Rob Bell’s new book Love Wins: A Book about Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived, was released today. Below are my thoughts on that book, according to the research I have done over the past several weeks. I have not read the book yet, but I will. At the end of this post there are links to several of the articles and authors that I have been following.
Please know that this is not a vendetta against Rob Bell. I have never been a “fan” of his teaching style, but that doesn’t mean I doubted the validity of what he was teaching. I am writing this because I was shocked to hear that he might have turned away from and twisted God’s truth, and because I am saddened that it’s true.
I am writing this because my heart is breaking for him and for those who may take his false teaching as truth.
Unfathomable Love
Rob Bell is very successful at being different. Artistic. Compelling. He has worked to break away from the stereotype of a stuffy, judgmental church leader.
Over the past few weeks, word sped throughout the Christian community that Rob Bell had embraced a universalist view of heaven and hell. There are many different variations to this system of belief, but put as simply as possible: all roads lead to heaven. Hell is empty. God has many names, and everyone will get to Him in different ways.
The rumors are painfully true. Though Bell has left himself openings to escape a strict universalist label, he is no longer teaching a Biblically sound view of eternal life.
Bell uses dozens of Bible passages in his book, but multiple pastors have pointed out how he takes the verses out of context and never fully uses any of them to support his thesis.
Summarized from reviews and excerpts from Love Wins, here is (in my words) what Bell is saying he believes about heaven and hell:
After death, some people are ready to enter God’s Kingdom automatically, while others must wait and first go through God’s refining fire. This burning away of sinful nature will take longer for some than it will for others, but everyone will be united with God in the end. Hell is what we make it, and God allows us the evil things we want for a while, but we will all be purged in time. God’s love will purify everyone. Trust in Jesus is important, but those who don’t like Christianity’s terms will come to know God through their own, personalized path.
As part of his support for this, Bell digs into an alternative meaning of the word eternal, saying that when God proclaims “eternal punishment” it merely means “intense punishment.” This means that corrective fire will be more intense for some than it is for others, but not forever.
Bell leaves himself a way out of the universalist label by never saying that absolutely nobody will stay in this refining period forever. But he strongly leans toward the view that everyone, no matter how long it takes, will be able to share in the glory of heaven.
This sounds wonderful at first, but if it were true, God would be nothing like the Bible says He is.
The Bible tells of a God who is angry. Jealous. Loving. We are created in His image, so our emotions reflect His, but our puny range of emotions is nothing compared to His. We struggle to forgive a cashier who short-changes us or a driver who runs us off the road. God forgives us of EVERYTHING. It’s unfathomable. We use the term “God-fearing” not because we need to cower in constant terror, but because God is more powerful and all-encompassing than anything we could possibly imagine.
If God loves the way that Bell claims He does, then Christ’s death on the cross is severely diminished. This ultimate sacrifice was all a show, a metaphor for the people of ancient times. If God truly is a wrathless God, and all our suffering is man-made and completely reversible, then Jesus’ death is just a nice example. We don’t need the blood of Christ to wash us clean.
Think about it this way: What kind of horrible, sadistic father would put his son through a torturous death for nothing? Is that a God you'd want to follow?
If what Rob Bell is teaching were true, why would Jesus tell the parables of the unprepared servant and the virgins who were not ready for the bridegroom’s arrival? (Matthew 24 and 25).
If what he’s teaching were true, why would God command us again and again to reach out to the lost, to minister to the ungodly, to live our lives as a reflection of His glory?
Why would the call to evangelism and missions be so desperate if there aren’t nations perishing without Him?
Why would we take up our cross and follow Him?
Christ’s death on the cross is the ultimate sacrifice. It is the only reason that God hasn’t wiped out the earth a hundred times. God loves us so much that He gave part of Himself to die and be reborn in our place. That is love. A get-out-of-hell-free card isn't love.
Some will choose to never to see His grace, and this breaks His heart. But it does not diminish His glory.
Bell still seems to urge people to live good lives and make the best decisions they can while they can, but in his mind, all our mistakes mean is a little more time spent in God’s refinery at the end.
There will always be theological questions that need to be asked, but Bell is not asking them. He is providing answers. It’s not rhetorical or contemplative. He is stating this as truth. And that’s what is so damaging.
This is the chance that God has given us. He sent His son to us HERE so that we may find and follow the truth before our deaths.
History is tragic, but not because God “isn’t getting what He wants.” Not because His greatness has been diminished. Because of us. Our selfishness. Our pride. Our unwillingness to put ourselves in hard places, to reach out to those that don’t know of Him, to stand up for His name in the face of adversity.
