Driscoll tweets "Rob Bell: Universalist? – Justin Taylor"!

[Alex_Smith]

(http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2011/02/26/rob-bell-universalist/) Justin Taylor"]John Piper once wisely wrote, “Bad theology dishonors God and hurts people. Churches that sever the root of truth may flourish for a season, but they will wither eventually or turn into something besides a Christian church.”

It is unspeakably sad when those called to be ministers of the Word distort the gospel and deceive the people of God with false doctrine.

But it is better for those teaching false doctrine to put their cards on the table (a la Brian McLaren) rather than remaining studiously ambiguous in terminology.

So on that level, I’m glad that Rob Bell has the integrity to be lay his cards on the table about universalism. It seems that this is not just optimism about the fate of those who haven’t heard the Good News, but (as it seems from below) full-blown hell-is-empty-everyone-gets-saved universalism.

Here is HarperCollins’s description of his next book, Love Wins: Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived.

Fans flock to his Facebook page, his NOOMA videos have been viewed by millions, and his Sunday sermons are attended by 10,000 parishioners—with a downloadable podcast reaching 50,000 more. An electrifying, unconventional pastor whom Time magazine calls “a singular rock star in the church world,” Rob Bell is the most vibrant, central religious leader of the millennial generation. Now, in Love Wins: Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived, Bell addresses one of the most controversial issues of faith—the afterlife—arguing that a loving God would never sentence human souls to eternal suffering. With searing insight, Bell puts hell on trial, and his message is decidedly optimistic—eternal life doesn’t start when we die; it starts right now. And ultimately, Love Wins.

I haven’t read the whole book yet and was hesitant to say something based on the publisher’s description (which usually isn’t written by the author). But this video from Bell himself shows that he is moving farther and farther away from anything resembling biblical Christianity:

vimeo.com/realrobbell

Update: Thanks for all of you who have weighed in. I cannot respond to each comment, so I thought this might be the best way to make a few points.

1. One of the things I get criticized for is having comments in the first place, but this is a place where you can tell me if you think I’ve done things wrong or in the wrong way. I want to be open to correction, and this is one forum by which to do it.

2. I updated a couple of things on the original post. First, I deleted “seems to” with regard to Bell’s moving farther away from biblical Christianity. Second, I changed “unambiguous about his universalism” to “lay his cards on the table about universalism.” Third, I deleted the 2 Cor. 11:14-15 reference at the end. I do think it’s important to recognize the biblical theme that false teachers look like cuddly sheep and like angels of light. But let’s wait for the book so we can see all his cards laid out on the table.

3. I have not read all of Bell’s book, though I have read some chapters that were sent to me. When the book is published there were be detailed reviews, and I will link to them. I think that the publisher’s description combined with Bell’s video is sufficient evidence to suggest that he thinks hell is empty and that God’s love (which desires all to be saved) is always successful. I should have been more careful in my original post not to imply that Bell is definitely a universalist. He may believe that some people go out of existence and are not thereby saved. The materials I have seen sound more like universalism though (note it sounds like no one goes to hell, and that the title promises to talk about the fate of everyone who has ever lived, which sure sounds like it’s the same for everyone).

4. I highly doubt that this is a mere marketing stunt or that Bell is merely asking questions or playing Devil’s Advocate. If it turns out that the full book is diametrically opposed to his publisher’s description and to the conclusions he wants you to reach in the video, I will make that clear on this blog.

5. If Bell is teaching that hell is empty and that you can reject Jesus and still be saved, he is opposing the gospel and the biblical teaching of Jesus Christ. You may think that’s judgmental to say that; I think it’s being faithful. I would encourage a careful study of 1 Timothy to see what Paul says about false teaching and teachers.

6. For those who are not regular readers of this blog and think that the perspective advocated here is totally out to lunch, you may want to check out Kevin DeYoung’s post, “To Hell with Hell,” which gives a nice brief summary on the importance of understanding the wrath of God. As H. Richard Niebuhr wrote 75 years ago, too often we want “a God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross,” Kingdom of God in America (1937), p. 193. Also see Denny Burk’s post where he seeks to answer Bell’s questions from a biblical perspective.

7. Let’s remember to pray. Rob Bell needs to know and teach the liberating gospel of grace—including that Christ absorbed the Father’s wrath on behalf of those who trust in him and repent of their sins. And there are tens of thousands of folks who look to Rob Bell as a biblical teacher and leader. May God give much mercy.

