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Hell, Rob Bell, and What Happens When People Die
Love Wins, the controversial bestselling book by Rob Bell, attempted to answer this question, which troubles nonbelievers and believers alike. Because Bell challenged traditional, orthodox Christian views of hell and the afterlife, many were left “Are his ideas as reliable and hopeful as they sound? What does the Bible really say about hell?” In Hell, Rob Bell, and What Happens When People Die, Bobby Conway, a recognized authority on Christian apologetics, brings clarity to these serious life and death issues. “Love really does win,” according to Conway, “but it’s through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Based on a thorough examination of Scripture and a careful analysis of Rob Bell’s propositions, Conway delivers a compelling and concise explanation of hell, the afterlife, and a loving God. The Everyone who believes and trusts in Christ has no need to fear the anguish of hell but can confidently anticipate the eternal joy of heaven.
64 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 24, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 27, 2011
Although this is marketed as a response to Rob Bell and Love wins it really doesn't deserve to be classified as such. Well, OK, literally it is a response I suppose. The author clearly wrote this in reaction to Bell's book but it is simply a reaffirmation of a literal and fundamentalist (for lack of a better term) view of hell. It does not engage Bell's thinking or intentions in any real way and a number of times flat out misrepresents his views.
The author insists on eternal conscious torment for the majority of humanity based on nothing more than a handful of verses and an insistence that this (and only this) is what the church has always taught. He fails to wrestle with nature of the parables that Jesus used when talking of hell or the complicated nature of The Book of Revelation. He simply quotes a verse and insists it means only what he says it means and anyone who disagrees is not basing their theology on the Bible.
This type of book will persuade no one who doesn't already agree with it and is laughable in its inability to understand the audience Bell is seeking to reach. Lastly, while the author agrees there is more to the Christian faith than who gets in to heaven the entire premise of the book is that if you don't believe in eternal conscious torment for billions and billions of people you are undermining the gospel. That the entire motivation for for preaching the gospel is to keep people from going to hell
The author may want to be humble and gracious but he is offering nothing more than turn or burn theology. I certainly hope other book seeking to engage Rob Bell offer something more than theology by assertion. You don't have to agree with Bell but this kind of response is not really worth the pixels, in my opinion.
The author insists on eternal conscious torment for the majority of humanity based on nothing more than a handful of verses and an insistence that this (and only this) is what the church has always taught. He fails to wrestle with nature of the parables that Jesus used when talking of hell or the complicated nature of The Book of Revelation. He simply quotes a verse and insists it means only what he says it means and anyone who disagrees is not basing their theology on the Bible.
This type of book will persuade no one who doesn't already agree with it and is laughable in its inability to understand the audience Bell is seeking to reach. Lastly, while the author agrees there is more to the Christian faith than who gets in to heaven the entire premise of the book is that if you don't believe in eternal conscious torment for billions and billions of people you are undermining the gospel. That the entire motivation for for preaching the gospel is to keep people from going to hell
The author may want to be humble and gracious but he is offering nothing more than turn or burn theology. I certainly hope other book seeking to engage Rob Bell offer something more than theology by assertion. You don't have to agree with Bell but this kind of response is not really worth the pixels, in my opinion.
October 13, 2013
Not the worst book on the subject by any means; I just wasn’t that impressed with. It had a lot of the usual prooftexts for the view of Hell as a place of torment. Annihilationism didn’t even come up, except in the footnotes. It had some redeeming factors, like pointing out some problems with Rob Bell’s theology in Love Wins. But it is mostly just a call to remember that Hell is real (Hell being the place of eternal torment, which is assumed to be biblical with little consideration of other views).
I also take issue with his description of Heaven in Chapter 8. It may have just been sloppy presentation, but he makes it sound as though when you die, your soul goes to the Lord, and then gets an immortal body all at once. It at least sounds like he is saying that there is no resurrection at the end of time, but rather, it happens right after you die. After telling us that the body dies but the soul goes to be with the Lord, he tells us we’ll see believing loved ones by citing 1 Thessalonians 4:17 (which is explicitly about the se4cond coming and resurrection). He then says we’ll get new bodies by citing 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, which is about the resurrection. I am assuming he isn’t actually denying that there will be a resurrection and second physical coming at the end of time, and that this was just a lack of precision. But it comes across that way, and since this part of the book is aimed at unbelievers who presumably aren’t familiar with the finer points of Christian theology, it’s a bit of an issue.
