No Comments

No Comments

No Comments

Quite possibly the only open-minded religion professor at Belmont.

Dr. Bell is life-changing. He has an undiminished enthusiasm for his job, an open mind and a heart to match. You have not gotten your money's worth at Belmont if you haven't taken him.

No Comments

You decide how hard you want this class to be. By forcing myself to do more work than he requires, that is..read the longer more interesting books rather than the shorter ones, I learned more about myself and can honestly say this class changed my life.

An objective and fair look at religion. A fact based and historical perspective. Completely enlightening. Humble, entertaining, teaches instead of preaching. You will love him no matter what your religious convictions are. Take his classes.

Marty Bell is awesome! AWESOME! Take his class! Run. Run to his class!

If you lack any religion credits, stop reading this and go sign up for something Dr. Bell is teaching this semester. He is, without a doubt, the best religion professor at Belmont.

if you take him for a summer course, he shows a LOT of movies!

His World Religions class was great. You can literally decide what grade you want. It was also a pretty fun class, no matter what your religious beliefs.

Great professor! Easy A if you do the work. You can basically decide the grade you want. Fun class and really interesting. We took cool fieldtrips to various religious organizations and it was eye opening. Funny, and not boring. Highly recommended.

You get to chose your own grade. He gives you a list of things you need to do to get an A, B, C, etc. TO get an A you must do work but this prof is great and very kind in giving you what you work for.

good stuff, interesting class

Great guy, helps people understand things that are usually higher than their narrow-minded bible belt head can usually grasp. Take him if you can.

Great class! You get to pick your grade. Just sit back and relax. The material is intersting, and the class is fun. He may be a little boring at times. He presents each religion fairly, he holds no biased. I would take him again!

He is a professor with plenty of passion for his topics. He lectures in a very engaging and interesting manner. He encourages his students to think outside of the box. You will be surprised at how much you enjoy his religion classes.

I loved taking these classes from him. He was helpful and understanding...never once did I fall asleep in his class..and I took the long 4 or 5 hour night class so that is something to brag about!!

Class was more about personal understanding of religions than anything else. Papers were very cerebral with little influence from outside sources. Grading scale was awesome too.. do this amt of work, get a B, do more, get an A.

Dr. Bell is a great professor. I loved this class and left with a great understanding of religions other than my own. He has a great grading system where you choose your own grade by doing X amount of work and you get an A, B, C.

he is very passionate and full of knowledge on american christian history. always on teh edge of my seat.

No Comments

No Comments

incredibly interesting. not your typical baptist uni religion dept faculty.

No Comments

Bell is one of the best teachers I've had. He's passionate and honestly cares about the students actually learning the material and gaining something from the course. Everyone should take his course.

Great teacher.. One of the best at Belmont. Prof. Bell really cares about his students and is one of the few on cmapus not afraid to show it. I really appreciate him.

LOVED HIS CLASS!!! did the 8 week bible class with him, and it was amazing, lot of work but he made it soo simply and easy and clear... loved it

Dr. Bell is probably the best pure teacher I've had at Belmont - he makes class very interesting and is an excellent teacher. I have enjoyed every class I've had w/ Dr. Bell more than just about any professor.

great teacher

Mr. Bell was a great teacher and made th class fun. You get to choose your grade too which was nice and all you do is the required work for that grade. He is accessible and always helpful in wanting students to understand the topics. Great field trips too!

He is a great teacher. Keeps an open mind. Shares his passion for religion through the class without pushing you to believe anything. You can pick your own grade in the class, so you know what you are getting. Great class, great teacher. Very helpful and understanding.

great teacher! you can choose your own grade, which is great. He teaches a fun and informative class, never tries to push beliefs on you. Highly recommended for those who are required to take religion but not necessarily interested in it. This class is not at all painful to sit through. Has many stories to share, wonderful professor.

Amazing teacher. I enjoyed all of his classes and had a great time to boot. I'll take him again for Comparing Wold Religions next semester. I'm REALLY looking forward to it!

In some his higher level classes he uses the covenant grading system. C- do the take home essays B- C essays and two book reaction papers A- C, B assignments and 12-15 page paper Very fair and you know what your grade will be based on completion of the papers.

I loved Dr. Bell's class. He is a very interesting character; and, he reminded me of comedian Billy Connolly (primarily because of looks rather than humour).

He has enlightened my common bible belt thoughts and inspired me to become my own theologian. He loves his subject matter and has the heart to go with it. He is a humble instructor who cares about the information his students retain and UNDERSTAND

I took 3 classes with him and loved them all. That is why he won teacher of year for 20-08 school year. Shows you what you need to do for each letter grade. No tests.