Saving everyone would be easy for God. Do we really want a God that takes the easy way out?
Nothing can diminish God’s greatness. God is not only “sort of great” because some of His children are lost daily. God has saved us all. We condemn ourselves when we choose not to listen. When we refuse to share His grace with those who don’t know. When we believe that it doesn’t matter how we live.
The song Our God is an Awesome God has long seemed like a Bible camp cliche to me. But when it came on the radio this morning I was struck by the power of its words. Words taken for granted are words that proclaim the truth.
“When He rolls up His sleeves
He ain't just putting on the ritz;
Our God is an awesome God
There's thunder in His footsteps
And lightning in His fists;
Our God is an awesome God
And the Lord wasn't joking
When He kicked 'em out of Eden
It wasn't for no reason
That He shed His blood
His return is very close
And so you better be believing that
Our God is an awesome God
Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom, power, and love
Our God is an awesome God
And when the sky was starless
In the void of the night;
Our God is an awesome God
He spoke into the darkness
And created the light;
Our God is an awesome God
Judgement and wrath
He poured out on Sodom
Mercy and grace
He gave us at the cross
I hope that we have not
Too quickly forgotten that
Our God is an awesome God
Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom, power, and love
Our God is an awesome God.”
In his book Radical, David Platt describes how the true message of Christ has never been the popular one. Jesus taught that to follow Him meant persecution, ridicule, and abandonment. He told people to leave their homes, sell their belongings, and follow Him, whatever the cost.
Jesus didn’t teach people to believe what feels right and to call Him whatever name we choose.
“Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” says Matthew 7:14. There is one way, and it is difficult. There is judgment. And there is a God who loves us more than we could ever imagine.
I pray that Rob Bell will not lead his church to destruction. I pray that he will find his way back to the way, the truth and the life that is God’s perfect and unfathomable love.
____________________________________________________________________
A few of my sources:
Burk, Denny. http://www.dennyburk.com/revising-hell-into-the-heterodox-mainstream/
Challies, Tim. http://www.challies.com/book-reviews/love-wins-a-review-of-rob-bells-new-book
DeYoung, Kevin. http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2011/03/14/rob-bell-love-wins-review/
Platt, David. Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream.
Trueman, Carl. http://www.reformation21.org/blog/2011/03/an-accidental-optimist.php
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Rarity
Glimpsing a complete stranger in a moment of pure happiness is very rare. Waiting at a stoplight while running errands, I noticed the driver of a trash truck as he turned into the lane next to me. There was unashamed happiness on his face, his mouth wide with a smile and laugh, teeth brilliantly white against his dark skin. It may have been caused by something his coworker said or something he heard on the radio, but this wasn’t a passing smile of amusement or a chuckle at an appreciated joke. This was joy.
What made him so joyful on a rainy midweek morning as he drove his battered green truck through the neighborhoods of north Austin? And why don’t I look that way? I have plenty to be joyful about, but I doubt I show it. I even TRY to exude an air of busyness or distractedness when in public alone. I know it’s a shield. We work so hard to keep people out that when someone’s true emotion shines through, we are stunned. Flabbergasted. And ...jealous.
“He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away,” says the popular quote by Raymond Hull. How many whittled-down, gouged-out people do we encounter every day? And how whittled-down and gouged-out am I?
We begin to forget ourselves as we strain to fit into the world’s stereotypes. As a relationship grows we may begin to fill out in each other’s presence, but there are often personality pieces that are never shown, dreams never shared, hopes kept silent.
People do grow and change, but some things remain constant. The ability to feel and show joy is one of them. I think we should use it more often.
What made him so joyful on a rainy midweek morning as he drove his battered green truck through the neighborhoods of north Austin? And why don’t I look that way? I have plenty to be joyful about, but I doubt I show it. I even TRY to exude an air of busyness or distractedness when in public alone. I know it’s a shield. We work so hard to keep people out that when someone’s true emotion shines through, we are stunned. Flabbergasted. And ...jealous.
“He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away,” says the popular quote by Raymond Hull. How many whittled-down, gouged-out people do we encounter every day? And how whittled-down and gouged-out am I?
We begin to forget ourselves as we strain to fit into the world’s stereotypes. As a relationship grows we may begin to fill out in each other’s presence, but there are often personality pieces that are never shown, dreams never shared, hopes kept silent.
