I have always thought that Rob Bell was a little cheesy. I saw him preach at a Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta, several years ago before he had reached the summit of his popularity. My attraction to his work, in the past, has been due to his writing style and the probing questions that he asks. Unlike a Lucado, whose writing style allows my mind to slumber while he takes me on a spiritual journey, with Bell I have to think for myself. He is good at this. I really enjoy his challenging manner; it engages me. So much so, that I can easily look past the cheesiness.
Probably because I have watched more than twenty of his NOOMA videos and have his goofy persona engraved in my grey matter, when I read his new book I can hear the inflection of his voice with almost every word he writes.
I say all this to make, what I feel is, a very important point in the wake of so much controversy over his latest offering. Bell is not trying to be a theological pastor; that is not his quest. Bell is an artistic pastor. Where many a pastor is theological first and then artistic, Bell is artistic first and then a theologian. He expresses his faith best with his creativity. Though I have my opinion, I'm not saying this is right or wrong. I'm just pointing this out because I think it will help us better understand why there is so much controversy over this book. Bell's creativity has superseded his theology on this one.
I could follow suit with the hoards of blogs and reviews that pick apart Bell's work, thought by thought. But as I survey the internet frenzy I realize that any schmuck with even a slight hint of theological training can point out what's wrong with Bell's work. If you want that type of review from me, you will be better served with a quick Google search. I'm choosing to offer you something in this review that you won't find very many places. In a cyberspace full of people telling you what's wrong with Rob Bell's new book, I'd like to share with you what I think is right about it.
First of all, Bell dares to challenge Evangelical Theology. This is healthy. It freaks people out, but it's healthy. I like it! If what you and I believe cannot stand up to a book like Bell's then what we believe is doomed from the start. We should welcome the debate. For this reason, I challenge every well grounded Christian to read this book. If Bell can show you something from scripture that you need to think differently about, then he has edified you. If he cannot then he will strengthen your resolve.
For those of you who are on the "protect the immature believer" kick, I do not believe we protect new believers by shielding them from views that differ from the evangelical mainstream. What's next? Will evangelical churches allover this country start hosting, Love Wins, book burnings? If we are discipling new believers like we should be, this isn't a real threat.
For those of you who are on the "protect the immature believer" kick, I do not believe we protect new believers by shielding them from views that differ from the evangelical mainstream. What's next? Will evangelical churches allover this country start hosting, Love Wins, book burnings? If we are discipling new believers like we should be, this isn't a real threat.
Also, Bell points out a weakness in Evangelical Theology. This too is healthy. Evangelical Theology is only weak when we speak where the Bible does not. Evangelical thinkers are frustrated that Bell would dare to challenge their thinking on subjects like Heaven and Hell. The truth is, however, the Bible tells us very little about Heaven and even less about Hell. Someone please tell me where in the Bible it says we will go to Heaven when we die. Chapter and verse please? Go ahead, flip to your concordance and prove it to yourself...it does not. There are plenty of verses that refer to everlasting life and being caught up in the clouds, but no where does the Bible say that people will go to a place called Heaven. This highlights the weakness of Evangelical Theology. Evangelicals have treated this and other topics like it's Rague spaghetti sause; it's in there!...somewhere...right? Sorry, no its not.
If this fact startles you, shakes your faith, or causes you spiritual pause...you have just been the recipient of a theological doctrine the inaccuracy of which has spawned an insecurity within you. So, you have a choice to make. You can join the "Bell is a heretic!" bandwagon with every other chump who has more theological degrees than common sense, or you can allow your new found awareness to propel you back to scripture... so you can grow and better understand what God's word really says. Which I'm guessing was Bell's intention all along. That's his probing, questioning nature.
All that being said, I indeed found a few things in the book that I thought were off, theologically speaking. Honestly though, this is true of every Christian author I read. I'll not mention what's wrong with the book because that's not what this review is about. If you want the negative perspective it's a Google's click away. What's right about Bell's book is that it makes you think, really think. It makes you re-examine why you believe what you believe. It forces you out of your evangelical clone mode. It peals back the veneer of man made fundamentalism. It strips away those identities so that you can approach the word of God with the only identity that scripture points us toward: ...to be a follower of Jesus Christ.
If this fact startles you, shakes your faith, or causes you spiritual pause...you have just been the recipient of a theological doctrine the inaccuracy of which has spawned an insecurity within you. So, you have a choice to make. You can join the "Bell is a heretic!" bandwagon with every other chump who has more theological degrees than common sense, or you can allow your new found awareness to propel you back to scripture... so you can grow and better understand what God's word really says. Which I'm guessing was Bell's intention all along. That's his probing, questioning nature.
All that being said, I indeed found a few things in the book that I thought were off, theologically speaking. Honestly though, this is true of every Christian author I read. I'll not mention what's wrong with the book because that's not what this review is about. If you want the negative perspective it's a Google's click away. What's right about Bell's book is that it makes you think, really think. It makes you re-examine why you believe what you believe. It forces you out of your evangelical clone mode. It peals back the veneer of man made fundamentalism. It strips away those identities so that you can approach the word of God with the only identity that scripture points us toward: ...to be a follower of Jesus Christ.