Great professor! He is genuine and open minded. I was really dreading this class initially, but found myself looking forward to each class.

Great teacher! Dr. Bell is objective and inspirational. Loved his class!

Prof. Bell is a great teacher. He challenges you by making you your own "theologian" as he says, getting you to really think about who God is and what He does. Really helps connect the Bible to our current generation. You will probably like this class even if Religion isn't your major.

Fabulous teacher, very passionate, understanding and clear. Great class for students both interested and uninterested in religion. Just an FYI though, he hates computers. Being an avid laptop user, I got tired of his daily anti-technology comments.

Very dedicated teacher who knows his stuff. He can make religion interesting even if you are not fond of it. He presents things from a fair and an academic view, not biased. Textbooks, will require minimum use, I personally don't buy them for his classes. No tests. He will tell you exactly what to do for each letter grade, you choose.

What an incredible course! Dr. Bell grades on a covenant system- grades are based upon completion, and you know what your final grade is day 1. (based upon how much work you want to do to get an A, B, C, or fail...) Lecture can be a bit winded, but the field trips are the coolest thing ever. TAKE THIS COURSE WITH DR. BELL!!!

Works on a covenant system where he gives u a list of requirements to get an A, B, C. If u do those assignments, u get that grade. A requires 2 book reviews (3-5pgs), 2 other papers,+ 30pg journal kept thru the semester. Not bad at all, muuuuch easier than Holt. Though "easy," I learned a lot and he's veryyy nice and insightful. Recommended highly

One of the Best teachers at Belmont.

Understanding the Bible- one of the best and most thought provoking classes I have ever taken. This class is all about the Bible but Bell makes it relevant to your life. But he doesn't force religion on anyone, just gives you the option to a different point of view. long class but fantastic!!!

Dr.Bell is a very educated and wise professor. He makes you think hard about different religions in a critical way. If you're really looking for knowledge, and a good grade, then you will enjoy this course.

Dr. Bell is an amazing professor. He is SO knowledgeable!I took his eight week night class and honestly looked forward to the four hours each week because he truly cares about the questions and needs of his students, which makes class fun. He grades on a covenant system, meaning that if you do the work you'll get the grade... no matter what.

Dr. Bell is one of my favorite professors in my 3.5 years at Belmont. I LOVED going on a field trip. It really helped bring Church History to life by seeing how monastic life has survived through the centuries. I like Dr. Bell so much that I have signed up for another class with him next semester.

Dr. Bell's class was extremely easy, but I still learned something. I took his 8 week class and we only had to write a few essays which were completion, no tests. honestly so easy, but still interesting!

Dr Bell is AWESOME! He actually made coming to class fun and interesting! By far one of my favorite classes and teachers! If you have the opportunity to have him as your teacher JUMP on it! Trust me you will love his teaching methods! NO textbook use and NO tests! You choose your grade based on how much work you want to do.

Very clear-cut guidelines for grading. Very fair, but stern. Will definitely keep you interested during the entire class period.

Dr. Bell's 8 week class was great! He's very enthusiastic and a genuine guy. If you do the assignments, you'll get an A. It's a very easy class, definitely recommend!

He is the best teacher I've had at Belmont. Really knowledgable, funny, laidback and open minded about all religions and opinions in class. Take him for all you REL classes

Really nice & understanding professor. The field trips to different religious centers was really fascinating & fun. I hate the grading covenant system, because it kills procrastinators. If you want to get an A: keep up with the journals!! Once you delay doing a few, they start building up.

I took REL 1010 and 3090 with Marty. He is a super cool guy and knows his stuff. Truly enjoyable class. I was not religious or spiritual for that matter until I took his class and because he didn't PUSH me, I accepted. I will use up all my electives with him, such and enjoyable professor and friend. Great class.

I learned so much in this class and cannot recommend Marty enough. He's smart, funny, knows and loves the material and at the end of the day, just wants everyone to succeed. Go to class, participate in discussions and do papers if you want the grade. So simple, so clear, learned so much!

Took this class to knock out a requirement, however it ended up being one of my favorite classes I've taken at Belmont. Bell takes an enthusiastic approach to world religion and provides interesting unbiased insights into different faiths.

I think Dr. Bell has reached enlightenment, personally. This class was amazing. He is thoughtful, respectful, funny, clever, and a super easy grader. You choose the "grade path" you want and do the work accordingly. If you want an A, you submit the projects for that path (there are only like 2) and he'll give you an A. No surprises or curveballs.

Dr. Bell embodies compassion, kindness, thoughtfulness and intelligence. His class quite literally changed my life and deepened my appreciation and respect for all religions and people. It also reaffirmed my own faith. Dr. Bell set an example for what kind of person I want to be. I almost cried on the last day of the class. It's that good.

