Review: Velvet Elvis

Each week, I will (try) to review a recent book that I have read and give it a recommendation based upon my experience with the level of interest I showed in it, the difficulty of reading, and my personal feelings toward the content of the book.  The books will not necessarily be “Christian” books, though they will probably have at least some aspect of spirituality in the most abstract senses of the word.    Oh, and I can promise that whatever book was most recently discussed by 1303 will be reviewed because, well…its kinda like a freebie…

I love books that make me question things…books that make me think. They provide an opportunity to stretch our mental capacities and thought processes to new limits.  But, I think that if a book is making an attempt to have its readers begin questioning what they know about God, that it should err on the side of caution (not that I disagree with stretching our beliefs and knowledge about God, I will get to that momentarily) and be solidly backed up by Scripture.

“Velvet Elvis,” by Rob Bell, is an interesting read. I will give it that, no questions asked. And very thought-provoking. I just feel that it lacks true substance. All I gleaned from reading it was to “question everything”  and essentially disregard everything I know about Christian doctrine. But I believe there are things that are core to the Christian faith, e.g., sola Scriptura, that should not be questioned.

The best advice that Mr. Bell gave in the book was to include the book itself in the “question everything” mentality. 1303 Book Club had a wonderful and engaging discourse about “Velvet Elvis,” but we made sure to hold it a biblical standard during the discussion, meaning that there were a few things with which we had to disagree. One example off of the top of my head is the idea that solid doctrine is immediately detrimental to the expansion of the Christian faith. Of course, this is just my personal belief, but, to me, the virgin birth of Christ is a core tenet of the faith that is necessary in facilitating His perfection. If Sin (not any specific sin, but the general transgression of divine law that plagues humanity and separates us from God) is inherently passed through man, then man must be taken out of the equation in order for a spotless sacrifice to exist.

And that is not to say that there were absolutely no positive things about “Velvet Elvis.” I am a firm believer in the principal of grace and the fact that we have liberty through God’s bestowment of grace upon us: “…In non-essentials, Liberty…” the old adage states. (derived from Romans 14). Alcohol, dancing, speaking in tongues: these are things, I believe, that God gives each of us personal convictions about and we should not judge one another based upon non-essential doctrines. Rob Bell definitely gets this right. The point is for our actions to glorify the Lord and, by grace, we are free to determine how we show that.

Overall, I give “Velvet Elvis” three-and-a-quarter stars. Not quite enough to round it up to four. It definitely kept my interest and was an easy-read, but he fails to nail down any solid truths that a reader could apply to their life. I would only recommend it to a friend who was secure enough in their own belief and trust in God to make clear, scripture-tested judgments about its content.