I have been reading Rob Bell's "Love Wins" and my response has been kind of a love/hate relationship. Rob Bell says some wonderful things that many Christians should affirm and there are a few things he says in regards about Hell and Salvation that will probably make them mad as well.
Bell asks a lot of challenging questions and at the end of the day, I have come to the conclusion that Rob Bell is simply stating what most of us live as followers of Jesus. So here is my rant which is trying to pull the logs out of my own eyes as I see splinters in Rob Bell's.
1. Many Christians believe in the traditional doctrine of Hell as a place of eternal punishment but they live like it really does not exist nor do they want to talk about it.
2. Which is worse, people who say they don't believe in Hell but love Jesus anyway or people who say they believe in Hell but never lift a finger to help others avoid that destination?
3. We have gone from Hell-fire Brimestone preaching to the gospel of God loves us. The gospel many of us preach every week is often more about us than God. Man has become the center in our practices even if that is not the case in our theology.
4. Every funeral most ministers preach at extends the hope of heaven. Why would people think we are not universalists because of our practices?
5. If it is all about love, why are we shocked by the lack of holiness whether that be new converts to how Christians live their lives?
6. If we can baptize and accept members into churches irregardless of people lifestyle choices, why do we try to correct people in the church later when we don't bother at the start?
7. Don't we practice a kind of once baptized, always baptized or once you said the sinners prayer, that is all that really matters when it comes to following Jesus?
Bell is simply saying out loud what many people have thought for a long time. If the basic gospel is all about 'God's love for us,' then why not love wins in the end? If it really is about US, why shouldn't God meet us on our terms?
If issues like homosexuality, divorice and remarriage is really about what is marriage, then possibly the main issues of heaven, hell and the fate of every person has to do with the question, "What is the Gospel?" Until we resolve this issue, I think many people are simply going to be talking past each other with all of our eye planks firmly intact.
Bell asks a lot of challenging questions and at the end of the day, I have come to the conclusion that Rob Bell is simply stating what most of us live as followers of Jesus. So here is my rant which is trying to pull the logs out of my own eyes as I see splinters in Rob Bell's.
1. Many Christians believe in the traditional doctrine of Hell as a place of eternal punishment but they live like it really does not exist nor do they want to talk about it.
2. Which is worse, people who say they don't believe in Hell but love Jesus anyway or people who say they believe in Hell but never lift a finger to help others avoid that destination?
3. We have gone from Hell-fire Brimestone preaching to the gospel of God loves us. The gospel many of us preach every week is often more about us than God. Man has become the center in our practices even if that is not the case in our theology.
4. Every funeral most ministers preach at extends the hope of heaven. Why would people think we are not universalists because of our practices?
5. If it is all about love, why are we shocked by the lack of holiness whether that be new converts to how Christians live their lives?
6. If we can baptize and accept members into churches irregardless of people lifestyle choices, why do we try to correct people in the church later when we don't bother at the start?
7. Don't we practice a kind of once baptized, always baptized or once you said the sinners prayer, that is all that really matters when it comes to following Jesus?
Bell is simply saying out loud what many people have thought for a long time. If the basic gospel is all about 'God's love for us,' then why not love wins in the end? If it really is about US, why shouldn't God meet us on our terms?
If issues like homosexuality, divorice and remarriage is really about what is marriage, then possibly the main issues of heaven, hell and the fate of every person has to do with the question, "What is the Gospel?" Until we resolve this issue, I think many people are simply going to be talking past each other with all of our eye planks firmly intact.
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