I also take issue with his description of Heaven in Chapter 8. It may have just been sloppy presentation, but he makes it sound as though when you die, your soul goes to the Lord, and then gets an immortal body all at once. It at least sounds like he is saying that there is no resurrection at the end of time, but rather, it happens right after you die. After telling us that the body dies but the soul goes to be with the Lord, he tells us we’ll see believing loved ones by citing 1 Thessalonians 4:17 (which is explicitly about the se4cond coming and resurrection). He then says we’ll get new bodies by citing 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, which is about the resurrection. I am assuming he isn’t actually denying that there will be a resurrection and second physical coming at the end of time, and that this was just a lack of precision. But it comes across that way, and since this part of the book is aimed at unbelievers who presumably aren’t familiar with the finer points of Christian theology, it’s a bit of an issue.
February 27, 2013
Pastor and author Dr. Bobby Conway, in his latest book Hell, Rob Bell, and What Happens When People Die, provides the reader with a hard-hitting yet irenic discussion of the view of heaven/hell presented by Rob Bell compared to that actually revealed in Scripture. Rob Bell's book Love Wins has sparked a maelstrom of sorts among scholars and laymen alike about how matters of eternal importance. Bell clearly avers what Conway saliently labels as a "postmortem, nuanced-purgatorial, inclusivist view of eternal destiny." Such a perspective has left many questioning not just the traditional orthodox viewpoint on matters such as heaven, hell, and salvation, but more destructively, many are questioning the words of Scripture itself. It is this broiling cauldron of confusion to which Conway efforts to engage.
Conway cogently compares and contrasts Bell's statements in Love Wins with what Scripture actually says. Bell habitually "commits the interpretive fallacy known as eisegesis (reading into the Bible one's own ideas) instead of remaining committed to exegesis (drawing out of the Bible)." Such an approach is dangerous for many reasons, most notably it twists God's word to fit current cultural beliefs rather than the timeless truths God has revealed in his word. Conway expertly draws from Scripture to counteract the deleterious impact of Bell's haphazard hermeneutics reminding the reader that Bell is actually twisting the words of Jesus himself. The very concept of a post-mortem salvation has no place in the pages of Scripture and clearly contradicts numerous scriptures to include Hebrews 9:27 which states, "It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment." Such a clear cut scripture leaves one scratching their head in an effort to ponder where Bell derives his "postmortem, nuanced-purgatorial, inclusivist view of eternal destiny" from. It is obvious as Conway rightly notes, "Bell's interpretive grid seems based in a stream of consciousness rather than in any foundational methods of biblical study."
While Conway's work is a mere 58 pages in length of actual discussion, its brevity is more than made up for with its honest, biblically based approach to one of today's challenging issues of conversation for the church. There are certainly more lengthy tomes available on the market that can provide the expositor of scripture with more in-depth analysis of this subject matter. With that said, Conway's effort does not in any way lack in scriptural insight, purpose, or exegetical rigor. This book is in keeping with Conway's One Minute Apologist website and YouTube video collection in that it provides those who interact with his works a terse, yet solid overview of the topic at hand. To this end, Hell, Rob Bell, and What Happens When People Die should be a part of every believer's toolbox, especially if you interact with those who have been influenced by Rob Bell's borderline heretical book. Conway clears up the muddied waters on heaven, hell, and salvation thankfully reorienting the discussion back where it belongs....in the pages of Scripture. Let us remember this brilliant statement by Dr. Bobby Conway as we interact with a world spinning out of control: "In a culture that has lost sight of the urgent message of Jesus Christ, we must follow in the footsteps of blood-spilling martyrs and get the message out concerning the fate of humanity at all costs." We must never forget that Jesus wins and God's justice will prevail!
