I have a confession to make. Sometimes, when I hear someone called a 'heretic' I like that person even better.

The most recent use of that word I've seen is applied to Rob Bell, pastor of the Michigan based "Mars Hill Church" and the speaker in the wonderful NOOMA video series.

You can get a sense of Rob's ministry from the name of his church. 'Mars Hill' is a place in Athens that is very important in a Bible story. In Acts 17:16-34 Paul visits a section of Athens where there are shrines to every god imaginable. This is called the 'Aeropagus' which translates into English as "the hill devoted to the god Mars".

Instead of berating the people of Athens for having so many gods, Paul finds common ground with them. He tells them about his God and about Jesus but he does it in a way that is positive and respectful. He praises them, seeing in their many shrines a sincere spiritual seeking for the truth.

Rob Bell does something similar. Instead of assuming that popular culture is the enemy (something many preachers do) he finds ways to draw out the good, and there is a lot of good to find. The lyrics of popular songs, the themes of movies, the rants of blogs often contain so much that is worthwhile. You can find beautiful expressions of love and meaning, a passionate longing for justice, as well as painfully honest questions. Rob uses these to draw people who are interested in God but skeptical about religion into conversations. Instead of starting with "I'm right, and you need to be more like me" he meets people where they are and offers his thoughts.

Excerpts of many of his messages are found at www.nooma.com and full versions (bootleg no doubt) are available at www.YouTube.com. I don't want to push bootleg, but I encourage anyone who thinks about God but finds churches difficult to warm up to check them out. Rob's approach is honest, fresh and makes good sense.

It's also deeply faithful, which is why it's odd that some preachers are working hard to debunk him. A search on YouTube will also turn up videos attacking his messages or calling him a heretic. I've watched a couple and the issue seems to be that he doesn't take a hard, doctrinal approach to his message.

What is says is Biblically grounded and shows the kind of insights that come from a keen mind, a warm heart, and a deep personal faith but that doesn't satisfy those who value doctrine over scripture and rules over relationships.

Like Jay Bakker (see last entry) he's different enough from the old-fashioned expectations of a preacher that some see him as a threat, especially because his ministry seems to be thriving. (Ah, jealousy...)

I, on the other hand, may be a little jealous of his success but can't recommend him too highly. He is one of the new voices emerging in Christianity that really need to be heard. He's connected with the heart of Jesus message and ministry in a way the old-school isn't. I wish him success and blessings.