776 comments already!

[Alex_Smith]

Rob Bell trending Ike crazy on Twitter, especially after John Piper tweeted “Farewell Rob Bell”!! Big backlash against universalism But good to see some defending him and UR

[TGB]

Have to wait for the book! It did sound at one point in his video that he was questioning the idea that belief in Jesus was necessary.

Tom

[SLJ]

Yes, I definitely want to see what approach he takes. Very interesting–this is huge publicity for universalism. I hope he will describe a universalism that keeps Christ in the center–not what most think of when they hear the term!

Sonia

[JasonPratt]

I hope he will describe a universalism that keeps Christ in the center–not what most think of when they hear the term!

If he doesn’t, then this will be a huge promotional problem for Christian universalism (generally speaking), as we will be constantly accused of having the same religiously pluralistic beliefs, regardless of what we say.

[SLJ]

I found a blog post by a guy who’s read the book:

being-the-body.blogspot.com/2011 … -wins.html

Here’s an excerpt with quotes from the book:

First he articulates what ALMOST seems to be a universalist point of view:

"Could God say to someone truly humbled broken and desperate 'sorry to late?' Many have refused to accept the scenario in which somebody is pounding on the door apologizing, repenting, and asking God to be let in only to hear God say through the key hole 'Doors locked, sorry If only you had been here earlier, I could have done something but now its to late."

But he then goes on to give a brief over view of Revelation and focuses on the last few chapters. He lands with this:

"... In speaking of the expansive, extraordinary, infinite love of God there is always the danger of neglecting the very real consequences of God's love. Namely God's desire and intention to see things become everything they were intended to be. For this to unfold, God must say about a number of acts and to those who would continue to do them 'Not here you won't.'

Love demands freedom. We are free to resist, reject, and rebel against God's ways for us. We can have all the hell we want."

[roofus]

Why does the title of the thread mention Driscoll when the writer is a one “Justin Taylor”.
Thoroughly confused here!

[SLJ]

Driscoll linked the article by Taylor.

[nimblewill]

I am still amazed that so many Christians seem to want hell to be a fact. To me it says something about us as a whole. I have admitted that I am simply agnostic about the whole thing, but there is no way that I want ANYONE to burn for eternity. It seems to me that these folks don’t want love to win, they’d rather see “hate win” or “wrath win”… or do they want their “pet doctrine to win”?

[nimblewill]

But this video from Bell himself shows that he is moving farther and farther away from anything resembling biblical Christianity:

vimeo.com/realrobbell

I would really like to know which part of the video he was talking about?

[Alex_Smith]

Extra irony that Driscoll tweets this morning, “Preaching Luke #65 Lk. 15:11-32 The Parable of the Prodigal Son today. Most comprehensive work I’ve done on religion.”

[Alex_Smith]

Here is a more sensible comment on Rob Bell’s forthcoming book than some that have started to appear.
thissideofsunday.blogspot.com/20 … barth.html

From the review:

Dear Dr. Bromiley, you will no doubt remember what I said in the preface to CD IV/ 2 in the words of an eighteenth-century poem on those who eat up men. The continuation of the poem is as follows: “… for there is no true love where one man eats another.”

These fundamentalists want to eat me up. They have not yet come to a “better mind and attitude” as I once hoped. I can thus give them neither an angry nor a gentle answer but instead no answer at all.

[stellar_renegade]

Extra irony that Driscoll tweets this morning, “Preaching Luke #65 Lk. 15:11-32 The Parable of the Prodigal Son today. Most comprehensive work I’ve done on religion.”

I know it.

Driscoll is definitely not a fire and brimstone preacher although the other week he did warn about the dangers of everlasting punishment. He actually gives a very sweet picture of Christ as the shepherd or the widow who seeks us until we’re found (remember, reformed theology - also that message was today for most campuses which are delayed a week). But like, when he was talking about great rejoicing by God over a lost one being saved and related how this is his favorite part of his job or one of and began reading testimonies, he said how if one 87 year old mentioned were to be saved, how long Christ would have been seeking him.

I was so with him until that point. It’s perfectly evident that people coming to Christ is a huge source of delight for him. You know he’s passionately in love with Christ and his redemption but he just hasn’t carried it all the way through I guess. It’s a bit hard to sit still at those moments, in a manner of speaking.