I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 <[...]> : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
Conway cogently compares and contrasts Bell's statements in Love Wins with what Scripture actually says. Bell habitually "commits the interpretive fallacy known as eisegesis (reading into the Bible one's own ideas) instead of remaining committed to exegesis (drawing out of the Bible)." Such an approach is dangerous for many reasons, most notably it twists God's word to fit current cultural beliefs rather than the timeless truths God has revealed in his word. Conway expertly draws from Scripture to counteract the deleterious impact of Bell's haphazard hermeneutics reminding the reader that Bell is actually twisting the words of Jesus himself. The very concept of a post-mortem salvation has no place in the pages of Scripture and clearly contradicts numerous scriptures to include Hebrews 9:27 which states, "It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment." Such a clear cut scripture leaves one scratching their head in an effort to ponder where Bell derives his "postmortem, nuanced-purgatorial, inclusivist view of eternal destiny" from. It is obvious as Conway rightly notes, "Bell's interpretive grid seems based in a stream of consciousness rather than in any foundational methods of biblical study."
While Conway's work is a mere 58 pages in length of actual discussion, its brevity is more than made up for with its honest, biblically based approach to one of today's challenging issues of conversation for the church. There are certainly more lengthy tomes available on the market that can provide the expositor of scripture with more in-depth analysis of this subject matter. With that said, Conway's effort does not in any way lack in scriptural insight, purpose, or exegetical rigor. This book is in keeping with Conway's One Minute Apologist website and YouTube video collection in that it provides those who interact with his works a terse, yet solid overview of the topic at hand. To this end, Hell, Rob Bell, and What Happens When People Die should be a part of every believer's toolbox, especially if you interact with those who have been influenced by Rob Bell's borderline heretical book. Conway clears up the muddied waters on heaven, hell, and salvation thankfully reorienting the discussion back where it belongs....in the pages of Scripture. Let us remember this brilliant statement by Dr. Bobby Conway as we interact with a world spinning out of control: "In a culture that has lost sight of the urgent message of Jesus Christ, we must follow in the footsteps of blood-spilling martyrs and get the message out concerning the fate of humanity at all costs." We must never forget that Jesus wins and God's justice will prevail!
I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 <[...]> : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
August 9, 2011
We live in a time when the Bible is constantly coming under scrutiny and overwhelmingly misconstrued to fit personal agendas and ideals. The most recent doctrine to come under attack has been the long-held view among Christians regarding the issue of Hell. Prompted mainly by the recent release of Rob Bell’s newest title, Love Wins, this issue has become a hot topic and source of grief to orthodox Christianity. As this book rose to the bestseller’s list, it became more and more evident that a future generation could be led astray by the popular influence of Rob Bell and his recent views presented in a carelessly researched and unscriptural fashion.
Bobby Conway, a Christian apologist, takes Rob Bell’s views, along with the scriptures Bell twisted to derive those views, and shows readers not only a strong defense for the orthodox view of Hell, but the fatal way Rob Bell easily manipulates in his book, Love Wins. Divided into three sections, Bobby Conway engages readers in three main issues: Hell, Rob Bell, and what happens when people die. Thus we have his release of Hell, Rob Bell, and What Happens When People Die.
When I picked up this book, I didn’t know what to expect. While Rob Bell’s recent views upset me, I decided ahead of time I would not purchase Bell's book. I did, however, keep a close eye on the reviews and buzz discussed in Love Wins. Lucky for me, Bobby Conway presents his material in such a way that one does not have to have read Bell’s book to follow along with Hell, Rob Bell, and What Happens When People Die. In addition, the arguments and thoroughly researched scriptures Bobby Conway presents are strong and convincing to defend orthodox Christianity.
The second part of the book is more or less a giant review on Rob Bell’s book. While it may seem overly critical this part of the book is much needed as Conway points out the flaws in Bell’s arguments, leaving behind a trail of Scripture that leaves no room for doubt in reader’s minds that Bell has not only left Orthodox Christianity behind, but that there is no room in Orthodox Christianity (or Christianity at all, for that matter) to embrace Bell’s views.
