Evangelism’s Urgency – Why The Rush?
“Love Wins” now has a Study Guide
A Question Many Entertain
And Some
Brave Enough To Ask
So, if Rob Bell’s Love Wins
- Wouldn’t that possibility be a good reason for people to wait till later?
- Shouldn’t people be allowed to find their own way to God without interference or intrusion?
- Must we be in a hurry or make large personal sacrifices to carry the message to everyone if time is allowed for this later?
These questions may sound impressive but they don’t hold up under scrutiny. Fleshing them out with human experience proves they do nothing to diminish the Gospel’s urgency. It gives us a different, but still very good reason, to stay evangelistically focused. For example:
- What would have been different if Hitler had heard and accepted the Gospel before he became the chancellor of Germany? Given the social/political/spiritual climate of the day, it wouldn’t take much imagination to believe some other mad man would have filled his boots had he not come to the fore but let’s assume that Hitler’s salvation would be indicative of an overall climate change for the better. I mean if the Gospel was prevalent enough for Hitler to get saved wouldn’t that be true for others also? And wouldn’t more salvations have encouraged a different outcome?
And there are other examples to consider:
- Who might still be alive if Ted Bundy had embraced Christ before his killing spree?
- How many would have avoided addiction had they been influenced with the Gospel.
- How many cases of abuse could the Gospel have averted.
- Would it still be legal to trade slaves if William Wilberforce, having been effected by the Gospel, hadn’t spent much of his life opposing it?
And more. Who knows how many lies, thefts and failures of all kinds could have been avoided if more people had been introduced to belief. No, I’m not suggesting the Gospel can create a perfectly sinless world but it does change hearts which in turn encourages the cultivation of soil in which life is bettered not battered, even if it can’t be made perfect.
But all of those questions have to do with life as we live it now, before we die. There is another very intriguing question we need to consider about the life we experience after death.
If a person can get saved after they die, how long will it take following death for him or her to reach the end of their prideful sinful selves and believe? This question addresses the issue of character. Character, good or bad, is ingrained over a long time and when it is bad we don’t easily see it. We become delusional. How long might it take for those delusions to dissolve? Read more
Rob Bell’s “Love Wins” – Review Chapter 7
“Love Wins” now has a Study Guide
Rob’s Gospel
Chapter 7
The Good News Is Better Than That
In chapter 7 of Love Wins
Everyone loves this story but interpretations are diverse. Rob’s interpretation fills the entire chapter.
The characters and themes are:
- One father and two sons.
- The father was respected, sort of, but misunderstood by both sons.
- One son, the younger, was impulsive, wasteful and self-indulgent. The other son, the older, was slavishly dutiful, arrogantly reliable but self-satisfied.
- The father is the God figure and the two sons represent different types of sinners.
Those are the obvious details. Rob makes the following observation.
There is only one story being told but each character in the story sees it differently. Rob calls these different perspectives, not sub plots, but different interpretations on the main plot. Each person puts a different emotional and spiritual spin on what was happening and it clearly reveals what’s in the hearts. Read more
Rob Bell’s “Love Wins” – Review Chapter 2
“Love Wins” now has a Study Guide
Rob’s Heaven
Chapter 2
“Here Is The New There”
Chapter 2 is the longest chapter in Love Wins
Although references to hell are included, the focus in this chapter is heaven.
Rob disagrees with the “we’re here” and “heaven is there” perspective and brings up several points to make his complaint:
- He implies that common teachings about heaven’s other-wordly bliss, hell’s torment and the ease with which one can miss heaven and be swallowed up by torment, forever, comes perilously close to traumatizing children causing them to stumble. Something Jesus gravely warned us not to do, p. 22. This, however, is not the point of the chapter.
- He mockingly mentions the popular but questionable images associated with heaven (that no one really believes anyway): white robes, St. Peter at the gate, everyone having so much fun they forget about family and friends grinding it out forever in the other place, pp. 24-25, along with images of floating on clouds, perfect hair and singing in perfect pitch, p. 57.
- A lot of what Rob says hinges on his interpretation of the interaction between Jesus and the Rich Young Ruler (RYR), Matt. 19 & Luke 18 (pp. 26-31). I’ll say more just now.
- Rob speaks of “eternal life” – or heaven as we think of it – as two consecutive ages (aions) or periods of time. The temporary one we live in now leads to the eternal one that follows. Most refer to the second one as the millennial kingdom. Rob suggests the two are inseparably connected so heaven is both now and later and it only follows that what we do in this age is important for preparing for and determining what we will do in the next, pp. 30-31
- Rob does say the second age will include all nations (p. 34), will exist on planet earth (pp. 34-35) and he points out that these ideas are well established in the Old Testament (pp. 32-33).
