bell. claiborne. miller.

I feel blessed to have three pastors in my life. As I read books by Rob Bell, Shane Claiborne and Donald Miller, I find myself drawn to their refreshingly honest (each some of the most sincere writers I've read) messages. It's not that they're in perfect agreement, but I find that I relate to aspects of each.

• Bell is witty and cool, a dynamic preacher who blends history and religion in his Nooma videos, books and sermons. I dig that.
• Claiborne is a self-proclaimed radical. He preaches intentionality in all he does and is one of the leaders of a new brand of Christianity, Red Letter Christianity. I may not have dreadlocks or make my own clothes but I want his passion for the marginalized. 
• I feel like Miller is an old friend. I feel like he gets me and that we could spend a Sunday afternoon in pajamas watching football together and then talk some Jesus and grab a few burritos. 

These three writers, like many of my professors at WWU, are big reasons why I'm still a Christian. Each impacted me while I was at my lowest spiritually. I discovered Miller on a day off from camp by literally judging one of his books, Searching For God Knows What, by the cover. It fit. And it helped me with my battle against perfectionism.

I've always like Nooma, but I found Bell to be an especial encouragement while serving as a Student Missionary on the island of Pohnpei. I'd listen to his sermons on Friday nights while doing the dishes. It'd be downloading on Thursday night - all night because the internet was slow. I needed his fresh, excited approach to theology while I was mired in debates with and over our erroneous, prophecy-driven chaplain.

Claiborne was an acquired taste. I read his books out of order, beginning with Jesus For President. It angered me. I liked being a white, middle-class Republican. I liked America. A bit too much. I almost stopped reading, but I didn't. Instead, I got all his books and am inspired by his dedication. His vision for Christianity is something we all need.

I write this post because this past week I've been reminded of their impact. I'm currently reading Red Letter Revolution, a conversational book by Claiborne and his mentor, Tony Campolo. I highly recommend it. He also came to Lee University in nearby Cleveland and I was able to hear him speak. I keep running into people who loved the book Blue Like Jazz and want to see the movie. It reminded me that I was behind on reading his blog (storylineblog.com). Always a worthwhile read. I also discovered that Rob Bell is coming to Nashville in March to promote his new book, What We Talk About When We talk About God. I love being in Chattanooga. Things come to Nashville and Atlanta and each is only 2 hours away... I digress. While I discovered he was coming, I found an article (from the New Yorker) describing the grief he's had to deal with since releasing Love Wins. I'm glad he's landed on his feet, but sad that hell causes such hate-filled discussion.