Last night, I finished reading Rob Bell’s Love Wins. I am confirming that all the criticism is just empty hype. Quotes have been taken out of context and the message has been sorely misunderstood. There are several things that became clear as I read the book.
First, one has to read the whole thing to really grasp the meaning and intent of what Bell is saying. There is clear direction, and a spiral toward the conclusion. Reading the last chapter first makes little sense, nor does reading the first chapter and giving up. One needs the book in its entirety to make sense of the complex questions at its heart.
Second, there seems to be some general misunderstanding both of Bell and his theology and the concept of universalism. It doesn’t appear, after a thorough reading, that Rob Bell is a “universalist” in the sense that most conservative Christians mean the term. When people speak of universalism, they imply that underlying that theology is the idea that Christ doesn’t matter. If everyone is “saved” in the end, then why bother sharing the Good News? Bell repeatedly affirms throughout the book that Christ does indeed matter very much. That fear can be easily laid to rest.
Third, it isn’t the existence of Heaven and Hell that are being questioned here; it’s the particular notions about them that are common in our theology. It isn’t a denial of “reality,” it’s a criticism of our limited understanding being peddled as absolute truth.
All of that said, I am treading dangerous ground by selecting a favorite quote from the book. Towards the end, writing about the character of God, Bell says:
Many have heard the gospel framed in terms of rescue. God has to punish sinners, because God is holy, but Jesus has paid the price for our sin, and so we can have eternal life. However true or untrue that is technically or theologically, what it can do is subtly teach people that Jesus rescues us from God.
Let’s be very clear, then: we do not need to be rescued from God. God is the one who rescues us from death, sin, and destruction. God is the rescuer.*
I love that. We have this notion of God that God is “perfect” and our imperfections are going to “spoil” God’s perfect Heaven. God cannot tolerate this. But at the same time, we speak of God’s infinite love. It isn’t intentional, but it certainly does lead one to believe that God’s love is, in fact, conditional, and that we need Jesus to “smooth things over” for us. Not so! That single quote from the book opened my own eyes to my failure to really grasp how big, how amazing, how loving God really is. I’ve been living under the shadow of an angry God who stares down at me disapprovingly for all my faults and sins. I’ve been asking Jesus to make me right, fearing to direct my prayers at God because he might be mad at me. Suddenly, I’m ready to face the real God–the one who loves me, the one who rescues me. I’m ready to really let God know me, to open the door of my heart wide and let that love come in.
Are you ready?
*from Love Wins, by Rob Bell, p. 182
