(What kind of) Love Wins?

A lot has been made over the last few weeks about the new book from Rob Bell, Love Wins. I'll be the first to say that I haven't read the book, but I've read a number of people who have, and what I hear doesn't really jive with what I see in Scripture, or in honest theological discourse. Maybe I'm way off, but it's worth reading some reviews and, as always, thinking about what you read. One of the biggest issues I hear about this book is that there are bold assertions made as fact, not supported by exegesis, theology or history (here's a discussion of one example). This, I fear, is not a good thing.

In any case, here's a very insightful review from Tim Challies. It's long, but worth reading in it's entireity...

Questions matter. They can help you to grow deeper in your knowledge of the truth and your love for God—especially when you’re dealing with the harder doctrines of the Christian faith. But questions can also be used to obscure the truth. They can be used to lead away just as easily as they can be used to lead toward. Ask Eve.

Enter Rob Bell, a man who has spent much of the last seven years asking questions in his sometimes thought-provoking and often frustrating fashion. And when he’s done asking, no matter what answers he puts forward, it seems we’re only left with more questions. This trend continues in his new book, Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived, where Bell poses what might be his most controversial question yet:

Does a loving God really send people to hell for all eternity?

Continue Reading...

Additionally, here's an interview between Bell and MSNBC's Martin Bashir. Now, I'll be the first to concede that Bashir is pretty hard on Bell (perhaps this could be characterized as unfair) but what bothers me more is the logical incoherence in Bell's answers.