Rob Bell Stirs Wrath With His Views on Scripture

sermonindex Mar 6, 2011

A new book by one of the country’s most influential evangelical pastors, challenging traditional Christian views of heaven, hell and eternal damnation, has created an uproar among evangelical leaders, with the most ancient of questions being argued in a biblical hailstorm of Twitter messages and blog posts.

In a book to be published this month, the pastor, Rob Bell, known for his provocative views and appeal among the young, describes as “misguided and toxic” the dogma that “a select few Christians will spend forever in a peaceful, joyous place called heaven, while the rest of humanity spends forever in torment and punishment in hell with no chance for anything better.”

Much of the book is a sometimes obscure discussion of the meaning of heaven and hell that tears away at the standard ideas. In his version, heaven is something that begins here on earth, in a life of goodness, and hell seems ...

sermonindex Mar 6, 2011

Rob Bell is an Idolator and a false lying teacher through and through.

He is an idolator because he has created a false God to fit his own mind.

Lying teacher because he teaches opposite of what God, Christ, and the Apostles taught about Heaven, Hell, Judgement etc.

This man is a wolf in sheeps clothing.

As I was reading Gregs post Good Morning America was doing a report on this. Some female Pastor was on there agreeing that God would not create a Hell.

L

Lysa Mar 6, 2011

Has anyone on SI actually read this book? Do we not realize that most likely the WHOLE blogosphere that is up in arms over this book has not read it either?????? I haven’t read it (yet) and I’m not going to jump to conclusions and crucify the guy (with the rest of the blogosphere) over a book that I’ve not read. That’s ONLY common sense, folks.

Now, what I have done is to research the book from someone who has actually read it!! Tom Batterson...

I HAVE READ THE BOOK!
As a book seller I received an advanced pre-pub review copy. The author does go in the direction that this well known preacher claims. But, he once again does it to cause us to ask serious questions, to dig deep and wrestle with our beliefs.
First he articulates what ALMOST seems to be a universalist point of view:

"Could God say to someone truly humbled broken and desperate 'sorry too 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 it’s too 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."

I certainly hope all those who saw fit to re-tweet this garbage tweet an apology after they calm down and get a chance to actually read the book.
http://being-the-body.blogspot.com/2011/02/love-wins.html
When I say he lands on solid orthodox ground I don't mean this has been some sort of bait and switch and he ends up just agreeing with the neo-Calvinists (As Julie Clawson points out there is a sometimes huge difference in evangelical orthodoxy and Christian orthodoxy). What I mean is he always uses The Bible as his reference point, He does not end up saying Jesus was a space alien or some other ridiculous thing. To put it more simply I can not find anything in this book that contradicts the Nicene Creed (though again I'm sure there are scores of folks who will disagree).
...He (Rob Bell) avoids buying into the traditional narrow views on both sides and delves into scripture, inviting the reader to question, explore, and make their own judgments.”
http://being-the-body.blogspot.com/2011/02/love-wins-redux.html

God bless,
Lisa

(edit: I realize I might be wrong about the book, but my hearts desire is that I do not contribute to ignorantly tar and feathering the man. It seems like there is a gang-mentality out there in internetland to jump onto anyone who disagrees with our view of the gospel.)

M

Miccah Mar 6, 2011

Lysa. I have read RB's book "Velvet Elvis". If his new book is like his old, then the blogosphere is correct.

There have been two books that I have ever wanted to throw away after I was finished reading them. And I have read a WIDE range of books. The first was "The Shack", the second was "Velvet Elvis". Both promote heresy.

Maybe RB will suprise us. If so, I will be the first to appologize in public. Until then, RB is to be marked as what he is... a wolf.

J

JoanM Mar 6, 2011

Compromise? Double-speak? How long does it take to forget Paul Washers message, Ten Indictments (I say this to those on SI that found meat in that message)?

Maybe you can hear it in Isaiah 36, where an Assyrian field commander gives eight arguments for Jerusalem to surrender. This idolater speaks in the language that all the people of God understand. He even says what Isaiah said previously (Yahweh sent him).

Or maybe you can here it in the slow reasoning in this video: http://www.worldviewweekend.com/worldview-tube/video.php?videoid=4429 PLEASE set aside the WHO that is being talked about in this video and listen to the HOW this is being done.

These speakers and writers do not get it that the God they speak of is the Lord God Almighty.

