Is Rob Bell a Heretic?... And Me and My Baggy Britches.

While driving around Knoxville last Wednesday, we decided to go take a quick trip to Adam's old stomping ground, Johnson Bible College. It's a nice little school, and appeared to be a great place to go to college, for any of you who are wondering where to go. So we stopped in to the bookstore and there Adam saw a book that he had been looking for called "A Little Exercise for Young Theologians" by Helmut Thielicke. He recommended it, so I bought it. On the plane ride down later that week, after Robert Beckman having read it and recommending it, I decided to read it. Its a short but sweet kind of book, and I also now recommend it to anyone who wishes to delve deeper into theology and spirituality. So here's what I took from the book:

Thielicke, in chapter 4, basically describes me in my life right now with a wonderful metaphor about a boy and his clothing.
"There is a hiatus between the arena of the young theologian's actual spiritual growth and what he already knows intellectually about this arena. So to speak, he has been fitted, like a country boy, with breeches that are too big, into which he must still grow up... Meanwhile they hang loosely around his body, and this ludicrous sight of course is not beautiful."
I love that last line. It kinda hits you with a bit of humor and a slap in the face. But that's me to a tee. I feel like I have a bit of biblical knowledge, but lack the heart to follow what it says. I desire to, but fall short many times, and on regular occasions. Later on in the chapter, Thielicke says, "Speaking figuratively, the study of theology often produces overgrown youths whose internal organs have not correspondingly developed. This is a characteristic of adolescence. There is actually something like theological puberty."

Then later on in chapter 7, he references Kahler by noting two points, of which one sticks out to me:
"First, faith makes sense only as unconditioned faith, because it has to do with our eternal destiny. It is impossible that it could be dependent upon and conditioned by the changing results of historical investigation or of scientific fashion." He goes on to say, "The fundamental purpose of the gospel texts is therefore misunderstood if they are valued not as a testimony to faith but instead as records of biographical and historical interest."

So when you take into account the remarks made by Bell in his book "Velvet Elvis," about the virgin birth, you wonder is Bell a heretic for saying such things? For those who do not know, Mark Driscoll recently called out Bell for heresy, citing the passage that Bell wrote in Velvet Elvis talking about how it's not important if we find out that Mary wasn't a virgin. Bell asks the questions, "What if that spring were seriously questioned? Could a person keep on jumping? Could a person still love God? Could you still be a Christian? Is the way of Jesus still the best possible way to live? Or does the whole thing fall apart?"
So does Thielicke's argument fit with Bell's idea, or does it go against it? Tell me what you think.

Anyways, the whole book was amazing, and as I said, I recommend it to anyone who wants to burn an hour to read. You can get it for less than $10 from Amazon.com.

Also, for those who might wish to cite me as someone who agrees with Rob Bell, I don't. I do believe the Bible to be 100% authoritative, and God-inspired. But, Bell's point can be taken, and you must ask yourself, "Is my faith only as strong and secure as what men can dig up and find, or am I trusting in the One who's off day is better than man's best day?"

If I remember any other good points worth mentioning, I'll post them here. I could really post the whole book, but that would take entirely too long.