“Hell Loses” (book review of ‘Love Wins’ by Rob Bell)

The good – “When the gospel is understood primarily in terms of entrance rather than joyous participation, it can actually serve to cut people off from the explosive, liberating experience of the God who is an endless giving circle of joy and creativity.” I believe that this is a true assessment of western Christian culture today. We see salvation in terms of escaping hell and ignore the greater life of eternal life and fellowship with God that can start the very moment we are justified.

But unfortunately, that’s it. That’s all the good I see in this book.

I’m frustrated – I really like to find common ground and see the value in how God has wired someone and what they have to offer the body of Christ. However, God has warned us. He has told us to be aware that outsiders would “sneak” in. In Matt 7, God says, “Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves.” A key point to notice is that they are not sheep in sheep’s clothing but they are wolves in sheep’s clothing. Contrary to Rob’s desire to include everyone, they are “outside” the flock. I’m not one to raise a red flag every time a sheep says something I think is incorrect or unwise. They can be mistaken or I might be mistaken. But Scripture is clear that we are to stand against the wolves. There are those who are outside, don’t plan on coming inside and are bent on damaging everyone else.

Even as I type this I hesitate to say it but I believe that Rob is on the outside. There are several steps he takes in his book that leads me to this conclusion. However, I do want to note that he states in his personal story that he did place personal faith in Christ at a young age. That may mean that he is a believer who is gravely mistaken but means well. Let me point out the concerns I have and then leave it with you.

One, I believe he purposely mishandles scripture.

The first chapter of the book has a long list of verses taken with a quick conclusion and without looking to fully understand the verse in its context. Question after question is asked almost indicating a mockery of the scripture. (Let me say, for integrity sake, that Rob is probably trying to mock the common interpretation of the verse rather than the verse but his method is more damaging to the integrity of scripture than to the integrity of interpreters.) After looking at some verses Rob makes the following statements:

…So in the first story the centurion gives a speech about how authority works, in the second story the man praying asks for mercy, and in the third story the man asks to be remembered at a future date in time.
In the first case, Jesus isn’t just accepting and approving; he’s amazed. And in the second case, he states that the man’s words put him in better standing with God than God’s own people. And in the third case, the man is promised that later that very day he will be with Jesus in “paradise”.
So is it what you say that saves you?...
So is it about being born again or being considered worthy?
Is it what you say or what you are that saves you?

Continuing this style he says:

Then in Matthew 7 Jesus explains, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom, but only those who do the will of my Father.”
And then in Matthew 10 he teaches that “those who stand firm till the end will be saved.”
So do we have to forgive others, do the will of the Father, or “stand firm” to be accepted by God?

These questions continue but the summaries began to take more liberty in summarizing until you have a bizarre list of questions like the following from page 16:

Is it what you say, or who you are, or what you do, or what you say you’re going to do, or who your friends are, or who you’re married to, or whether you give birth to children? Or is it what questions you’re asked? Or is it what questions you ask in return?

He purposefully uses these in a way that he knows is incorrect in order to confuse and lead the reader to a frustration with common views. I say purposefully because later when he desires to make a point from scripture he will read a passage in its context, explain it based on the original audiences understanding and even with definitions and common uses of the underlying language it was translated from. He knows and calls upon proper and common sense methods of interpretation when he it supports his points.

I believe this clearly indicates a lack of integrity on his part.
He actually refers to theoretical physics (“String theory” on page 59) with more confidence than the Bible.

Two, he minimizes the central element of Christianity – Christ.

Christ’s death, burial and resurrection are evaluated in detail in the chapter entitled “Dying to Live”. Christianity has always seen this as a central component of its own personal defining character. I agreed that there is more to salvation than just escaping hell but let me be clear, the Gospel message is a message where some are excluded and others are included. The Bible makes it clear that without faith in Christ, people are unsaved and going to hell. John 3 and Romans 10 both make this clear.

