Wesley > Wesley's Quotes

“The moment God is figured out with nice neat lines and definitions, we are no longer dealing with God.”
― Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith

“If the gospel isn't good news for everybody, then it isn't good news for anybody. And this is because the most powerful things happen when the church surrenders its desire to convert people and convince them to join. It is when the church gives itself away in radical acts of service and compassion, expecting nothing in return, that the way of Jesus is most vividly put on display. To do this, the church must stop thinking about everybody primarily in categories of in or out, saved or not, believer or nonbeliever. Besides the fact that these terms are offensive to those who are the "un" and "non", they work against Jesus' teachings about how we are to treat each other. Jesus commanded us to love our neighbor, and our neighbor can be anybody. We are all created in the image of God, and we are all sacred, valuable creations of God. Everybody matters. To treat people differently based on who believes what is to fail to respect the image of God in everyone. As the book of James says, "God shows no favoritism." So we don't either.”
― Rob Bell

“God has spoken, and everything else is commentary.”
― Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith

“Christian' makes a poor adjective”
― Rob Bell

“Agape doesn't love somebody because they're worthy.

Agape makes them worthy by the strength and power of its love.

Agape doesn't love somebody because they're beautiful.

Agape loves in such a way that it makes them beautiful.”
― Rob Bell, Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections Between Sexuality and Spirituality

“Salvation is the entire universe being brought back into harmony with its maker.”
― Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith

“[The Bible] has to be interpreted. And if it isn’t interpreted, then it can’t be put into action. So if we are serious about following God, then we have to interpret the Bible. It is not possible to simply do what the Bible says. We must first make decisions about what it means at this time, in this place, for these people.”
― Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith

“If the gospel isn't good news for everybody, then it isn't good news for anybody.”
― Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith

“The danger is that in reaction to abuses and distortions of an idea, we'll reject it completely. And in the process miss out on the good of it, the worth of it, the truth of it.”
― Rob Bell, Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections Between Sexuality and Spirituality