People do grow and change, but some things remain constant. The ability to feel and show joy is one of them. I think we should use it more often.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Smartphone insanity
Something that makes me shake my head with a “really?” is the note of origin stamped on every email sent from a smartphone. “Sent from my iPhone” “my Andrioid” “my Blackberry” “my Windows Phone!” they shout. Really?? I have never in my life gotten an email declaring the computer of origin, or a letter declaring the quality of pen.
Just imagine that in other situations:
Person 1: Have you got the time?
Person 2: Yes, it’s 3:15, provided by Rolex.
Person 1: Do you have any gum?
Person 2: Sure, here you go.
Person 1: Um...why is this gum stamped with the words “Carried by Gucci?”
Linty spearmint will taste the same no matter what brand of purse it is carried in. So why are messages sent from phones touted as the best words on the planet? It’s so absurdly narcissistic.
Thoughts? Contradictions? Other examples of smartphone insanity?
Monday, February 14, 2011
The Story of St. Valentine
Long ago, Roman Emperor Claudius II was a fierce conqueror as well as a persecutor of the Christian church. As his empire grew, Claudius needed more soldiers in his armies. He believed that many young men were not joining the army because they were afraid of what might happen to their wives and children if they were killed in battle. So, in an attempt to increase his armies, Claudius passed an edict banning any new marriages.
Valentine was a bishop in the Christian church at that time, and continued to perform secret marriages within his church. Eventually he was caught and dragged to prison. Claudius was impressed with his bravery and told Valentine that he would be freed if he declared his belief in the pagan Roman gods. Valentine refused. Enraged, Claudius sentenced him to death.
As he awaited his execution, Valentine befriended his jailer, Asterius, and his blind daughter. They came to love Valentine as he shared his faith and told beautiful stories for the blind girl. When the day of his execution came, Valentine wrote a last letter to the girl telling her to be strong in her newfound Christian faith. He signed the letter “from your Valentine.”
St. Valentine was martyred for his faith on February 14, 270 AD and has become the patron saint of love and marriage. Something to remember is that Valentine’s Day is not only a day to celebrate romantic love (eros), but also brotherly love (philo/a) and the unconditional love (agape) that God has for us.
Valentine was a bishop in the Christian church at that time, and continued to perform secret marriages within his church. Eventually he was caught and dragged to prison. Claudius was impressed with his bravery and told Valentine that he would be freed if he declared his belief in the pagan Roman gods. Valentine refused. Enraged, Claudius sentenced him to death.
As he awaited his execution, Valentine befriended his jailer, Asterius, and his blind daughter. They came to love Valentine as he shared his faith and told beautiful stories for the blind girl. When the day of his execution came, Valentine wrote a last letter to the girl telling her to be strong in her newfound Christian faith. He signed the letter “from your Valentine.”
St. Valentine was martyred for his faith on February 14, 270 AD and has become the patron saint of love and marriage. Something to remember is that Valentine’s Day is not only a day to celebrate romantic love (eros), but also brotherly love (philo/a) and the unconditional love (agape) that God has for us.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Time, part II
Today, I was able to delete my Google Doc that contained over 80 job applications. Applications that I had filled out, prayed over, stressed about and crossed off, one by one, since late last September.
Because today, I started my new job.
Yesterday, I was baptized and announced, along with Matt, as a new member of the church we’ve been attending since mid-October.
Yesterday, as I walked from the baptismal to the sanctuary, I was told I had been offered a position at the church.
Yesterday, my just re-applied mascara got smudged as I cried with happiness.
Yesterday ended a 4 month period of being unemployed, and today starts an incredible new section of our lives.
Today we get to stop speculating and start planning. Over the new few months we will attack our debt, save for Matt’s education and search for a place to live that’s closer to work and school.
New beginnings also bring endings: I have savored the time spent living with my family and getting to reconnect with my siblings after living for the past 5 years in a city over 300 miles away. I’ve enjoyed the simple pleasures of helping Mom with the grocery shopping, going on morning walks with Matt and feeding ducks in the park with Noble on a Friday afternoon. There have definitely been stresses - married and living with family isn't always easy - but it has been a wonderful time as well.
Looking back, heading forward, and ready for the adventure ahead.
Because today, I started my new job.
Yesterday, I was baptized and announced, along with Matt, as a new member of the church we’ve been attending since mid-October.
Yesterday, as I walked from the baptismal to the sanctuary, I was told I had been offered a position at the church.
Yesterday, my just re-applied mascara got smudged as I cried with happiness.
Yesterday ended a 4 month period of being unemployed, and today starts an incredible new section of our lives.
