There has been a lot of buzz about Rob Bell's new book, and it hasn't even hit the shelves yet! So, obviously, I haven't read it and can't really comment on the content of it yet. From the review, it looks like Tim Challies read an advance copy, which is not always the same as the final product.
One of the things I like about Rob Bell is that he thinks about things in a different way. He is very creative and uses wonderful images and stories. He also likes to ask a lot of questions and doesn't always give the answers. I actually think that is a really good thing, but it seems like the reviewers disagree: "Christians do not need more confusion. They need clarity." One of the biggest dangers that pastors/teachers/leaders in the church face is being utterly convinced that our way of thinking and our theological position is right/good/correct and all others are wrong/bad/improper. I think one of the signs of spiritual maturity is being able to wrestle with theological issues and being comfortable not always having an answer. Sometimes the best we can do when faced with the mystery of God is wonder.
Back to the issue of questions...I do think the reviewers are helpful when they point out that it matters how the questions are framed. And the way Rob Bell is framing the questions, he is challenging the standard evangelical doctrines of heaven and hell. My guess is this is really the whole point of his book - to get folks to re-examine these doctrines. Some would say this is a dangerous and destructive enterprise, but I personally believe that it is good and healthy and that the Church always needs to be open to the moving of the Holy Spirit, whether that movement is to change or to reaffirm.
The issue (heaven and hell) that the book addresses is a difficult one because you are dealing with the eternal destinies of people and the very character and nature of God, and there are many different perspectives throughout scripture and the history of the Church. Rob Bell seems to be challenging the one that has become dominant in today's evangelical circles, which basically states that Christians go to heaven when they die and non-Christians go to hell. Especially in our world today, where church attendance in the US is lower than in previous generations and we are exposed to and even in relationship with people of different religions, I think we need to examine this position. In the end, if we agree with it, it should increase our drive and motivation to share the Gospel with others. If we think another position is better, that's important too and should shape how we live.
It is certainly a theological issue that I still struggle with personally. Some days, I think there are very few of us who will be going to heaven (narrow gate, hard road, eye of the needle, etc.). Other days, I think we will all be there (1 Tim 2:3-6, John 12:32, Rom 5:18, etc.). Most of the time, though, I settle somewhere in the middle. As a United Methodist, Arminianism is part of our heritage. It stands in contrast to Calvinism and states that God's desire/will is for all of humanity to be saved and grace is extended to each of us, but we must ccoperate and respond to the grace offered to us. To me, it best satisfies the tension between the nature of God's love (which one might think means all go to heaven) and the passages of scripture that talk about the eternal destiny of the wicked. But even within an Arminian framework, there is still wiggle room on the exclusivist-inclusivist-pluralist spectrum.
The one thing that I do believe strongly and hold to unswervingly is that salvation comes through the grace of God in Jesus Christ. Again, within that lies some wiggle room. Does one have to believe in Jesus Christ and confess him as your Lord and Savior? What does that mean for infants and children who die? If God's salvation is extended to them without belief and confession, can it be to others? What about the person who never hears about Jesus? Or who is taught that Christianity is evil? Is God's grace big enough to extend to them? What about the faithful and devout Buddhist or Hindu or Muslim or Sikh? What about Jewish folks, God's chosen people? In the end, I tend to land somewhere in the inclusivist camp because I think that God's grace is big enough to extend beyond what we call Christianity and that people of other faiths are sometimes (often?) responding to God's grace in Jesus Christ without knowing or naming it.
When all is said and done, I have more questions than answers. And it certainly is not my place to judge others and decide their eternal destiny. I will leave that to God. But I am left to trust in God's grace offered to me through Jesus Christ, and to share that Good News with others.
2 comments:
Really like the balance you're giving things. A good perspective as we await this book. It's crazy to me the controversy that is surrounding it and I think your words are wise!
Preordered Rob Bells book.....we shall see. Also reading "Faith Comes by Hearing" by Christopher Morgan to round out my study a little. What an interesting topic!
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