Read A Thon (June)

I heard about this book and knew there was some controversy  surrounding it and thought I wanted to see what all the hubbub was about. So I checked it out from my trusty library.

Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived  by Rob Bell

Does Love Win?

Rob Bell's style is winsome and the white space is easy on the eye, but as I expected when I started reading the book I did not agree with his theology, although there is a part of me that wants to.

Most of us have grown up with the knowledge that if you reject Jesus in this life you will not be spending eternity with Him. In a nutshell, Rob Bell suggests that is not true. It just can't be true because Love Wins. This is also called Universal Reconciliation, a term many Christians have probably never heard.  It is contrary to what the what the church has taught for 2000 years.

I can't go into his assertions and his weak arguments.  I read a book review that went through point after point that proved him wrong or weak in his points. The reviewer did an extensive job and I came away from reading it knowing that most of the points he made I was thinking while I read Love Wins. Another article I read by Carl Trueman, who I knew through my job at the church, pointed out the misuse of a quote by Martin Luther. The misquote takes away from Rob Bells credibility to use a quote accurately. It actually makes me pretty mad because I have never read anything Martin Luther ever wrote except the 95 Theses he nailed to a church door. Had I not read Carl's article I could have gone on to believe that Martin Luther believed one way when in fact all the things he ever wrote does not support Bell's point.

We rely on pastors/authors to use quotes in context and accurately and I feel Bell failed the Christian community and Martin Luther for that matter with just this one out of context quote.
Most of his use of Scripture was poorly documented as well. I had to keep looking things up to find exactly where he was getting his Bible stories or paraphrases from. It seemed more like he wants to make scripture say something its doesn't to make himself feel better about the way things are. Life isn't fair, people make choices that will effect their eternity, the results won't be pretty. We all have free will though.

I am sticking to what I have always known and what is strongly supported in the Bible. We have one life to live we need to make good choices - chose Jesus and live forever with him. I don't know what that will look like but I am guessing it will be pretty good. As for the rest of the people, like those who never heard the gospel of Jesus, God knows their hearts I trust Him to judge wisely when the Day comes.

Look for a follow up post that goes into Universal Reconciliation a little more....