love wins, by rob bell

This is one of those few books that I literally have to get up and walk around to diffuse my pent-up frustration after every couple of pages.

Rob Bell is so slick with words. He is by far one of the best communicators that our generation grew up listening to...anyone remember the Nooma videos? But, being an excellent communicator doesn't equate to being the leading expert on God and His plan for redemption.

The artistic, creative part of his personality comes out strong in this book as he does extremely well in appealing to our feelings. Of course, who wouldn't want "love to win?" That so catchy and appealing to everyone with a beating heart. The way he makes you think he is addressing all the skeptic's questions ("At this point another voice enters the discussion - the reasoned, wise voice of the one who reminds us that it is, after all, a story.") gives us an idea that he is presenting the whole picture. As if Bell is the humble one in the discussion - please! He basically has me so fired up because he is pretty much appealing to every reader with this thesis....

I (Rob Bell) am so sorry that you have had to sit under a pastor who fed you the toxic idea about God being a God of wrath (because of His absolute holiness!!!) and a God of love....the wrath part just doesn't line up with my book title, "Love Wins," and it really isn't the message that people in our generation want to hear or that feels right (because we should always go with our feelings instead of truth, right?!). Don't you think it would be better if in the end, God's love conquers His wrath so that everyone ends up getting to experience heaven? Wouldn't that be a nicer, more loving story? Does is really make God glorious that people spend eternity in hell? Let me (Rob Bell) tell you that I've got it all figured out and it is just what you've been wanting to hear. "

The arrogance that he tries so hard to mask in his onslaught of "innocent" questions is unnerving to me. And don't be fooled - remember, he is a master-crafter of words - everything he says, including his innocent questions, is there for an intended purpose.

OK...I've paused my ranting and continued reading...now I'm on pg. 46 and I'm fired up again after only reading two pages by this quote...

"If you believe that you are going to leave and evacuate to somewhere else, then why do you do anything about this world?"

Again, I'm sad by this. I know he knows his history well...why didn't he talk about all the Christians (who do believe in literal heaven and hell and God's wrath/God's love and pre-destination and God's absolute holiness and sovereignty) in our history who have spent their lives trying to relieve suffering? I think about our Agape Pregnancy Center and Round Rock Serving Center, right here in Round Rock, who are Christians who believe they will one day die and go to heaven, yet they spend their everyday taking care of the people in our city who are suffering. My husband, who I watch everyday pour over the Scriptures so that he can correctly handle the word of truth (2 Tim 2.15), is one of those pastors that Bell basically apologizes for...do you understand why I'm taking this so personally? He is attacking so many men, including my husband, throughout 2,000+ years of church history, and saying basically, that they had it all wrong.

Speaking of church history, I love how he tries to make readers think that his teaching isn't radical...he wouldn't want you to put him in the category of "false teachers." So...he leads us to think that he is just simply following in the steps of orthodox, Christianity and not departing from what has literally been passed down for 2,000+ years - as he says in the preface, he's just "introducing you to the ancient, ongoing discussion surrounding the resurrected Jesus in all its vibrant, diverse, messy, multivoiced complexity." Yes, thank you Rob Bell, for keeping the ongoing discussion alive. It's because of people like you throughout history that have challenged the orthodox, Christian body of believers to clarify what we hold true and what is false teaching. I wonder why he didn't include 2 Peter 2 in his preface....

"But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who brought them-bringing swift destruction on themselves...For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment, if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood of its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness......if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment."

I'm going to stop now and send you to my husband's blog for his review...which I'm sure is holier than mine ;-) here's the link - go read it! www.gospelrenewal.com.