Rob Bell and Nietzsche

I never thought I’d see the day when the Christian philosophers agree with Nietzsche. Oh sure, Rob Bell may not know that, but I came across a passage about the church’s dealings with cravings in Nietzsche’s “Twilight of the Idols”, that is almost exactly the same as a section Rob Bell’s book, Sex God.

Nietzsche said: “The church fights passion with excision in every sense: its practice, its “cure”, is castration. It never asks, ‘how can one spiritualize, beautify, deify a craving?’ It has at all times laid the stress of discipline on extirpation (of sensuality, of pride, of the lust to rule, of avarice, of vengefulness). But an attack on the roots of passion means an attack on the roots of life: the practice of the church is hostile to life.” (Morality as anti-nature, Section 1).

Ouch. You see, Rob Bell explains something identical. In chapter four, he mentions this, and how as Christians, we should re-direct all our sexual energy into other avenues. We are passionate beings, he says, and we cannot repress those cravings; instead, it’s about “channeling it and focusing it and turning it loose on something beautiful, something pure and true and good, something that connects you with God, with others, with the world.”

Once is coincidence. Twice is noticeable, especially coming from such opposite viewpoints. Nietzsche, in his God-is-dead milieu, understands the church’s fallacy: We are passionate people, created in the image of a creative and passionate God. It is hostile to life, as Nietzsche says; but if life is God-breathed, then by repressing our cravings are we doing God a disservice?

It is obvious that God gives us passions and energy for a reason, for a calling. It is our duty, then, as obedient children, to point those energies toward something that furthers the message of Christ. Toward something creative, and beautiful, and good: Our calling, our ministry, our church. Wouldn’t that be a great day, when the church stops preaching about cutting off our cravings and energies, and instead helps people to find places to use that energy?

It’s been a long time since Nietzsche excoriated the church; unfortunately, not much has changed. But the emerging church is as jaded and cynical as he was, and they’re seeing the same thing. The only difference is that they are in a position to change it. So, no; the church hasn’t changed. At least, not yet.