And it is like the readers of these people have forgotten what sophistry is like, have forgotten who invites men and women to question and make their own decision. The book to read and examine yourself with is the Bible, the Word of God.

Who here is proud of themselves over how Todd Bently was discussed, or The Shack. How long does it take to discern whether this view of the gospel fits the Bible view of the Gospel?

It seems I am a bit grumpie today.

sermonindex Mar 6, 2011

lysa, just a reminder this is not about a book that we have not read yet. My post is based on his previous sermons and works.
The previous works and sermons etc. point to the logical result, compromise and denial of basic teachings of our Lord and His Apostles.

sermonindex Mar 6, 2011

oh for want of a stout oak stake drove securely into the ground, and a coil of thick rope, a pile of dry oak brush, and some bitumen, tar and divers flammable liquids, thus, we could burn this heretick at the stake!

thus we could spake, "we are DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH".

M

Miccah Mar 6, 2011

Have we become so soft and PC that we cannot call a wolf a wolf these days?

We wonder why the Church is in the condition it is today, and it is in that condition because there are not enough men who will stand up and speak truth when it needs to be spoken.

If you follow Rob Bell's teachings, you may very well be on a path to destruction. How could I be silent about that?

L

learjet Mar 6, 2011

I have to agree with the others here, Rob Bell is a heretic, period.

I don't need to read Anton Lavey's new book (he's dead, yes I know that) to understand that it would be rooted in satanism. The book would be what I would expect from him.

I'm glad that folks have stepped up to the plate in this instance and called a spade a spade.

Peace,
Earl J

D

DesertRose Mar 6, 2011

When asked by Christianity Today how he would present the gospel on Twitter Rob Bell said that the Gospel is too big to present on Twitter's limited character space. But Bell then offers this definition of the Gospel:

"I would say that history is headed somewhere. The thousands of little ways in which you are tempted to believe that hope might actually be a legitimate response to the insanity of the world actually can be trusted. And the Christian story is that a tomb is empty, and a movement has actually begun that has been present in a sense all along in creation. And all those times when your cynicism was at odds with an impulse within you that said that this little thing might be about something bigger—those tiny little slivers may in fact be connected to something really, really big.
Well, you can't really tweet the gospel. I'm convinced that I am not doing anything new. I am hoping that I'm in a long tradition."

This is very telling about Rob Bell's convoluted theology.
We need to be theologically discerning with matters of first importance.

sermonindex Mar 7, 2011

Christiaan my brother, if you were adressing me with the "soft and PC" charge, when i wrote my tongue in cheek, stake burning post.....i was just commenting...in my way, because to me, Rob Bell is a gnat on an elephants hind quarters.

havent even read his books...not even drawn to them.

to me, these days, there are so many wolves, coyotes, foxes, deer ticks, pestilence, filth, mud, mire and disgust, out there now....Rob Bell is a blip, a vapor, we can place on a great big steaming pile of stuff, thats been growing ever since Pentecost, Pelagius comes to mind immediately.

then you have rome, and on and on and on, right to this present day.

by crackey, you even have street preachers, who are the very SONS of Pelagius, think how bad they stumble helpless harrassed sinners.

so for me personally, i love the Bible....but even then, get 10 followers of Jesus in a room, and they cant even agree on what translation to read.

too much infighting...."if" i follow Rob Bell's teachings, what if i did? so what.

i don't, because i dont even know what they are. i see a lot of folks screaming about his teachings, second hand testimonies and reviews of his teachings, and really i could care less.

Jesus' Teachings, That's Who i follow, and just this morning, i was in John 17, the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus'....."that We may All be One".....That's what i like...LOVE.

what to talk about "falling away"? Preach on the Reality of John 17, and how far we all miss the mark on That Prayer, that it would make the exegesis of Rob Bell seem like the trifling matter it is.

in conclusion, the "stake" versus a robust loving consideration of John 17, people gonna choose the stake, who to tie to it, and who to burn, coz thats "more fun".

