Rob Bell Popular Books
Rob Bell Biography & Facts
Robert Holmes Bell Jr. (born August 23, 1970) is an American author, speaker, playwright, musician and former pastor. Bell founded Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Michigan, and pastored it until 2012. Under his leadership, Mars Hill was one of the fastest-growing churches in America. Bell is also the author of the New York Times bestseller Love Wins and the writer and narrator of a series of spiritual short films called NOOMA. In 2011, Time named Bell on its list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. He has since become a freelance writer and speaker appearing on various talk shows and national speaking tours on topics related to spirituality and leadership. He also hosts a popular podcast called The Robcast. In 2018, a documentary about Bell called The Heretic was released. Biography Early life and education Bell is the son of U.S. District Judge Robert Holmes Bell, who was appointed to the federal bench by Ronald Reagan. After graduating from High School, Bell attended Wheaton College, Illinois. While at Wheaton, he formed an alternative rock band and taught water skiing at a Christian camp. At camp, he was asked to fill in as a replacement preacher. Bell received his bachelor's degree from Wheaton and also earned a Master of Divinity degree from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. Mars Hill Bible Church Bell and his wife moved from California to Grand Rapids to be close to family and on invitation to study under pastor Ed Dobson. He handled many of the preaching duties for the Saturday Night service at Calvary Church. Bell announced that he would be branching out on his own to start a new kind of community and would name it "Mars Hill" after the Greek site where the apostle Paul said: "For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you." In February 1999, Bell founded Mars Hill Bible Church, with the church originally meeting in a school gym in Wyoming, Michigan. Within a year the church was given a shopping mall in Grandville, Michigan, and purchased the surrounding land. In July 2000 the 3,500 "grey chair" facility opened its doors. As of 2005, an estimated 11,000 people attended the two "gatherings" on Sundays at 9 and 11 AM. As of March 2011, Sunday attendance numbered between 8,000 and 10,000. His teachings at Mars Hill inspired the popular "Love Wins" bumper sticker, and the congregation freely distributed these stickers after services. In order to maintain balance in his life, Bell maintained his Fridays as a personal sabbath, where he did not allow contact by electronic means, and had all pastoral duties transferred to other Mars Hill pastors. In the January 2007 issue of the magazine TheChurchReport.com, Bell was named No. 10 in its list of "The 50 Most Influential Christians in America" as chosen by their readers and online visitors. On September 22, 2011, Bell announced his resignation from Mars Hill Church to start "a spiritual talk show in Los Angeles". Bell's 2011 book, Love Wins, had caused controversy within evangelical circles because of its teachings about hell; that controversy caused thousands to leave Mars Hill and also led to Bell's departure. In July 2012, Bell held his first major event since leaving Mars Hill, speaking at the Viper Room night club in Los Angeles. Bell has hosted conferences and workshops in Laguna Beach for "leaders, teachers, preachers, entrepreneurs, artists, pastors—anyone whose work involves creating something and then turning it loose in the world." Other projects Pre-Mars Hill departure Bell was the featured speaker in NOOMA, a series of short films. The title of the video series, "NOOMA", is an English representation of the Greek word pneuma, which means breath or spirit. All the videos feature the teachings of Bell accompanied by music written and sung by local independent artists (with the exception of The Album Leaf's music, which was licensed for the NOOMA DVD Lump). In August 2005, Zondervan Publishing published Bell's first book, Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith, which is, according to the official online summary, "for the millions of people who are fascinated by Jesus, but can't do the standard Christian package. In his debut book, Bell explores a new understanding of the Christian faith." Bell's Everything is Spiritual national speaking tour launched on June 30, 2006, in Chicago. The proceeds from ticket sales were used to support WaterAid, an international non-profit organization dedicated to helping people escape the poverty and disease caused by living without safe water and sanitation. Bell's second book, titled Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections between Sexuality and Spirituality, was released in 2007. In June 2007, Bell toured the United Kingdom and Ireland with a series called Calling All Peacemakers. Bell launched another speaking tour in 2007, —"The Gods Aren't Angry", which provided a narrative defense of justification