- Judgment and Justice will prevail in the age to come (pp. 36-39) but will be balanced by grace and mercy (p. 39), implying that grace and mercy are equally active in the next life as they are now. There will be an increase of justice not the reduction of grace and mercy.
- Later in the chapter he expands the definition of aion (age) to mean “an intensity of experience that transcends time,” p. 57. Rob’s words: “To say it again, eternal life is less about a kind of time that starts when we die, and more about a quality and vitality of life lived now in connection with God, p. 59.
- He also makes no direct reference to the eternal state, which most expect will follow the millennial age, the second aion, but he doesn’t deny it either. His mention of the gates of the new Jerusalem (Rev. 21:25) in chapter 4 – Does God Get What God Wants? – implies it.
His purpose in this chapter is to change our perspective on “heaven” and to suggest a better way to interact with it now, in this life. And the evidence that one is ready now for heaven in the next life is character, which is demonstrated not through religious ritual but through personal morals and social justice.
A Topic and Scripture Index for “Love Wins” can be downloaded for free here.
Rob is promoting the life we live outside of religious ritual but he is not suggesting it is contrary to it. A life that is mostly ceremonial offers little for the rest of the world to connect with. A well established life outside of, but in agreement with faith, is relatable and can have an evangelistic effect, the thing we are working for.
His primary arguments are based on one meaning of the Greek word “Aion,” age or period of time. He takes an accurate but very narrow approach to this particular word. Read more
Rob Bell’s “Love Wins” – Review Chapter 1
“Love Wins” now has a Study Guide
Rob’s Premise And Quandary
Chapter 1
“What About The Flat Tire?”
In his latest book, Love Wins
One question that permeates the discourse is: what does it really mean to say “God is Love” and how can we balance His love with the idea of eternal, everlasting, never ending wrath? Rob says, “What is God like?” is the recurring question throughout the book. (p. 182)
He gives us a broad sweeping statement of his focus on the cover:
A book about heaven, hell and the fate of every person who ever lived.
And in the book he asks many searching questions implying ideas that fly in the face of common understandings. But, he codifies none of them.
The book focuses mostly on when a person arrives at heaven or hell and how permanent the placement is once there. It’s mostly philosophical but Rob does include many Scriptures (134 to be exact – get an index here).
What makes his approach unusual is even though he clearly challenges our accepted beliefs he makes no statement of faith nor does he provide a systematized list of doctrines, do’s and don’t's, spiritual how-to’s or salvation formulas .
In that regard he definitely changes the rules. Read more
What Rob Bell Believes
What in the world does Rob Bell believe?
It may sound strange but that is what people are asking.
Rob, of course, is well known through his books, DVD’s and tours, at least by name, but just when you think you’re getting to know him he adds a new twist.
His latest book, “Love Wins” is a good example. It has everyone worriedly pondering or loudly condemning and the negative responses aren’t very original:
Blasphemer, false prophet, liar, wolf in sheep’s clothing and added to that are many cleverly worded headlines:
- Rob Bell No Hell
- Osama now in heaven: “Love Wins”
- Love Wins, Logic Loses
- Hell, Bell and Evangelism
- Bell’s god
…And more.
Don’t react too quickly though. These tags are used so frequently against even marginally different opinions they’ve lost their significance. You get the impression that because those words are in the Bible they must be employed loudly and often or we aren’t doing the most important part of our job.
Rob says…
For some, the highest form of allegiance to their God is to attack, defame and slander others who don’t articulate matters of faith as they do, p. 183.
But, in Rob’s case it is important to understand why these titles are being invoked. He is rethinking and rewording untouchable theological issues – heaven and hell – so he is at the top of the bad guy list. Actually he’s been the most recent and radical bad guy for a long time but, never mind the camel’s back, his last book is the bail that breaks every bone in the camel’s body.
Of course, even if Rob were all these bad things it is really quite silly to broadcast it. I never heard of Rob until a high profile preacher attacked him publicly and then I was intrigued. How could I not read his books? His DVD’s became the new forbidden fruit.
Well, once you read his books you realize that Rob is just a guy and none of the negatives apply. You might not agree with him and he is way out there on some issues but that doesn’t mean he is:
- Lost
- Liberal
- A liar
- Blaspheming
- A heretic
- Or an infidel
…Like so many people are suggesting. Read more
Tim Pepper - Beautiful Frustration