--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: a person who speaks to this hour’s need…" description: "\"“a person who speaks to this hour’s need will always be skirting the edge of heresy, but only the person who risks those heresies can gain the truth.”\"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/837/rob-bell-1025_heresy_a-person-who-speaks-to-this-hour-s-need_2231991.png" --- # a person who speaks to this hour’s need will always be… ![“a person who speaks to this hour’s need will always be skirting the edge of heresy, but only the person who risks those heresies can gain the truth.” quote by Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/837/rob-bell-1025_heresy_a-person-who-speaks-to-this-hour-s-need_2231991.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/837/rob-bell-1025_heresy_a-person-who-speaks-to-this-hour-s-need_2231991.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/837/rob-bell-1025_heresy_a-person-who-speaks-to-this-hour-s-need_2231991.png) > ““a person who speaks to this hour’s need will always be skirting the edge of heresy, but only the person who risks those heresies can gain the truth.”” [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Speaking to current needs risks heresy, yet only bold risks reveal truth. **In simple terms:** Boldly addressing today’s issues can uncover truth. Key Takeaway Embrace courageous, honest dialogue. Themes faith truth courage heretical contemporary relevance Mood provocative encouraging Type book speech When to use this quote - church sermons - public debates - social media activism - community forums Key Concepts theology ethics social critique Questions to Reflect On - What truths are you hesitant to voice? - How can you speak truthfully without causing division? A Different Perspective Boldness may alienate traditional audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Heresy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heresy/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [The great German scholar Helmut Thielicke once said that a person who speaks to this hour’s need will always be skirting the edge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/the-great-german-scholar-helmut-thielicke-once-said-that-a-person-who/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [“Christianity is the heresy of heresies, the underlying cause of the weakness, lethargy, sickness, and failure of the modern church.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-j-leithart/christianity-is-the-heresy-of-heresies-the-underlying-cause-of-the/) [Peter J. Leithart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-j-leithart/) > [“The heresy of heresies was common sense. And what was terrifying was not that they would kill you for thinking otherwise, but that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-heresy-of-heresies-was-common-sense-and-what-was-terrifying-was/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Who does not see that heresies have some time prevailed, that reforms have already taken place? All this worldly wisdom might be regarded as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/who-does-not-see-that-heresies-have-some-time-prevailed-that-reforms/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The desire to rule is the mother of heresies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-john-chrysostom/the-desire-to-rule-is-the-mother-of-heresies/) [Saint John Chrysostom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-john-chrysostom/) > [“The heresy of heresies was common sense. And”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-heresy-of-heresies-was-common-sense-and/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [I abjure with a sincere heart and unfeigned faith, I curse and detest the said errors and heresies, and generally all and every error…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/i-abjure-with-a-sincere-heart-and-unfeigned-faith-i-curse-and-detest/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) > [“Yes. But terrible heresies have proven to be grim truths many times before in the longer history of my Church, Sek Hardeen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/yes-but-terrible-heresies-have-proven-to-be-grim-truths-many-times/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [Islam united all heresies persecuted in Byzantine Empire and synthesised them well into a conseffion that later became a symbol of Arab self-affirmation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/islam-united-all-heresies-persecuted-in-byzantine-empire-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The faith a movement proclaims doesn't count: what counts is the hope it offers. All heresies are the banner of a reality, an exclusion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-faith-a-movement-proclaims-doesn-t-count-what-counts-is-the-hope/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [...There is a school of thought, a heresy from the madhouse of heresies in the ninth century, that says God is good and is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-rush/there-is-a-school-of-thought-a-heresy-from-the-madhouse-of-heresies/) [Norman Rush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-rush/) > [The heresy of heresies was common sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-heresy-of-heresies-was-common-sense/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [The heresies we should fear are those which can be confused with orthodoxy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-heresies-we-should-fear-are-those-which-can-be-confused-with/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Heresy is a word which, when it is used without passion, signifies a private opinion. So the different sects of the old philosophers, Academians,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hobbes/heresy-is-a-word-which-when-it-is-used-without-passion-signifies-a/) [Thomas Hobbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hobbes/) > [... the general consent of all that sect is that God (by his foreknowledge, counsel, and wisdom) has no assured election, neither yet any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knox/the-general-consent-of-all-that-sect-is-that-god-by-his-foreknowledge/) [John Knox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knox/) ## More by Rob Bell > [If the gospel isn't good news for everybody, then it isn't good news for anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/if-the-gospel-isn-t-good-news-for-everybody-then-it-isn-t-good-news/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [Why blame the dark for being dark? It is far more helpful to ask why the light isn’t as bright as it could be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/why-blame-the-dark-for-being-dark-it-is-far-more-helpful-to-ask-why/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [“This story... blasts to pieces our biases and labels with a declaration that God is on everyone's side, extending grace and compassion to everyone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/this-story-blasts-to-pieces-our-biases-and-labels-with-a-declaration/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [One truth is that suffering raises profound questions with the universe. The other truth is that grace, gift and generosity also raise profound questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/one-truth-is-that-suffering-raises-profound-questions-with-the/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [For Jesus, heaven and hell were present realities. Ways of living we can enter into here and now. He talked very little of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/for-jesus-heaven-and-hell-were-present-realities-ways-of-living-we/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [Love is what God is, love is why Jesus came, and love is why he continues to come, year after year to person after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/love-is-what-god-is-love-is-why-jesus-came-and-love-is-why-he/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [I believe that God is love. I believe that Jesus came to show us this love, to give us