Thanks to Luke Norsworthy for pointing out this post on facebook. Maybe next time they will give advance copies to John Piper, Scot McKnight, and others…or they could just realize Philip’s point that what they produced was an amazingly powerful PR machine. Greg Boyd says that Bell is not a universalist but that the book raises some relevant questions and highlights God’s love for people and His hope for the salvation for all (obviously some people will choose otherwise).
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Matt Dabbs
April 10, 2024
0 Responses
I cannot speak to what Bell wrote in his book. I can speak to the promo and it was not ok (in my mind). That combined with past statements that we have read and heard, I’m not clear what the problem is with much of the critique of Bell. I’ve understood him to be a Christian Universalist for some time now. People I know follow him because they see him as such and agree with it. Etc… I don’t track with Boyd’s statement and I don’t see the problem with folks drawing the conclusions they have.
Net – I’m not sure anything new is being said about him with or without having read the book.
Sometimes I’m not sure if it would make a difference if some people read the book or not before they make judgments because some of the people who made pre-critical judgments seem to give off the impression that anyone who does not strictly adhere to their view is to be condemned…which only reveals the narrow-minded ugly sectarian head.
k. rex – I agree with your comment. I guess my two points were (1) people are just as critical of those offering critique and (2) a good bit of what I read has been a critique of past work and the teaser video – not guesses of what the book has to say. The book teaser served as the trigger.
So first I perceive your comment as point 1. Second, while I think some are ‘pre-judging’ others I think are not. Do you disagree? Your comment leads me to think you see those referencing this book and critiquing are guilty of pre-judging.
The point I was trying to make is that some people think that there is no possibilities beyond their own understanding of the gospel and therefore their understanding becomes a narrow and rigid view from which any person not holding to their view is treated with scorn and contempt. That is one thing that seems evident in the events during the past week. I don’t have any objection to people critiquing and responding to the work of others but no one should employ vitriol in their assessment of other…for when they do, it just reveals more about the person doing the criticizing than it does about the person being criticized.
Grace and Peace,
Rex
I think it is fair to critique what they have put out in a public way but it needs to be kept to that alone. It is fine to say IF they are saying this then I believe this or that. I don’t think it is very helpful to see Christians completely blasting an entire book they haven’t read, especially one written by another Christian. We have to give people the benefit of the doubt until they prove different. What I have appreciated are people like Scot McKnight who highlighted potential issues in the discussion and took opportunity to offer insights on those things without bringing the contents of the book very far into the discussion (since they are basically unknown).
I think Scot McKnight is a great example of someone who can criticize the work of other fairly (offering both positive and negative assessments) without stooping to the unnecessary level of vitriol.
Grace and Peace,
Rex
Thank you for posting this review. I would like to request that you post even more reviews of the book as you find them, because I would like to learn more about it. Unfortunately, I found this review more than a little obfuscatory. I saw that the author had impressions about what he thought Rob Bell may have meant, but I did not get a clear sense of what Rob Bell is actually teaching about heaven, hell, salvation, the need for faith in Christ, or other important and relevant topics. If you find more reviews from those who have read the book, please post them. As I mentioned in a comment on a previous post, these topics get to the heart of the gospel and I believe they are very important.
Here is another review from someone who has read the book: https://www.challies.com/book-reviews/love-wins-a-review-of-rob-bells-new-book.
Wow…now that was a helpful review. I posted it to the blog and linked to your blog as well on it. Thanks for mentioning this!
Thanks Matt for posting the review. It would appear that Rob Bell is a polarizing fellow, whether or not he intends to be.