I am of course talking about Rob Bell. Rob Bell has a new book coming out March 29th, 2011. The book is called "Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived".
After the publications description was released, John Piper posted on his twitter, "Farewell Rob Bell". Then, Justin Taylor of The Gospel Coalition wrote a blog claiming Rob Bell is a Universalist and a sheep in wolves clothes. First, I want to point out the state of the obvious: the book has not even been released yet, and yet people are already up in arms over it. Therefor, we can't say if Rob Bell is a Universalist until we have read his book and it says otherwise.
Here is the promotional movie Rob Bell has made in regards to the book.
Rob Bell's book isn't out yet. So, in the end, neither John Piper, Justin Taylor, Billy Graham, George Clooney or Bono have any idea as to what Rob Bell's opinion on hell is. I mean, they have just as much right in guessing what Rob Bell is going to say in his book as Christianity has in guessing what Hell is like. That being said, based on Rob Bells video, Bell touches on an idea that I think is true: we don't have a clue.
Ya know, I find it ironic, because South Park has a unique way of portraying hell. Ironically, they have a clip portraying hell with Gandhi in it, which is what Rob Bell brings up in his movie:
Also, it should be known that in South Park, Satan is gay and in love with Saddam Husein. Oh. And priests, pastors, actors, billionaires, poor people, white people, black people, etc.; they all go to hell. Heaven is reserved for Mormons, and by the way the Mormon's act, most people prefer hell because the Mormons make heaven worse than hell (the reason why, is because Mormonism is the fluffiest, loveliest, hypocritically-nicest religious group out of them all- according to South Park).
What is my point?
Is South Park correct in their portrayal or idea of hell? While I think they have the wrong idea of heaven, in the end, who can say?
Do you know for a fact that the devil isn't gay and in a homosexual relationship with Saddam Husein? No. There is no way of knowing what hell is like.
Do we KNOW what the afterlife is like? NO. And anyone to suggest yes must be God themselves. All we know from Scripture is that heaven is to literally live in the presence of God...and hell is the direct opposite of that, which one CAN argue from Scripture that hell is a literal non-existence. Anything beyond that is just as ridiculous as South Park's portrayal or Dante's Inferno. I mean come on! Study the word hell! The actual word is only used 14 times in the whole Bible! And all 14 times, the word used is for the Gehenna Valley which is right outside of my window! Literally! I am literally living in hell based on an overly literal translation of the Bible.
And that is my point, and at least from Rob Bell's video...I think it is clear, and logical in light of Scripture: the theology of hell, and ultimately the after life is not up for us to decide for we simply do not know. We don't know what it is like, and in the end, it is not up for US to decide who is "going to hell" or not, whatever that may mean.
Therefor, and this is important, it is not a Gospel of salvation that is important for followers of God, but rather it is the relationship between anyone and God that counts. We shouldn't be running around telling people to accept Christ in order to be saved so they will not go to hell.
Rather we should be teaching people to accept Christ and hear the voice of God, so that they may know how to live life NOW-in today- for today starts eternity because the Kingdom is Here. If heaven is to literally live with God (which I can Scripturally prove is the case), then hell is very simply put, living without the presence of God.
And I know PLENTY of Christians who fall way below that line. Anything outside of Eden is hell. This world we live in now is hell.
But for me to speculate anymore than that is not OK. Scripture sure doesn't go any farther into it than that. And that is why it is the now-not the if that is important in our theology and our Gospel.
All ideas of hell are speculative, and therefor, just as ridiculous as people thinking they know what Rob Bell is going to say in his book before it comes out, and South Park saying Satan is gay. In other-words, the theology of hell is not the epicenter because it is all speculative. End of story.
When I posted this South Park video, a friend of mine told me that I did not need to post it. I asked why. He said "it is not exactly a great message."
That is exactly my point. South Park's portrayal of hell is a no better message than Christianities Gospel of repent or die. And both are NOT Scriptural.
In the end, Love really does win. And that is the point.
We need to focus on today; on living our lives now. We need to focus on the things Scripture makes overly clear on. Not things that are speculative. God tells us in His Word how to live life NOW. Sadly, most Christians ignore it. Instead, we tell people they are going to hell if they don't speak in tongues or are not following John Calvin (I have had people say this to me).
I think the Churches reaction to Rob Bell proves Rob Bell's point: Everyone is casting him out of the faith and claiming he isn't saved, and therefor going to hell, because he is suggesting that hell isn't the focus of the Gospel (and lo and behold he is Right!)-again, this is based on the movie. I don't know what he says in the book.
All Rob Bell seems to be suggesting from the video and the books description, is that we start the Gospel with today, with the present-which is a Gospel that requires life to be lived to it's fullest- verses a Gospel that requires the fear of death.
I think Christianity is ignorantly unaware of how condemning parts of its theology is to someone on the outside looking in. They accept what the Christian spitting in their face says and they say oh well. And never change because in the end, they'll just burn anyways. And that is bad when it is theology that is all based on speculation in the first place. I know this happens because it has happened to me.
I do know one thing: Yeshua did not have the ideas of hell nor the same emphasis on the gospel that Christianity does today...Scripture is clear on that.
Instead of focusing on that, He said to love God and our neighbor.
Love Wins. Live in light of that.
2 comments:
James read Matthew 25 first when it talks of sheep and goats. I think the exclusivity of Christ should be understood in a narrow gate vs. wide gate message. I think it is a part of man's ability to reason that he speculates, but when the speculation becomes doctrine rather than that which is from the Bible it becomes heretical. Rob Bell in my opinion is just as speculative if not more than those whom you are calling out. His ambiguity on major doctrines presented in the Bible is a sign of wolf-like behavior. Bell may ask questions, but most of the time in his work he leaves it at that.
As far as John Calvin goes, I think the ideas he re-presented to the Church is the gospel message. It isn't so much that you follow John Calvin, but that you realize his message was the gospel and that God's hand was leading him throughout his life.
I am surprised you like Rob bell though because he is involved in a very heretical movement known as the Emergent Church.
I will leave you with a quote by a genius known as Fyodor Dostoevsky, who through one of his characters in his novel The Brothers Karamzov makes this point about hell: "What is hell? I maintain that it is the suffering of being unable to love." I think there is truth in that and God help us to walk in love on this earth.
James,
I would be interested to hear if you've read this book yet, and what your thoughts are after reading it.
I have read it, and am less than impressed on a number of levels. The Rob Bell who I came to respect back in 2001 is not even close to the same Rob Bell we see now. It happens. Rather than defending him due to what he has said in the past, though, it may be valuable to critique what he's actually saying now. They're two completely different things.
I know you're a thinker, and that's why I write this to you, not to start a fight, of course. Although a little fight is healthy sometimes, depending on the subject.
In Christ,
Luke Allison
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