I’ve been pretty busy at the moment. I missed out on the whole “Rob Bell nuclear winter” that the internet experienced over the weekend due to the above advert. There will be much debate about the Systematic Theology of the after life. This will no doubt continue to chunter on until the returning Eschaton arrives and cracks some heads together.
I am intrigued by the book and look forward to reading it. However, what has actually stirred within me is a question about the way in which ‘the church’ operates. How do we as Christians deal with each other in a world of social networking? If social networking is to be a useful tool for communicating the Christian faith within the world in which we live, what are we saying about ourselves? Rob Bell made it into the top ten trending topics on twitter because of the above advert. @robbell became the focus of much abuse based upon the suppositions people have made about the theology contained within this as yet unpublished book. It is perceived as a threat to the orthodoxy and status quo of bible belt America.
Unfortunately, @robbell is a web designer from the UK. @robbell has become the focal point of a campaign of abuse misdirected at @realrobbell. And with this incident the world exposes the truth about how disciples are really known.
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
#fail
Sorry @robbell and @realrobbell. Sometimes we suck.
Hmm. I’m not convinced that @realrobbell is any more real than any other rob bell. And whilst i’m dismayed at the knee-jerk reaction that occurs in some church communities towards anyone who asks a question (which is all that Rob Bell – the real one – does in that video), i’m also aware that the vid is deliberately designed to be controversial because that way it’ll get more publicity for the book.
Its interesting that most of the twitterers (twits?) that rob bell (the un-real one(!) ) has been correcting weren’t dishing abuse but commenting on how there would be lots of abuse from the silly fundies, and aren’t they all terrible?
The guy’s probably been pestered more by liberals slandering all fundies everywhere as abusive twiterrers, than he has been by actual abuse. I’m sure there has been abuse and that’s tragic, but liberal christians also aren’t above being a) stupid and presumtious and b) bigoted about the ‘other side’ (as if they should even see fundamentalists as the ‘other’ side!)
Still, you have to hope some good will come out of this – as web designer Rob said in a recent tweet, “I’m making a difference, one Christian at a time”
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As the ‘unreal’ @robbell, I can confirm it’s been quite a strange last few days. Nobody has said anything particularly vicious or hurtful, I hasten to add, although the messages were rather confusing until I knew what was going on.
Still, it’s been quite funny at times too, and I hear the other ‘real’ Rob is a thoroughly nice chap with some interesting things to say, so I haven’t minded at all.
There’s nothing quite like keyboard bravery, and the loose understanding that you can get of what someone means when they say something to brew a storm in a teacup.
The questions ‘real’ Rob Bell asks are good, and he has an massive point about people thinking that Jesus will save them because they have believed or done the right things.