Robert Holmes Bell Jr. (born August 23, 1970) is an American author, speaker, playwright, musician and former pastor.

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.

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.

While at Wheaton, he formed an alternative rock band called Ton Bundle and taught water skiing at a Christian camp.

[5] Bell and his wife moved from California to Grand Rapids to be close to family and on invitation to study under pastor Ed Dobson.

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.

[11] On September 22, 2011, Bell announced his resignation from Mars Hill Church to start "a spiritual talk show in Los Angeles".

[13] In July 2012, Bell held his first major event since leaving Mars Hill, speaking at the Viper Room night club in Los Angeles.

[14] 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.

[16] The title of the video series, "NOOMA", is an English representation of the Greek word pneuma, which means breath or spirit.

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.

[20][better source needed] Bell launched another speaking tour in 2007, —"The Gods Aren't Angry", which provided a narrative defense of justification through faith and not works.

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.

[29] Bell believes that "churches and denominations are waning" and that the medium of podcasting provides freedom to learn and grow spiritually without the hindrances of institutions.

This is misguided and toxic and ultimately subverts the contagious spread of Jesus' message of love, peace, forgiveness and joy that our world desperately needs to hear."

As Jon Meacham stated, Love Wins presents [Bell's] "case for living with mystery rather than demanding certitude.

Bell argues that Jesus (and the wider Jewish tradition of which he was a part) focused on God's ongoing restoration of this world, not getting individuals to heaven.