Bell's hells: Not everlasting



(Dante's Hell)

Pastor Rob Bell, in his best-seller Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived,

dares to suggest that God’s omnipotent benevolence (love) might eventually save everybody.  That “everybody” includes non-Christians, heinous sinners, dead people…  everybody.

So what’s so bad about that?

Plenty, according to a number of Evangelical Christians…  They are asking questions like these:  If Mahatma Gandhi is now in heaven, then what’s the sense of being saved by Jesus?  If “hell” is just a biblical metaphor, then why not do whatever the “hell” we feel like?

Bell has given these issues a lot of thought.  He points out that there are many different human interpretations of Jesus, just as there are many different human interpretations of the Bible.



Time quotes Bell as saying:  When we get to what happens when we die, we don’t have any video footage.  So let’s at least be honest that we are speculating, because we are.

That could be why Bell’s theology is heavily centered upon what happens in this life.  Although he believes that Jesus “was sacrificed for the sins of humanity,” he also believes that it is incumbent upon people to do good in this world.  Hell is not needed to scare people into that – the example of Jesus has been more than enough incentive for leading a righteous life.

Bell has been following his own advice.  The son of a federal judge, Bell attended Wheaton College and later earned an M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary.  (It’s interesting to note that his grades somewhat suffered while in seminary because of his innovative preaching methods.)  He has also been a musician –

first within an indie rock band, and later within a Gospel group.  He was so enthusiastically received as a preacher that he was able to found the Mars Hill Bible Church, which is now attended by thousands each week.  He was tenth on the 2007 list of The Church Report’s 50 Most Influential Christians in America.

Through his books, short films, and speaking tours, Bell’s circle has become truly international.  Beliefnet quotes him as saying:  I affirm the truth anywhere in any religious system, in any worldview.  If it’s true, it belongs to God.

Resources



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Bell

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2065080,00.html

http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/2005/08/Velvet-Elvis-Author-Encourages-Exploration-Of-Doubts.aspx?p=2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell

Copyright August 11, 2011 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved