Critics Heated Up By Bell's Hell

By Cathy Lynn Grossman
USA Today

(RNS) Talk about hellfire! One of the nation's rock-star-popular young pastors, Rob Bell, 40, has stuck a pitchfork in how Christians talk about damnation.

Pastor Bell's Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived, arrived in stores Tuesday (March 15).

Critics pounced before the book was even published, provoking weeks of fierce infighting among pastors, theologians and anyone else who scans the Christian blogosphere.

In Love Wins, Bell claims:

• Heaven and hell are choices we make and live with right now. "God gives us what we want," including the freedom to live apart from God (hell) or turn God's way (heaven).
• Death doesn't cut off the ability to repent. In his Bible, Bell sees no "infinite, eternal torment for things (people) did in their few finite years of life."
• Jesus makes salvation possible even for people who never know his name. "We have to allow for mystery," for people who "drink from the rock" of faith "without knowing who or what it was."
• Churches that don't allow for this are "misguided and toxic.

"

Small wonder that traditionalists call him a false teacher of a Jesus-optional gospel, leading innocents to damnation and a traitor to the evangelical label.

In an interview with USA TODAY, Bell jokes: "I am not aware that labels are the highest form of goodness and truth." He rebuffs critics who say he presents a Jesus-optional Christianity: "Jesus spoke of the renewal of all things. He said, 'I have sheep who are not of this flock.' Through him, extraordinary things are happening in the world."

Bell's view is "that God is love, that he sent Jesus to show us that love, that love demands freedom. So making definitive judgments about other people's destiny is not interesting to me. The heart of God is to rescue everyone from everything we need to be rescued from."

It's a mercy that Bell doesn't read his press or social networks.

Justin Taylor of the Gospel Coalition, a network of traditionalist scholars and pastors, says Bell's views are "dangerous and contrary to the word of God. ... If Bell doesn't believe in eternal punishment, then he doesn't think sin is an offense against a holy God."

It was Taylor's critique last month, based on reading a few chapters, that triggered explosive arguments radiating from Christian sites to CNN. Now that he has read all 200 pages, Taylor is even more convinced of Bell's errors.

"Whether you like it or not, the Bible presents true teaching and warns against false teachers, even those who look like great people," says Taylor, digging at Bell's highly stylized videos circulating online and among churches coast to coast.

But Richard Mouw, president of the world's largest Protestant seminary, Fuller Theological Seminary based in Pasadena, Calif., calls Love Wins "a great book," well within the bounds of orthodox Christianity and passionate about Jesus.

The real hellacious fight, says Mouw, a friend of Bell, a Fuller graduate, is between "generous orthodoxy and stingy orthodoxy. There are stingy people who just want to consign many others to hell and only a few to heaven and take delight in the idea. But Rob Bell allows for a
lot of mystery in how Jesus reaches people."

Below are excerpts from Rob Bell's Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Has Ever Lived:

"A staggering number of people have been taught that a few select Christians will spend forever in a peaceful, joyous place called heaven, while the rest of humanity spends forever in torment and punishment in hell with no chance for anything better. It's been clearly communicated to many that this belief is a central truth of the Christian faith and to reject it is, in essence, to reject Jesus. This is misguided and toxic and ultimately subverts the contagious spread of Jesus message of love, peace, forgiveness, and joy that our world desperately needs to hear."

"At the center of the Christian tradition since the first church has been the insistence that history is not tragic, hell is not forever, and love, in the end, wins."

"When people say they're tired of hearing about "sin" and "judgment" and "condemnation," it's often because those have been confused for them with the nature of God. God has no desire to inflict pain or agony on anyone."

"For some, the highest form of allegiance to their God is to attack, defame, and slander others who don't articulate matters of faith as they do."

"None of us have cornered the market on Jesus, and none of us ever will."

Cathy Lynn Grossman writes for USA Today.

Comments

[skeptic406]

12:16 PM on 05/06/2011

Great book, Rob. Thanks.

[Mosaiah]

07:20 PM on 04/11/2011

Bell will believe in Hell the second he gets there.To learn more go to warnings of wrath . com .

[Alex Sloan]

09:40 PM on 04/21/2011

Haha. Wow. The ultimate evidence for the need for people like Rob right here. People like you are the problem with Christians. If I may be honest, sometimes I toy with the idea that people like you are the ones destined for Hell. I don't believe that is my place however, nor is it yours. Telling people they are going to hell is not helping them. Period. Brother, we need to share Christ's LOVE and GRACE with HUMILITY and thus be true witnesses for Christ.

[Mosaiah]

07:06 AM on 04/22/2011

I guess we should not warn people about the coming judgment and just tell them about Christ love. I guess John the Baptist, Paul, and even Jesus were wrong. Wake up dude and smell the smoke. You better repent and obey the gospel or you will smell it throughout eternity in Hell. ( warnings of wrath . com )

[cranberrysauce]

10:51 PM on 04/06/2011

There is the account given by Jesus of the man named Lazarus (Luke 16) who died and went to hell. He is allowed to see into heaven, to observe a beggar he mistreated in life on earth, who is in heaven. He pleads for this beggar to be allowed to dip his finger in water and give some to him becasue he is being tormented in flames. And the reply to this request is"

Luje 16:26 .... between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

This teaches that once you are in either heaven or hell you cannot leave--you cannot cross over to one place or another therfore you cannot repent after death. What is wrong with this pastor who doesnt know this? This story is an acutal account given by Jesus of real people, because Jesus identifies the man who is the subject of the this account by name. (Lazarus). So if he is teaching that you can go to hell and get out, he is most certainly teaching heresy.

[skeptic406]

11:49 AM on 05/06/2011

This story about a poor man named Lazarus was a parable, a made up story. In the story a rich man dies and finds himself in Hades. Here the Bible is clear, the original Greek manuscript has Jesus using the word "Hades" the Greek afterlife which is under the earth and ruled over by Pluto, the god of the dead. Do you think this is a made up story ( a parable) or does Jesus actually believe that Pluto is a god who has dominion over the underworld? Jesus tells this story not to say anything about hell but to give emphasis to social justice and the evil of serving wealth.

[Bianca Befana]

07:39 PM on 04/01/2011

What a load of b.s. I think "Pastor Bell" is laughing all the way to the bank...until of course...the bell tolls for him...then he can easily seek "forgiveness." He's almost as good as the Bakers' except I loved it when Tammy Faye cried her mascara tears! Sham-artists for the Sheeple!

[Henrik Maximilian]

02:08 PM on 03/29/2011

think pastor Bell should take time out and seek God ‘s counsel and advice.He should go on a retreat , have people pray for him and over him.I don’t know what book he ‘s been reading or who he’s been listening to .All that should be investigated . Has he been spending time in prayer and seeking God’s counsel ?As a pastor and man of God ,that should be his first priority,besides feeding the flock .He should be careful that he doesn’t turn himself into some new age guru or any some such creature .Come on Rob ! The bible was never about human reasoning or philosophy .It’s about faith . If you find yourself too smart to believe the simple biblical message it might be time to step down and avoid creating a controversy .The Gospel has to be preached and millions of people are waiting to hear it.This is no time to create confusion in the Church.Remember, a house divided can not stand.Isn't that what the enemy wants?

[kmcdermett]

07:40 AM on 03/31/2011

Human reasoning and philosophy are what give faith its backbone. Controversy is healthy and spurs growth. If you look at Christianity from a historical perspective, it has been controversy that has set it apart from many other religions. In my experience, those who criticize before actually reading the material are usually those that fear their beliefs will not withstand the test. So, they condemn the “heresy” before actually trying to understand the thoughts and opinions of others.

[Mosaiah]

12:46 PM on 03/27/2011

Hells Bells. He will certainly believe in Hell one second after God puts him there. Hell is hot especially for false prophets. Matthew 7:21-23 is applicable in this situation. Jesus said it right as always, Repent or Perish. For more info go to warnings of wrath . com.

[Plankeyes]

08:14 PM on 04/02/2011

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in someone else's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own?" - Luke 6:41-42

I have read Rob Bell's book.
I completely disagree with his understanding of heaven and hell.
That said...I am in NO position to judge this man. My guess is that you are not either.
Prayer > Condemnation.

[kmcdermett]

04:52 PM on 03/26/2011

Typical fundamentalist, if they don’t believe it, others shouldn’t read it either. Never mind that none of the people speaking out is God, nor do they have a power of attorney authorizing them to speak for him. These are the same type of people that are “Bible Blind” and never see the flaws or the inconsistencies in the Bible, even though they are so obvious to others. This is type of person that probably tells everyone that they are “pro-life”, but supports the death penalty. Everyone else sees the contradiction but them. Their favorite words and phrases are usually; heresy, I’m right, you’re wrong, and I love Jesus more then you.

[csgrela]

12:17 AM on 03/27/2011

Please send me one inconsistency in the Bible.

How can you compare the murder on an innocent life to one who has taken an innocent life and judged by a jury. The murder had a chance plead his case. Didn't he to present his case to a jury and was found guilty? Who present the baby's case to a jury?

[kmcdermett]

09:08 PM on 03/27/2011

Simple. There has be many cases in which a man on death row or after the death penalty have been executed when evidence later showed them not guilty of the crimes they were convicted for. For example, the Anthony Graves case in Texas. In addition, if one takes the stance that life is sacred, then it must all be sacred. It doesn’t matter if a convicted murder has been through trial or not. “Thou shall not kill” did not come with a disclaimer and fine print. No, it is pretty straight forward. In fact, where in the Bible did Jesus ever condone killing anything? If one is going to say they are Christian, which actually means “little Christ”, then one must act out in a Christian manner. Pro life signifies that one believes life is sacred no matter what.

[shilow]

03:24 PM on 03/25/2011

Ninetailfox says / the bible mentions hell/ grave/ sheol 31 times.
ninetailfox/ evidentily read my comment concerning hell/ grave sheol . I doubt that 31 times is correct for hell,including all the Greek and Hebrew words that mean hell. Do not feel like counting at present. "Seems like the POINT was completely MISSED as to what HELL actually is."
Most important is what hell is and what really happens after we die. I've commented on what the bible teaches hell is. And its NOT a place of torment. Some people love the bibles message of salvation and hope for the future and some hate it, and seems will say anything to try and turn others away from it. It was the same in Jesus day. Jesus was hated by many, lied about, mistreated, and died a brutal death at the hands of opposers. And why? Because he spoke the truth.
People that tear down the scriptures have nothing to offer all who are sick and dying. Romans 8: 22 "For we know that all creation keeps on groaning together and being in pain together untill now."

Yes we had no hope untill Jesus came and showed us the way out of death.

[ninetailedfox]

07:57 PM on 03/24/2011

The bible mentions hell/grave/sheol 31 times. So anyone that takes that book seriously ( I dont) should be mad. Me? I just think its time christianity falls to the ground.

[mickydean]

08:02 PM on 03/24/2011

I think the bible has misconceptions mixed with truth and it seems difficult for most people to decern what is truth and what isn't.

[ninetailedfox]

06:14 PM on 03/24/2011

Christianity is about dying to self, about containing and controlling spirituality.

A religious man goes to church, and sits
impatiently and day dreaming of fishing. A spiritual
man goes fishing, and day dreams of God. Religion runs
on guilt,fear,sin and is mind driven. Spiritualism
runs on truth, peace, and joy, and is Heart driven.
Spiritualism is a life style religion is a learned
from a book and folk lore you're born spiritual!!!!

[PeterOregon]

07:58 PM on 03/23/2011

I'm starting to think I need to get in on this racket. Who's this guys literary agent and publisher? L.Ron Gaybat was right, the real money is in religion.

[thebigbike]

06:33 PM on 03/23/2011

Will my dogs go to heaven? ( no I'm not being dyslexic here)

[dbrockx]

11:15 AM on 03/23/2011

Let's say it this way, don't buy his book. All I see here is another self proclaimed whatever, trying to capitilize or the minds of people who have questions about hell. Bottom line, whether you believe it or not, it does exist, The bible declares it isn't reserved for mankind but for the devil and his followeres. God doesn't send people to hell, people choose to go based on their conscious choice to ignore what God clearly commands in scripture. The problem is, the God of the bible is not the God in the minds of people who feel they can do and live and act any way they want

[ninetailedfox]

06:16 PM on 03/24/2011

Being christian is a choice, having it shoved down your throat since birth isnt.

[777-Signal]

02:11 AM on 04/03/2011

Very true, you do not get salvation because you were born in a christian family, no. It is fundamentally a personal choice, based on verifying facts.

[PrinceO]

03:37 PM on 03/22/2011

Didn’t say that I was right and everyone else was wrong. The truth is the truth anyhow. No one owns it its free to those who seek it, who love it. I have respect for all people but I don’t have respect for all beliefs and if you dug deep inside yourself and didn’t get all emotional you oppose certain beliefs as well. I love people, all people but I hate lies and never will except them. I don’t support false doctrine and never will. We as people need to learn how to kill and massacre ideas, not people; people are great and awesome and wonderful. Falseness is what we need to hang, shoot, strangle, blow up, bomb, annihilate of the face of the earth.

[ninetailedfox]

08:00 PM on 03/24/2011

I love people, all people but I hate lies and never will except them.

Its ironic you say this. christianity is the greatest lie ever told. Not to mention, the africans that came here were not christian. Yeah I know about "supression by religion" I just happen to be Native American. Just so you know, your ancestors were Voodou practictioners, not christians.

[Boinko]

12:12 PM on 03/21/2011

Hilarious. An author suggests God loves everyone and sends no one to hell and people are mad about this. Oh good old religion and your frothing at the mouth desire to see those who don't drink your kool aid burn for eternity in the fiery pits of hell. So loving and kind are thee.