through faith and not works. Bell's 2009 project, Drops Like Stars, explores the links between creativity and suffering. Drops Like Stars was an international tour and a book, initially handwritten by Bell, with photographs. Bell looks at the creativity, empathy, new connections, and growth that can spring from suffering. When asked in an interview how he had become interested in suffering, Bell replied that as a pastor he had seen some of the most poignant moments of people's lives. At the same time he was lecturing on creativity and realized, "There was a connection between these two halves of my life – all these connections between suffering and art-making." Post-Mars Hill departure In September 2013 Bell was interviewed by Oprah for her Super Soul Sunday television show. Bell's book, What We Talk About When We Talk About God, was also listed as the first recommended book that month in Oprah's "Book of the Month" club. Television Beginning in 2011, ABC television announced production of a new television drama, Stronger, co-written by Bell and Carlton Cuse, the executive producer of the television series Lost. The show, based loosely on Bell's life and his unpublished novel-turned-pilot-script, would follow the life of Tom Stronger, a musician on a spiritual journey. Ultimately, Bell and Cuse were unable to get approval to shoot a pilot for Stronger. Bell and Cuse have moved on to another project described as a "faith-inflected talk show" presented by Bell. Two tapings of the proposed show were filmed in September 2012 in a warehouse in Los Angeles' art district in order to put together a reel for network executives. At the time, they were referenced as either That One Show Rob Bell and Carlton Cuse Have Been Working On, or The September Shows for short. Podcast Bell hosts a podcast called The Robcast. He is the only host, but is regularly joined by guests. Bell.... Discover the Rob Bell popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Rob Bell books.
Best Seller Rob Bell Books of 2024
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In God We Doubt
John Humphrys'All the erudition and pithy wit you would expect from Humphrys, but there is also a charming, genuine enquiry that shines through' MAIL ON SUNDAY Bestselling author, radio pre...
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How to Pull
Tom KimbleMost single girls will tell you that meeting and dating men is a minefield. Yet so many relationship books tell girls the things they don't want to hear (why all men are scoundrels...
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Exposing Universalism
James B. De YoungIn recent decades universal reconciliation (UR) has sharpened its attack on evangelical faith. By their fiction and nonfiction, and by film (The Shack), universalists such as Paul ...
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Sex God
Rob BellFrom Rob Bell, the author of the phenomenal New York Times bestseller Love Wins and a Christian pastor named by Time Magazine as one of the most influential people in 2011, comes S...
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Hope and Other Superpowers
John PavlovitzOverwhelmed by the news cycle and the state of affairs in our world? Pastor, blogger, and powerful voice in the Resistance, John Pavlovitz has the answer: this rousing and inspirat...
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What We Talk About When We Talk About God
Rob BellHow God is described today strikes many as mean, primitive, backward, illogical, tribal, and at odds with the frontiers of science. At the same time, many intuitively feel a sense ...
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Velvet Elvis
Rob BellVelvet Elvis is the first book from Rob Bell, the New York Times bestselling author of Love Wins. Selected as one of 2011’s most influential people by Time Magazine, pastor B...
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The Authentic Gospel of Jesus
Dr Geza VermesThere can be no doubt that Jesus, 'a religious genius' as Geza Vermes describes him, lived and taught in Palestine some 2000 years ago. The influence he has had is incalculable. Ho...
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Confessions
Saint Augustine & R. S. Pine-Coffin'Give me chastity and continence, but not yet'The son of a pagan father and a Christian mother, Saint Augustine spent his early years torn between conflicting worldviews. The Confe...
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Stillness Through My Prayers
Stanislaus KennedyStillness: A deep silence and quiet calm, bringing feelings of peace, solace, contentment and serenity.You may need this book if you have ever felt afraid, unsure, anxious or uncer...
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The Effective Way to Stop Drinking
Beechy ColcloughAn alcoholic until the age of 34, he then became a highly trained counsellor on addiction and runs the Prom recovery centre in Kent, where he treats alcoholics, drug addicts and pe...