this love, to teach us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/i-believe-that-god-is-love-i-believe-that-jesus-came-to-show-us-this/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [If the gospel isn't good news for everybody, then it isn't good news for anybody. And this is because the most powerful things happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/if-the-gospel-isn-t-good-news-for-everybody-then-it-isn-t-good-news-2/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [“I don’t read the Bible like a flat line. I don’t see all of the passages in the Bible sitting equally side by side…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/i-don-t-read-the-bible-like-a-flat-line-i-don-t-see-all-of-the/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [To elevate abstract doctrines and dogmas over living, breathing, embodied experiences of God's love and grace, then, is going the wrong direction. It's taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/to-elevate-abstract-doctrines-and-dogmas-over-living-breathing/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [The modern world has created airports and hospitals and put 10,000 songs in our pocket. It has built gleaming buildings and computers and advances…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/the-modern-world-has-created-airports-and-hospitals-and-put-10-000/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [God is bigger than the Christian faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/god-is-bigger-than-the-christian-faith/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [What you believe about the future shapes, informs, and determines how you live now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/what-you-believe-about-the-future-shapes-informs-and-determines-how/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [The life you want begins by embracing the life you have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/the-life-you-want-begins-by-embracing-the-life-you-have/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [It takes quite a spine to turn the other cheek. It takes phenomenal fortitude to love your enemy. It takes firm resolve to pray…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/it-takes-quite-a-spine-to-turn-the-other-cheek-it-takes-phenomenal/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) [Explore all 305 Rob Bell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) ## More Heresy quotes > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [Sorrow and happiness are the heresies of virtue; joy and anger lead astray from TAO; love and hate cause loss of virtue. The heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/sorrow-and-happiness-are-the-heresies-of-virtue-joy-and-anger-lead/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) > [Natural history is not taught in seminary. This is curious, as most people in pastoral ministry are about 567 times more likely to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-maitland/natural-history-is-not-taught-in-seminary-this-is-curious-as-most/) [Sara Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-maitland/) > [Heresy is only another word for freedom of thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/heresy-is-only-another-word-for-freedom-of-thought/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [A heretic can be tolerated. But a heresy cannot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahathir-mohamad/a-heretic-can-be-tolerated-but-a-heresy-cannot/) [Mahathir Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahathir-mohamad/) > [And your Highnesses, as Catholic Christians and Princes, devoted to the holy Christian faith and the propagation thereof - and enemies of the sect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-columbus/and-your-highnesses-as-catholic-christians-and-princes-devoted-to-the/) [Christopher Columbus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-columbus/) > [Where there is no danger of overt action there is rarely any interference with freedom. That is why there has so often been amazing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/where-there-is-no-danger-of-overt-action-there-is-rarely-any/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [If forgers and malefactors are put to death by the secular power, there is much more reason for excommunicating and even putting to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/if-forgers-and-malefactors-are-put-to-death-by-the-secular-power/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [“The Catholic chruch as threatened your life - do you not want revenge? Have you not sold your hatred to the Pretestant cause to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-parris/the-catholic-chruch-as-threatened-your-life-do-you-not-want-revenge/) [S.J. Parris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-parris/) > [The greatest danger to Christianity is, I contend, not heresies, not heterodoxies, not atheists, not profane secularism - no, but the kind of orthodoxy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/the-greatest-danger-to-christianity-is-i-contend-not-heresies-not/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [“The huge modern heresy is to alter the human soul to fit modern social conditions, instead of altering modern social conditions to fit the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/the-huge-modern-heresy-is-to-alter-the-human-soul-to-fit-modern/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [Any man who afflicts the human race with ideas must be prepared to see them misunderstood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/any-man-who-afflicts-the-human-race-with-ideas-must-be-prepared-to/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [“The Devil answer'd: bray a fool in a morter with wheat, yet shall not his folly be beaten out of him; if Jesus Christ…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/the-devil-answer-d-bray-a-fool-in-a-morter-with-wheat-yet-shall-not/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [“That there must be heresies is true, not onely in our Church, but also in any other; even in Doctrines hereticall there will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/that-there-must-be-heresies-is-true-not-onely-in-our-church-but-also/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [Beware of the fish people, they are the true enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/beware-of-the-fish-people-they-are-the-true-enemy/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) [Browse all 374 Heresy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heresy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“a person who speaks to this hour’s need will always be skirting the edge of heresy, but only the person who risks those heresies can gain the truth.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rob Bell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/a-person-who-speaks-to-this-hour-s-need-will-always-be-skirting-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Heresy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/a-person-who-speaks-to-this-hour-s-need-will-always-be-skirting-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/837/rob-bell-1025_heresy_a-person-who-speaks-to-this-hour-s-need_2231991.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/837/rob-bell-1025_heresy_a-person-who-speaks-to-this-hour-s-need_2231991.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/837/rob-bell-1025_heresy_a-person-who-speaks-to-this-hour-s-need_2231991.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“a person who speaks to this hour’s need will always be skirting the edge of heresy, but only the person who…” — Rob Bell", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Rob Bell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“a person who speaks to this...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/a-person-who-speaks-to-this-hour-s-need-will-always-be-skirting-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/a-person-who-speaks-to-this-hour-s-need-will-always-be-skirting-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```