I took Dr. Bell's 8 week class and it was by far the best class I've had at Belmont. I am not religious and didn't care to much about the topic but Bell made the class very interesting. I enjoyed the lectures but class participation really helps the class go by. Do not take any other religion teacher at Belmont. Bell is the Best!

Easiest class I have ever taken. All assignments are graded by completion only, not content. Dr. Bell is amazing. If you want an easy bible credit take him!

Professor Bell is really one of the best professors I have had at Belmont. I was in his World Religion class and we got to visit all sorts of temples of different faith. He really expanded all of our knowledge on other cultures in a respectful way. He is also hilarious and you get a letter grade based on what you turn in. is a great and caring prof

I took him over the summer for Spirituality in World Religions as an 8 wk class . In all it was a very easy class. To get an A, we did have to write a 50 page journal which sounds wrose than it really is. We went on lots of field trips too, so make sure you have transportation bc they count towards attendance and they are great experiences

Worth the drive to the Cool Springs Campus

Took his class for Understanding the Bible Great guy, loves to listen to your own stories, and generally cares about your understanding of his class Would take his class again in a heartbeat

One of the best professors I have ever had. He literally lets you choose your grade.

Few professors have touched my life the way Marty has. I took one class with him, and it lead me 100 steps closer to self-discovery in a time of questioning in my life. He by no means pushes his own beliefs in class but rather explores the beauty of others' beliefs and the beauty of life itself! This class changed my life!

Dr. Bell deserves an award for his teaching style. Each class he tells a story about the content with so much detail that it not only makes learning the material easy, but makes it so fun. This was an early morning class, but getting to attend Bell's course made having to drive an hour to campus from home each day 1000% worth it. Take this class!!!

Dr. Bell is a sweetheart and Arguably my favorite professor at Belmont! He would wheel into class on his scooter because he injured himself before the spring semester and he never once looked down/sad! Take him for understanding the bible!!

BEST PROFESSOR EVER! Easy A if you're willing to complete the requirements. From the beginning, he will mention how he is the quirkiest professor on campus. He's not lying. Online Summer course: 1 page paper due on 2 chapters on Sunday each week. 3 papers (3 pages) to complete as well if you want an A. You can complete 2 (3 page) papers for a B.

Doesn't get better than Professor Bell! Summer course: 1 page paper due over 1 chapter (religion) each Sunday and participate on discussion boards. Complete that and you'll have an easy C. Complete 2 papers (3 pages) on recommended books and you'll receive a B. Complete 1 extra paper (3 pages) from the recommend list of books and you'll get an A.

It is impossible not to get an A in the class. He literally tells you verbatim on day 1 all that will be required the entire semester to get a A, B, or C (depending on which you want to get). Then add in the fact that he is extremely passionate about what he teaches, is nice, and open-minded ... he is probably the one of the best professors I have

He has an interesting grading scale, but I liked it. You get to choose your grade. To get a 'C' you are required to do the two take home exams. To get a 'B' you are required to do everything for the 'C' grade plus two reflection papers on two of the books from his list. To get an 'A' you are required to do everything for a 'C' and 'B' and a journal

I LOVE MARTY BELL!!! I didn't even read the textbook. We had discussion posts and a little one-page report on our thoughts about the week. For an A you have to read 3 extra books but they were very interesting reads. Marty is such a cute little guy and he is really interested in your own interpretation #wokeaf.

Marty is amazing! I took his online course, and it was very straightforward. If you do all your work, you will get an A. You will need to read a few books but he gives you a list and the ones I picked were very interesting! He is very understanding and a great professor. 100% take Professor Bell.

Dr. Bell is amazing! He makes it completely clear what you need to do to achieve the grade that you want. Assignments are subjective, so you write about what content you think was important that week, and the 3 page papers are not difficult. If you have the opportunity, take Dr. Bell!

Dr. Bell is very enthusiastic and knows a lot about religion. Assignments are due Sunday nights and he has a grading system where students can get an A, B, or C, depending on the amount of essays one wants to write. He posts lectures and one is to submit a weekly report on what we learned. All the content is very interesting and easy A.

Even as someone who is not religious, Professor Bell's class was a high point of my senior year. He is incredibly dynamic and cares deeply about the subject matter and his students. He was respectful of different faith traditions, and welcomed discussion and student input. Easy A as long as you complete a few papers. Favorite class of the semester!

Take him and you will understand why everyone loves him. Lots of reading though if you want an A.

An amazing professor who cared about developing students holistically and offered lots of wisdom. Primarily lecture-heavy but with plenty of room for discussion-based learning towards the end of the term, since we finished the material rather quickly. Would recommend!