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Drops Like Stars
Rob Bell & Don GoldenIn Drops Like Stars, the New York Times bestselling author of Love Wins explores the complex relationship between suffering and creativity. Rob Bell (“One of the country’s most inf...
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Spiritual Alchemy
Dr Christine PageWe are living in a time of great change, explains Dr Christine Page. And this time presents a wonderful opportunity to reclaim our strength, adjust our focus and become spiritual a...
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Rob Bell and a New American Christianity
James K. Wellman, JrThe Christian message needs a new interpreter: one that is particular enough to know and interpret the tradition but broad enough to evoke thought and feeling from broader groups o...
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How To Make Your First Million
Lillian TooIn HOW TO MAKE YOUR FIRST MILLION, Lillian Too combines her canny understanding of the business world, her knowledge of personal financial management and her expertise with feng sh...
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Menstrual and Pre-Menstrual Tension
Jan de VriesResearch carried out over the past decade indicates that women are suffering more than ever from problems connected with menstrual and premenstrual tension. Many dread the monthly ...
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Against the Water
Owen WrightThe gutwrenching story of how one of Australia’s finest surfers overcame a brain injury and despair to win an Olympic medal. On the morning of 10 December 2015, Owen Wright entered...
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Love Wins Companion
Rob BellFor anyone who wants to delve deeper into Rob Bell’s bestselling Love Wins, the expansive and accessible Love Wins Companion offers scholarly support and critiques, resources for i...
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How To Stop Smoking And Stay Stopped
Martin RawHow to Stop Smoking and Stay Stopped is published to support a panBBC campaign, Kick the Habit, launching in March 2000 on the subject of addiction. The author takes the line that ...
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Talk to Me
Dean Nelson“Dean Nelson is one of the best interviewers around.” Anne LamottFrom respected journalist, professor, and founder of the Writer's Symposium by the Sea, an indispensable guide to t...
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NIV, First-Century Study Bible
Kent Dobson & ZondervanUnderstand God’s Word in its Original Cultural ContextThe NIV FirstCentury Study Bible introduces you to an ancient world vastly different from your own, but rich in valuable ...
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Seasons of the Day
Stanislaus KennedyBased on the traditional Book of Hours psalms said daily, at set times, by religious communities throughout the world Seasons of the Day reveals the enduring relevance of this an...
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Hell, Rob Bell, and What Happens When People Die
Bobby ConwayLove Wins, the controversial bestselling book by Rob Bell, attempted to answer this question, which troubles nonbelievers and believers alike. Because Bell challenged traditi...
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Summary of How to Be Here
InstareadSummary of How to Be Here by Rob Bell | Includes Analysis Preview: How to Be Here by Rob Bell is an inspirational selfhelp book on living an authentic life filled with meani...
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The Doctrine of Endless Punishment
G.T. SheddAbout this edition: 100% word for word copy of original, including Greek language text. Also includes linked footnotes and full table of contents. This doctrine is so solemn that m...
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The Zimzum of Love
Rob Bell & Kristen BellAs he revolutionized traditional teaching on hell in the phenomenal New York Times bestseller Love Wins, Rob Bell now transforms how we understand and practice marriage in The Zimz...
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Rob Roy
Walter ScottWhen young Francis Osbaldistone discovers that his vicious and scheming cousin Rashleigh has designs both on his father's business and his beloved Diana Vernon, he turns in despera...
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Gay Sex, Gay Health
Dr Alex VassWith rates of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, and sexual problems at an all time high Gay Sex, Gay Health is essential reading for all gay men, with informed advice...
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Secret Surrender
Ann SummersAlice Daumier is an awardwinning film actress, envied by every woman she meets and desired by every man. But she tires of her sedate husband, Pierre, and the same people at the sam...
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NIV, Teachings of the Torah
ZondervanExplore your twentyfirstcentury culture in light of the firstcentury world of Jesus. Teachings of the Torah allows you to study the first five books of the Bible through the eyes o...
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Keeping Control
Jane SmithIt has been estimated that between the ages of 30 and 50 up to 40% of people suffer from some degree of incontinence at some time. Women accept that it can occur following childbir...