I'm in an odd world where I make things and share them with people. Rob Bell performanceartistpeopleworld I am for love, whether it's a man and a woman, a woman and a woman, a man and a man. Rob Bell womani-ammanlove