When Love Wins first released, I followed many bloggers who reviewed the book. Most of them took Conway’s position and showed the flaws in Bell’s arguments. Many of the arguments those reviewers presented are the same ones Bobby Conway presents. For that very reason, I didn’t find this book particularly helpful. However, if you didn’t follow in-depth reviews that presented arguments against Bell’s theology, then this book is definitely for you. He also provides resources to additional information on certain topics, as well, which I did find very helpful.
As a book, I can’t recommend one higher than this one to counter Bell’s views. This book is great for churches and small bible study groups as well. I believe it’s important for every Christian to study this issue so we can be prepared to counter the theology Bell has presented to our generation. Hell, Rob Bell, and What Happens When People Die will be able to help you present evidence to the new ideas floating around.
**I received a complimentary copy of this book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
July 29, 2011
Rob Bell has started a small cottage industry in the number of books that have responded to him. Tim Challies and Kevin DeYoung were among the first full reviews, we then had the first book response by Mike Wittmer and now this by Bobby Conway. Others recently released include God Wins by Mark Galli and Erasing Hell by Francis Chan.
Many of the responses on blogs and twitter were knee-jerk responses. This brief book is more nuanced. Bobby Conway, the One Minute Apologist, realises that Bell is not a full-blown universalist. He describes him as holding a 'postmortem, nuanced purgatorial, inclusivist view of eternal destiny'. Such a view is also held by Clark Pinnock, John Polkinghorne, Gabriel Fackre - who prefers the term 'Divine perseverance' - and Donald Bloesch (at least according to Fackre) and by Marcion and Schliermacher; some have even suggested that Augustine held this view.
Conway provides a helpful critique of Bell's view of hell, but falls into the trap of polarising the many views of hell into two camps: what he calls the traditional view - that unbelievers will suffer eternal conscious torment - and Bell's more liberal view. He doesn't seem to realise that there are others biblical views, or if he does, does not consider them. Annihiliationism is never mentioned, for example.
The 'whatever happens when people die' - is only a discussion of the final fate, there is no discussion of what an intermediate state, if indeed one exists, might look like. His view of heaven is rather platonic. At least Bell avoids that. Conway writes: 'time does not exist in eternity. Eternity is a timeless reality that knows no end' (kindle loc 293).
Bell's approach is a soft target. His version of evangelical universalism is not well thought out. A more rigorous approach has been taken by Brad Jersak, Thomas Talbott, Jan Bonda and Gregory MacDonald (aka Robin Parry). Those who are unhappy with evangelical universalism would do better to look those views rather than Bell's popularisations; however, that might not sell as many books!
The book is accessible and well written and it is written with a passion. Conway sees hell as God's idea, it is no laughing matter, he sees it as an eternal lodging place, a place of conscious torment, he is certainly not embarrassed by the doctrine of hell and is not intimidated by 'a tolerance-based society' that has infiltrated the church. He understands Bell's position and provides a good defence of the so-called traditional view of hell. He writes with the heart and motivation of an evangelist. Watchman-like he warns the unwary of the unfortunate consequences of accepting Bell's argument if Bell is wrong.
Disclosure: this book was supplied by the Waterbrook Multnomah blogging for books program. The views are my own.
Many of the responses on blogs and twitter were knee-jerk responses. This brief book is more nuanced. Bobby Conway, the One Minute Apologist, realises that Bell is not a full-blown universalist. He describes him as holding a 'postmortem, nuanced purgatorial, inclusivist view of eternal destiny'. Such a view is also held by Clark Pinnock, John Polkinghorne, Gabriel Fackre - who prefers the term 'Divine perseverance' - and Donald Bloesch (at least according to Fackre) and by Marcion and Schliermacher; some have even suggested that Augustine held this view.
Conway provides a helpful critique of Bell's view of hell, but falls into the trap of polarising the many views of hell into two camps: what he calls the traditional view - that unbelievers will suffer eternal conscious torment - and Bell's more liberal view. He doesn't seem to realise that there are others biblical views, or if he does, does not consider them. Annihiliationism is never mentioned, for example.
