Review of Rob Bell's Love Wins: Final Chapters & Overview

Review of Rob Bell's Love Wins: Chapter 7
By: Justin Ahlgrim

CHAPTER 7 - THE GOOD NEWS IS BETTER THAN THAT


*Bell takes the prodigal son story and uses it as an allegory for his perspective on heaven and hell. His big conclusion he wants us to take home is that "Hell is our refusal to trust God's retelling of our story." God has a different perspective on our lives and on our worth than we usually do. It's an interesting thought. The allegory is a far stretch from the original meaning of the text, but it's interesting nonetheless.

*Bell tells his own little story of a teen who gets in a car accident and dies. Bell asks the reader something along the lines of, "Does God switch gears, become someone totally different when you die?" Meaning that during this boy's life God is trying to love him love him love him, and then he dies and God suddenly sends the boy to eternal torment into hell like some crazy angry tyrant?! As Bell asks, what would we do if a real father (instead of a heavenly father) switched gears like that on their son?! We'd call the authorities! I suppose to answer this question you would have to ask Bell where he feels like every non-Christian is in their standing with God.
--if we are not a Christian, are we an enemy of God or not? (Rom 5:10, sermon by Jonathan Edwards)
--if we are not a Christian, are we considered dead to God due to our wrong actions and flawed human nature? (Eph 2:1)
--the scariest question of all: In God's eyes, do we deserve Hell?
This I believe is the key question. Because much of Bell's perspective is a human one, of what is fair if we compare ourselves to each other as people. Because if we don't deserve Hell then of course, we should all embrace Christological Universalism. It would make sense that if we didn't deserve it, God wouldn't dish it out.
It's understandable to compare ourselves with others and hereby think we don't deserve Hell. I know I'm certainly no murderer. I'm generally a pretty nice person. If I were like many non-Christians i've met, I'm sure I'd go as far as to say, "I deserve Heaven." But when we compare ourselves to a holy God. A God who is perfect. Who demands justice. Then I think we find that we all fall short. Very short of God's standard (Rom 3:23). I would wager to say that if Rob Bell felt like as sinners we deserve Hell, Love Wins would never be written the way it was.

*Bell talks about his frustration with the current church, that we are often preaching a gospel of entrance  (say this and be saved and that's it you got your ticket to heaven!) . But we are not preaching a gospel of participation (where we ask questions about the Christian life, where we learn & share together). And that is a real and huge problem. Because the good news is better than just "get saved." Bell's totally right on with that.

CHAPTER 8


*Bell says that each one of us is "endlessly invited to the love of God." And when he says endlessly, he means endlessly, even past death. According to Bell, if you refuse to believe in Jesus, you won't suffer torment eternally. Because when Jesus speaks of judgment, in every context its not about eternal hell (!), it's simply about "missing rewards, celebrations, and opportunities" in this life right now. Really? Of all the excuses Bell makes in his book, this one seemed like one of the biggest stretches to me.

OVERALL REVIEW

If there's a redeemable purpose to reading the book Love Wins, I would have to say that its a book that makes you think about heaven, hell and the fate of every person who ever lived. So in Bell's eyes, this book might be a success to me, because the book does make you think.

On the flipside, the reasons the book makes you think aren't necessarily ideal or noble. The real reason Love Wins makes you think is because Bell makes broad theological strokes without apologies. Bell sites Scripture as proving things you've never thought they proved. He says statements that could be blasphemous or completely innocent depending on how you interpret them. Bell insists this book is a book of answers to his probing questions, but the answers are so questionable themselves, its doubtful anyone would stop where Rob Bell's conclusions come to a close.

It is definitely a book for our time. It is a book for right now. Because the book develops and proposes an eschatology that is ripe for today's itching ears of acceptance, coexistence, and spiritual apathy. It makes all the excuses you could ever look for and all the ammo you would ever need to be cynical towards the common interpretation of heaven and hell in our churches.

Bell makes you think, but the price of believing his words would be too costly to the pages of my Bible, and not costly enough to the price of what it means to answer Jesus' call: "Follow me."

Bell insists that his version of the gospel is "a better story." Maybe it is. It's got an "It's A Wonderful Life" ending to it. The bad guy gets off scott-free, everyone's happy in the end. And I think part of me would even like to believe its true. It would be a load off of our shoulders, wouldn't it?

But that's not the question we need to ask, is it? The question isn't, "Is it a better story?" The question is, "Is it true?"

And then its our turn to decide.