The Complete Rob Bell: His Seven Bestselling Books, All in One Place. Rob Bell

33 And the answer is . . . Shammai. Which is interesting, because Jesus usually sides with Hillel.

34 For more on Artemis and her role in the city of Ephesus, check out Roland H. Worth Jr.’s The Seven Cities of the Apocalypse and Greco-Asian Culture (New York: Paulist Press, 1999).

35 Again, read the transcript by N. T. Wright, “How Can the Bible Be Authoritative?”

36 2 Peter 3:16.

37 I understand the need to ground all that we do and say in the Bible, which is my life’s work. It is the belief that creeps in sometimes that this book dropped out of the sky that is dangerous. The Bible has come to us out of actual communities of people, journeying in real time and space. Guided by a real Spirit.

38 As Stanley Gundry put it so well: The formation of the canon was a long, dynamic, and fluid process and one that was not ever settled once and for all by any one body of individuals voting on it and settling it for future generations of Christians (except that for Roman Catholics it was officially settled at the Council of Trent in the sixteenth century, though even many Roman Catholics challenge its decisions!). Protestants accept the narrower Hebrew canon accepted by the Jews at the time of Christ (the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings). Books aspiring to be accepted as the uniquely Christian scriptures are to be subjected to the tests of authenticity and apostolicity. By contrast, the Roman Catholic tradition is that since the church wrote the Bible, the church also has the authority to determine which books belong in the Bible, and only the church can give an authoritative interpretation of the Bible.

      The Protestant position has been that in general the people of God have come to accept certain books as God’s Word because through the centuries God’s children have heard the voice of their Father speaking in these books. So when we point to early lists of the canonical books, whether such lists come from individuals or church councils, these lists are not considered authoritative decisions binding on us today but only as evidence that a loose consensus was developing through time among the people of God.

      Given this reality, it is not surprising that while there is general agreement on what belongs in the canon, there is no uniform agreement.

      Remember, it’s living and active.

      MOVEMENT THREE: TRUE

1 Isaiah 6:3.

2 Psalm 24:1.

3 Psalm 139:7.

4 Genesis 28:16.

5 Romans 2:14.

6 Titus 1:12–13.

7 Acts 17:28.

8 1 Corinthians 3:21, 23.

9 Colossians 1:17.

10 John 14:6.

11 Colossians 2:17.

12 Colossians 3:17.

13 1 Timothy 4:4.

14 Psalm 24:1.

15 1 Peter 5:8.

16 1 Thessalonians 5:21.

17 Acts 14:17.

18 Matthew 26:10 and Mark 14:6.

19 At that point I was thinking that she could start a recovery group for witches. It could be called “WA” for Witches Anonymous.

20 Exodus 3:5.

      MOVEMENT FOUR: TASSELS

1 Numbers 15:38–40.

2 David cuts off the corner of Saul’s “garment” in the back of a cave (1 Sam. 24:4), and Jesus talks about going into your “prayer closet,” which meant folding your prayer shawl over your head and arms (Matt. 6:6).

3 Malachi 4:2 NIV (Colorado Springs: International Bible Society, 1978, 1984).

4 Luke 8:43–48.

5 The first time I heard Dwight Pryor address this, he made two columns and explained the difference between a legal transaction understanding and a holistic understanding and said that we need to embrace both. I thought I was going to fall out of my chair. He is the one who uses the phrase “the cross for us and the cross in us.” He sponsors seminars he calls “Haverim” (from the Hebrew word for “friends”) at which he teaches for a week. Every day, all day he teaches, and it is stunning. Check his website www.jcstudies.com for where he will be teaching next.

6 John 5:24.

7 Ephesians 1:10.

8 For a masterful depiction of the mystery behind the mystery, read Susan Howatch. I recommend starting with Glittering Images (New York: Knopf, 1987), the first of her Starbridge novels. You will get sucked in and have to read her next eight novels.

9 Parker Palmer’s book Let Your Life Speak (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1999) was my introduction to this great man.

10 Mark 8:36.

      MOVEMENT FIVE: DUST

1 Bava Batra 21a.