Today we get to stop speculating and start planning. Over the new few months we will attack our debt, save for Matt’s education and search for a place to live that’s closer to work and school.
New beginnings also bring endings: I have savored the time spent living with my family and getting to reconnect with my siblings after living for the past 5 years in a city over 300 miles away. I’ve enjoyed the simple pleasures of helping Mom with the grocery shopping, going on morning walks with Matt and feeding ducks in the park with Noble on a Friday afternoon. There have definitely been stresses - married and living with family isn't always easy - but it has been a wonderful time as well.
Looking back, heading forward, and ready for the adventure ahead.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Time
I must admit that I imagined this year going differently. This was the year I turned 23 on the 23rd of May, and because of that I somehow expected great things. Instead, it has been a year full of unexpected changes; some good, some bad, and a few great, nearly overwhelming disappointments.
And yet time marches on. Years come and go, accepting or declining our ambitions and dreams. A few milestones remain in this twelfth month of the tenth year of the twenty-first century, but for the most part it has played its brief yet crucial role in time.
Tomorrow my husband and I will have been married for exactly 2 years.
On the 17th I will have been unemployed for 3 full months.
On the 18th my youngest sister will turn 11 years old.
1 week after that it will be Christmas Day.
And 1 week after that we will start the year 2011...
What will it bring?
And yet time marches on. Years come and go, accepting or declining our ambitions and dreams. A few milestones remain in this twelfth month of the tenth year of the twenty-first century, but for the most part it has played its brief yet crucial role in time.
Tomorrow my husband and I will have been married for exactly 2 years.
On the 17th I will have been unemployed for 3 full months.
On the 18th my youngest sister will turn 11 years old.
1 week after that it will be Christmas Day.
And 1 week after that we will start the year 2011...
What will it bring?
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Sand searching
"While I truly do love emeralds, we could have made it on green glass!"
The above quote (and title of my blog) comes from the film Thoroughly Modern Millie, when a character tells her friend about how she first met her millionaire husband. As a lowly showgirl, she fell in love with a man she thought to be as poor as she, only to discover that his gift of jewelry was the real deal, not just a shiny fake. She married into a life of luxury, even though their love was strong enough to have taken them through a penniless life together.
A piece of smooth, ocean-tumbled glass would be a comforting object to hold. Right now I feel like I'm combing the beach searching for green glass, but all I can find are worthless shards of plastic.
Matt and I uprooted and moved across the state for a job/new start opportunity that proved to be a bust. Our dream of paying off debt and saving for a house has been flung even farther into the future as we postpone loan payments and inch towards penniless-ness yet again. Our lease on a spacious apartment near downtown Austin was barely signed before we had to give it up (we are blessed to currently be sharing space in my family's home). It's been over a month since we've had any sort of income, and it's frightening how fast our remaining resources have disappeared.
It is my desperate plea to be gainfully employed before Thanksgiving. Matt has to go back to school in January, because we cannot push that back any longer. I would love the opportunity to attend grad school sometime before I am old and gray. I would love to own a house before we have children. I would...
But that is looking to the future again, and for right now my gaze needs to be focused firmly in the present, searching for that small piece of glass that means we're going to pull through.
The above quote (and title of my blog) comes from the film Thoroughly Modern Millie, when a character tells her friend about how she first met her millionaire husband. As a lowly showgirl, she fell in love with a man she thought to be as poor as she, only to discover that his gift of jewelry was the real deal, not just a shiny fake. She married into a life of luxury, even though their love was strong enough to have taken them through a penniless life together.
A piece of smooth, ocean-tumbled glass would be a comforting object to hold. Right now I feel like I'm combing the beach searching for green glass, but all I can find are worthless shards of plastic.
Matt and I uprooted and moved across the state for a job/new start opportunity that proved to be a bust. Our dream of paying off debt and saving for a house has been flung even farther into the future as we postpone loan payments and inch towards penniless-ness yet again. Our lease on a spacious apartment near downtown Austin was barely signed before we had to give it up (we are blessed to currently be sharing space in my family's home). It's been over a month since we've had any sort of income, and it's frightening how fast our remaining resources have disappeared.
It is my desperate plea to be gainfully employed before Thanksgiving. Matt has to go back to school in January, because we cannot push that back any longer. I would love the opportunity to attend grad school sometime before I am old and gray. I would love to own a house before we have children. I would...
But that is looking to the future again, and for right now my gaze needs to be focused firmly in the present, searching for that small piece of glass that means we're going to pull through.
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