A gospel that has as its chief message avoiding hell or not sinning will never be the full story. A gospel that repeatedly, narrowly affirms and bolsters the “in-ness” of one group at the expense of the “out-ness” of another group will not be true to the story that includes “all things and people in heaven and on earth.”
And then, third, the cross and resurrection are personal. This cosmic event has everything to do with how every single one of us lives every single day. It is a pattern, a rhythm, a practice, a reality rooted in the elemental realities of creation, extending to the very vitality of our soul.”
When we say yes to God, when we open ourselves to Jesus’s living, giving act on the cross, we enter into a way of life. He is the source, the strength, the example, and the assurance that this pattern of death and rebirth is the way into the only kind of life that actually sustains and inspires.

Opening ourselves to Jesus’s living, giving act on the cross sounds good but is very unclear. And as he continues it becomes clear that our message of exclusiveness shouldn’t just have more info added to explain the richness of salvation. But instead he would have us not deny anyone on the basis of whether they believe or not. Rob Bell denies that some are not included. He says that Christ’s death is about a pattern of “life from death” that we all need to live accordingly. We need to die to our selfish desires and live a life that loves. This is repeatedly presented in this chapter which conspicuously leaves out the need for a change to occur in the person. As a matter of fact, Rob Bell denies that the person will ever be changed (by faith, regeneration, or any other means other than progressively getting better – which is a works gospel).

Much of the speculation about heaven—and, more important, the confusion—comes from the idea that in the blink of an eye we will automatically become totally different people who “know” everything. But our heart, our character, our desires, our longings—those things take time.

His overall view is in contradiction to 1 Cor 15 where it says that we will be changed in the twinkling of an eye.

Rob is espousing a view that we can follow the pattern of Christ like good disciples and progressively become more both in this life and in the life to come. But worse than this heresy is the fact that you don’t even have to know Christ or have faith in the finish work of Christ to do this.

As soon as the door is opened to Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Baptists from Cleveland, many Christians become very uneasy, saying that then Jesus doesn’t matter anymore, the cross is irrelevant, it doesn’t matter what you believe, and so forth.
Not true. Absolutely, unequivocally, unalterably not true.
What Jesus does is declare that he, and he alone, is saving everybody.
And then he leaves the door way, way open. Creating all sorts of possibilities. He is as narrow as himself and as wide as the universe.

He says that Christ’s work does matter but then Rob makes it clear that basing salvation on faith alone is not true and there are other ways and religious views that can bring us to the message of Christ without personally knowing Christ. He sees Christ’s work as necessary but our response can happen outside of knowing Christ. He means that you can be saved in other ways! Which denies John 14 “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”. And in the same book, chapter 3, “they are condemned already because they have not believed.” Salvation is by faith in the finished work of Christ. It is not by any works we may do progressively or otherwise. Christ was not a pattern but He is the ANSWER and the only content for FAITH.

Rob’s view is heresy and Rob is declaring himself a heretic.

Third, he contradicts himself more times than I care to number.

He claims that God is unknowable but then tells us exactly what God’s character is like and even says that we should have nothing to do with a God of judgment.

But there is more. Millions have been taught that if they don’t believe, if they don’t accept in the right way, that is, the way the person telling them the gospel does, and they were hit by a car and died later that same day, God would have no choice but to punish them forever in conscious torment in hell. God would, in essence, become a fundamentally different being to them in that moment of death, a different being to them forever. A loving heavenly father who will go to extraordinary lengths to have a relationship with them would, in the blink of an eye, become a cruel, mean, vicious tormenter who would ensure that they had no escape from an endless future of agony.
If there was an earthly father who was like that, we would call the authorities. If there was an actual human dad who was that volatile, we would contact child protection services immediately.

He goes on to say hell can’t be defined, that heaven can’t be defined and yet later in the book he defines both.

He claims that it matters what choices you make now but then says that you can always make the choice in the future as well.

Conclusion, Rob has denied the faith if he ever believed it. He has purposely manipulated scripture, attempted to sow confusion and then developed a line of thought by redefining terms so that he has a palatable view of God if you want it but it doesn’t matter as long as you love.

I do not recommend this book. And I personally would avoid Rob Bell’s teaching until he changes his views and affirms faith alone in Christ alone is the only means of salvation for anyone. This would be in line with the straight forward, common sense, proper interpretation of scripture.