"church" got a very bad history tying folks and hereticks to stakes, because it makes for great entertainment. in the western world, we got laws, so a crowd cant get whipped up in religious indignation, and roast humans on stakes anymore, but them muslims sure do like to kill one another over intrafaith issues, dont they? car bombs, suicide bombers and the like, Sunni versus Shia, Shia versus Sufi.

listen brother, i didnt start following Jesus as a "get out of hell free" card, i started following Him because God the Holy Ghost revealed His Son in me and to me...thats good enough for me, because Jesus is Lovely, Precious and my Saviour, and Worthy of being followed, no matter WHAT lay after i slip this mortal coil.

the Privledge to follow Him is reward enough, Fear God, not "hell".

love you Badger, neil

W

wayneman Mar 7, 2011

Heresy hunting is more destructive than heresy itself. For example, the early Gnostics may have led thousands astray, but they were soon forgotten and their books burned. The anti-gnostic heresy hunting literature of Irenaeus, Origen and Tertullian continued to poison the church for 17 centuries and laid the foundation for millions of murders in God's name. We would be better off if their books were burned and the Gnostic books survived. In fact, the Nag Hammadi Library did survive and since its discovery in 1945 has influenced virtually no one. It is harmless crack-pot literature. Tertullian's books are pretty far from harmless. If anything, the most damaging thing heretics do is justify the existence of heresy hunting.

M

Miccah Mar 7, 2011

Neil.

Love you brother. If I thought you were softening up some, I would be the first to tell you. :-) The comment was in general towards the church as a whole and what I have been reading in totality around the web.

Forgive me for not being clear brother.

Also, please send our senators back. lol. Blessings!

sermonindex Mar 7, 2011

i knew you weren't, i was just talking in general.

send the senators back...forget them, i'm coming to Wisconsin!!! been looking at a few parcels in the Driftless, pray for favor, will you?

your bro and soon to be badger, neil

sermonindex Mar 7, 2011

wayneman, Irenaeus was a disciple of Polycarp who was the disciple of the Apostle John.
Clement knew the Apostle Paul and so forth.
These men you call "heresy hunters" had to deal with all the attacks on the Church, just as their teachers Paul and John did - naming names and all.
To come against Irenaeus and these earliest of the early Church fathers is going way too far, one would think.

Just scroll down this page and breeze through these content lists and realize that the attacks on His WORD will never end and the Apostles and their contemporaries set the example on how we also should deal with heresies - as Paul and John did and all gave their very lives to protect His Church, as a result -

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.toc.html

sermonindex Mar 7, 2011

There is really a need to be discerning with teachers that have great influence in our society. We're actually commanded by God to be.

"21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
22 Abstain from all appearance of evil." (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22)

"16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." (2 Peter 3:16-18)

There is an underlying belief in these Emergent books (I call them that for lack of a better name) that God's truth cannot be grasped by humans. It neglects that God has given us the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth, both in our understanding and our lives. We CAN come to the Bible continually and learn lessons that will renew our minds and understand God's will. We need this to do the will of God, which IS necessary to enter His kingdom (Matthew 7:21).

"16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

These Emergent authors thrive on uncertainty, and that's why they appeal to carnal men and women. Nobody NEEDS to repent now (according to them), nothing is CERTAINLY a sin. Every truth in scripture is taken with a "Well... we can't be so sure about that, though we'll consider it." "Thus saith the Lord" is essential to true Christianity. Take that away and you just have suggestions for life, ideas about the afterlife; men can have their own agendas, and who can say they're wrong now. Imagine even Jesus preaching without the implied authority of the Old Testament. That in itself is a necessary foundation for the gospel and the New Testament. Jesus made it clear that we cannot repent and come to him if we do not hear the law, as it's our schoolmaster to Christ that we might be justified by faith (See John 5:47, Luke 16:31, Galatians 3:24). Take away even the Law's authority, let alone the rest of the Bible, and you've undermined Christ's authority, who came to fulfill the Law by his teachings (Matthew 5:17-20) and in us by his Spirit (Romans 8:1-4).

I have seen what embracing this humanistic nonsense does to people that at one time really appeared to walk with the Lord. It's actually easier to share God's word with people with no exposure to the gospel at all then to share anything from God's word to those who've swallowed this poison. I'm not mad at anyone, but this really is an attack on truth, which amounts to an attack on Christ. The way we battle is stand on Christ's word and not be moved for anything.

Here is an example of how Emergents (or whatever they're called) don't receive Christ's words: Jesus did make it utterly clear that heaven and hell are real and are in the future, not states in this life. Jesus is giving the literal interpretations of parables here, so there is no way he's being parabolic and/or symbolic.

"40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear." (Matthew 13:40-43)

"49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 13:49-50)

Also recommend the sermon "Ten Shekels and a Shirt" on this website regarding the idea that God is somehow unfair to put people in hell.