The 'whatever happens when people die' - is only a discussion of the final fate, there is no discussion of what an intermediate state, if indeed one exists, might look like. His view of heaven is rather platonic. At least Bell avoids that. Conway writes: 'time does not exist in eternity. Eternity is a timeless reality that knows no end' (kindle loc 293).
Bell's approach is a soft target. His version of evangelical universalism is not well thought out. A more rigorous approach has been taken by Brad Jersak, Thomas Talbott, Jan Bonda and Gregory MacDonald (aka Robin Parry). Those who are unhappy with evangelical universalism would do better to look those views rather than Bell's popularisations; however, that might not sell as many books!
The book is accessible and well written and it is written with a passion. Conway sees hell as God's idea, it is no laughing matter, he sees it as an eternal lodging place, a place of conscious torment, he is certainly not embarrassed by the doctrine of hell and is not intimidated by 'a tolerance-based society' that has infiltrated the church. He understands Bell's position and provides a good defence of the so-called traditional view of hell. He writes with the heart and motivation of an evangelist. Watchman-like he warns the unwary of the unfortunate consequences of accepting Bell's argument if Bell is wrong.
Disclosure: this book was supplied by the Waterbrook Multnomah blogging for books program. The views are my own.
February 1, 2016
It may be the title of my post bringing you here. I'm sure the word 'Hell' and Rob's name do a better job of that than calling this post 'A Book I Read'. However, I must let you know that I have not read Love Wins by Rob Bell. It's not that I didn't want to. It's not that I read a bad review and made up my mind from that. I just didn't...or haven't yet.
What I have read is Bobby Conway's Hell, Rob Bell, and What Happens When People Die. As I said recently here, it makes a bit uncomfortable when people appear to be attacking someone instead of merely presenting their own viewpoint. So I imagine that Rob Bell may not appreciate the focus of this book. (Then again, maybe Hell and the people who die don't appreciate the focus either.)
I thought Conway did a good job of presenting the subject in a fair manner. He quoted from Bell's book several times. Then he presented his case using many scriptures from the Bible. It was a compelling argument, one that I happen to agree with. To be completely fair, since I have not read Bell's book, Conway could be accused of pulling quotes out of context. Somehow I doubt this is true.
I believe that Conway did a great job in presenting the argument in a manner that disagrees with Bell's stand but does not demean the person. He presented his case in a manner that was easy to follow and will be easy to reference. He also added video links at the end of each chapter to make this conversation easy to continue. Since Conway's book is on the shorter side, that is a very helpful addition for those who desire more.
I would recommend this book for any and all who want to be well informed on very important teachings of Jesus. After all, your life depends on it.
My good friends at Waterbrook Multnomah provided me a free copy on my Kindle. They asked that I review the book but did not coerce me to say nice things. You can buy a copy for yourself at http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/
What I have read is Bobby Conway's Hell, Rob Bell, and What Happens When People Die. As I said recently here, it makes a bit uncomfortable when people appear to be attacking someone instead of merely presenting their own viewpoint. So I imagine that Rob Bell may not appreciate the focus of this book. (Then again, maybe Hell and the people who die don't appreciate the focus either.)
I thought Conway did a good job of presenting the subject in a fair manner. He quoted from Bell's book several times. Then he presented his case using many scriptures from the Bible. It was a compelling argument, one that I happen to agree with. To be completely fair, since I have not read Bell's book, Conway could be accused of pulling quotes out of context. Somehow I doubt this is true.
I believe that Conway did a great job in presenting the argument in a manner that disagrees with Bell's stand but does not demean the person. He presented his case in a manner that was easy to follow and will be easy to reference. He also added video links at the end of each chapter to make this conversation easy to continue. Since Conway's book is on the shorter side, that is a very helpful addition for those who desire more.
I would recommend this book for any and all who want to be well informed on very important teachings of Jesus. After all, your life depends on it.
My good friends at Waterbrook Multnomah provided me a free copy on my Kindle. They asked that I review the book but did not coerce me to say nice things. You can buy a copy for yourself at http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews