For many, 'desire' is a bad word, something we're supposed to 'give up for God.' That kind of thinking can be really destructive because it teaches people to deny their hearts, their true selves. Rob Bell
Suffering, it turns out, demands profound imagination. A new future has to be conjured up because the old future isn't there anymore. Rob Bell
What we believe about heaven and hell is incredibly important because it exposes what we believe about who God is and what God is like. Rob Bell
We live in a world where we have friends, neighbors, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, people we journey with for years who are gay. And we need to love, affirm and all of us together work on the real problems that we have in the world. Rob Bell
As a pastor, you get invited into the most poignant moments of people's lives. Whether it's a wedding or a funeral or a hospital visit, you get invited into the center of the event, whether or not you know the people. Rob Bell
My parents were both very intellectually honest, straightforward, and for them, faith meant that you were fully engaged. Rob Bell
Well, I affirm orthodox Christian faith. I affirm the Nicene Creed. I don't think I'm doing anything terribly new. Rob Bell
When someone sets out to be controversial or provocative or shocking as an end in itself, I don't think that's a noble goal. Rob Bell
My experience as a pastor is lots of people have really toxic, dangerous, psychologically devastating images of God in their head, images of a God who's not good. Rob Bell
I like to say that I practice militant mysticism. I'm really absolutely sure of some things that I don't quite know. Rob Bell
A lot of Christians have been taught a story that begins in chapter 3 of Genesis, instead of chapter 1. If your story doesn't begin in the beginning, but begins in chapter 3, then it starts with sin, and so the story becomes about dealing with the sin problem. So Jesus is seen as primarily dealing with our sins. Rob Bell
Swords appear strong, but they're actually quite weak. Jesus appears weak, but he's actually quite strong. Rob Bell
Celebrity seems totally at odds with authentic community and honest, real sorts of relationships. Rob Bell
When we get to what happens when we die, we don't have any video footage. So let's at least be honest that we are speculating, because we are. Rob Bell
For a lot of people in our world today, God has become about believing the right stuff so you don't get in trouble. Rob Bell