olds.

March 6, 2013 in dream., move., reform., restore. with 2 Comments

oldsmobile
rob bell asks,

is God like an oldsmobile?

for awhile, oldsmobiles were not only reliable vehicles, but the coveted method of transportation; full of technological advances that fit their time.

but they don’t make oldsmobiles anymore.

oldsmobile factories got shut down. the assembly lines were dismantled. its models and makes were discontinued. the car simply couldn’t keep up with the times.

other cars are made, to be sure; cars with newer frames and bodies, better gas mileage and increasingly cutting edge technologies that make those cars a better fit for this time.

but what about God?

many today see the only God they’ve heard of portrayed as mean, primitive, illogical, tribal, backward and even barbaric – at odds with the findings and frontiers of science.

at the exact same time, many intuitively feel an awakening in their souls – a connection – to something other, bigger and beyond themselves. a revelation of sorts toward acknowledging the divine as open and inviting each of us to a better future.

could that be God?

or have we already got God figured out?

is God like an oldsmobile – a classic – a relic – our understanding and knowledge of which cannot grow and evolve and mature with time, but is rather stuck… set in stone and unable to be updated to better reflect the culture and time in which we live?

is it possible to speak of God as with, for and ahead of each one of us, pulling us forward to a better future?

what do you think?

if you’re interested in purchasing rob’s new book (released march 12) to explore these ideas, click here.

  • http://www.facebook.com/michael.danner Michael Danner

    Two books come to mind. The first is On Religion by John Caputo. He asks the question that is now Bell’s book title. He also asks, “What do we love when we say we love God?” Although I haven’t read Bell’s book, I’d be surprised if he doesn’t use Caputo.

    I’m also reminded of a book entitled Searching for a Better God. I reviewed it a number of years ago and can’t remember the author . The thesis of the book is that “gods” disappear when the morality of the people exceeds the morality of god. It is an interesting thesis and one that I’ve thought about quite a bit relative to homosexuality. If “God” hates gay people just because they are gay, that is a HUGE moral problem. Contemporary ethics and morality would stand squarely against such a notion. Because of that, the more that fundamentalist/conservatives insist that the God of the Bible, the Father of Jesus, hates gay people they more they actually help to ensure that “god’s” demise. This creates a number of problems. If Jesus and the Father are one, then how can you have a God that hates gay people and a Jesus who loves all people and died for all people? This would be a fundamental antagonism within the Godhead itself. If fundamentalist/conservatives insist that “god” hates gay people, and people reject that morality as deficient, than God gets tossed out – and, unfortunately, Jesus with him. Some things to think about.

    I once watched a tv talk show that had white supremacists along side of Christians who opposed their views. The white supremacists were saying that God hates all people who are not white. A Christian man, on the other side, said, No, what God hates is racism and bigotry. At that the white supremacist got a smile on his face and said, “Well, at least we agree about one thing. God hates. Now we can talk about who God hates and why.” He just won the debate.

    • http://www.mjkimpan.com/ michael j. kimpan

      excellent thoughts, michael. i’m looking forward to rob’s book, as i suspect he’ll take a similar approach as your description of ‘searching for a better God.’ it seems to align with what he’s said previously, and several threads consistently came out during our time in laguna as well.

      here’s a review of an advance copy of the book :: http://brandanrobertson.com/book-reviews/2013/3/4/what-we-talk-about-when-we-talk-about-god-by-rob-bell.html

      as brandan states in his review (and just like love wins) nothing rob suggests is necessarily new or heretical – just likely to stir some feathers. methinks that’s a good thing.