The Heretic

Who is Rob Bell, and why do evangelical Christians denounce and condemn him? As viewers learn in filmmaker Andrew Morgan’s documentary, the former pastor who co-founded (with his wife) a church in Grand Rapids, MI, gave up his job to become a full-time author and lecturer with a disruptive point-of-view about Jesus and Christianity. Tall, middle-aged, yet also naturally youthful and buoyant, Bell teaches that "somewhere along the way, the Jesus movement was hijacked." It takes a little while to realize that Bell isn’t referring to the 1970s take on a peace, love, and hippie-dippy version of Jesus, but rather the cumulative interpretations and perversions of Christ’s message over millennia. Christ’s whole point in being here, Bell says, was to push the envelope on what it means to be human and explore big questions about our own purpose on Earth. What are we doing here? What is the best way to live? How do we forgive others who wrong us? Bell chastises churches for twisting Christ’s real intentions—i.e., showing us how to live fully—into arbitrary rules while wielding power over ordinary people and spreading fear with talk of spending eternity in Hell. None of that matters, Bell preaches, nor does any of it teach us how to approach life with joy and curiosity. Bell’s public appearances are protested by people who call him a liar and heretic, but (at least on camera) he lets everything roll off his back and de-stresses through surfing in Southern California. Although eventually one can detect a slight sense of strain behind his boyish grin, Bell is certainly making a mark in a challenging time. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)