Thoughts about "Love Wins" Part 1

This is the first of two posts about Rob Bell's controversial new book, "Love Wins." I read the book with pen in hand and my Bible next to me. While I typically mark up books that read with comments, rendering many in library unlendable, my copy of the book is truly beyond hope. I am thankful that Bell wastes so much page space when he writes because I used most of it with my own thoughts. Rather than relate every thing I agreed with or disagreed with, I am simply giving two posts about thoughts that I am left with as a result of the book. If you, the reader, have specific questions about particular parts of the book, please feel free to post a response and I will share from my thoughts and writings, if in fact, I had any concerning the section in question. For what it's worth, although I am well aware of the many criticisms that exist, I have read little of the responses concerning Rob Bell or this book in particular. These thoughts are my own and not influenced by any "expert" telling me what I should think.

For this first post, I am stating simply the five big disagreements I had with the book, ignoring the temptation to give specifics because this would turn into a very long series of posts if I did so. Again, if you would like particulars of why I state what I state, don't hesitate to respond.

My big 5, in order of what I consider to be most important are:

1. The book as a whole seems to ignore the Holiness of God. The most powerful spiritual reforms that happened among the people of God in our history and throughout the Bible, have come through man's awakening to all that God truly is, which is at once beautiful and terrifying, causing man to immediately sense the weight of his sin and desperate need for God's grace and power. "God is love" is true but this is not the same as saying love is God. Love can be defined by God but God cannot be solely defined by love, at least not our human understanding of the word. Ultimately, it is not love that wins but God. He is the point. We are not. According to the scriptures, His thoughts and ways of God are not like our thoughts and ways. It is futile to explain all of life away as being "safe" and submerged in our understanding of what love is or should be. For anyone who has suffered in this life, that does not even ring true. The scriptures actually speak of God using evil for his purposes time and time again. There is far more to "love" than our safety and exaltation of the free will.

2. The book can easily leave the reader with an impression that it is never to late to repent & turn to Christ. One can possibly do so even after death. I have done my own in-depth study on heaven and hell and it is true that much of the Evangelical teachings on these subjects lacks the mystery and purposeful vagueness that the scriptures leave us with. Some teachings of scripture that were written as liquid and were debated for centuries, have become, during the modern era - concrete. I do not think we do God any favors when we declare with absolute certainty what is not absolutely certain in scripture. However, how Bell arrives at the possibility that man can turn to Christ after death scripturally, seems weak at best. To leave people with such an assumption based on an unstable foundation is dangerous and even careless.

3. "Love Wins" paints a picture of hell that is far closer to the teachings of purgatory, than a place that exist forever. If forever does not mean forever, as Bell suggest, then neither does the love of God endure forever as the Hebrews wrote in praise to God, but it lasts instead for a season. And this one thought just scratches the surface of the problems his interpretation suggests concerning "forever."

4. Although Bell alludes to the exclusive nature of the gospel on one hand, he mostly negates the thought with the idea that all people will be reconciled to Christ, regardless of what religion they follow or whether of not they call on the name of Christ. Much of the scripture that is used to build this idea is taken out of context, in many cases, ignoring the very next verse. It is true that Christ has opened the way to all people, but to suggest that this way is so wide all will go in it, no matter what direction they are headed, ignores too many teachings in the Old and New Testaments.

5. Beyond his premise that "love wins" Bell does not seem to have any firm footing in the end on much of anything. The book raises questions that go unanswered. I love good questions and personally believe the tension that exist in deep questions is where we often find God because in those time, we cannot lean on our own intellect. I am also in agreement with recapturing the mystery of God and the scripture, as our boxes have been way to small. Yet, there are some mysteries that we must now proclaim (Col 1:25-28/4:3-4). When Bell attempts to answer some questions raised in the book, he seems to contradict those answers in other sections, making him appear to be double-minded.

Now, before you peg me as being totally against Rob Bell or even this book, you will need to read my next post, which I feel is more important than this one.