Love Wins

I just finished reading Rob Bell's controversial book Love Wins.  (Or maybe it would be more accurate to say I just finished reading the controversial Rob Bell's book, Love Wins.)

I know that I'm a few months behind the evangelical outrage over the book, but controversy doesn't always make me stop what I'm doing and get involved.  However, it often does compel me to read books that I would not normally read just to see what has everybody's panties in a wad.

As a book -- it was an easy read, though not necessarily a good read. I found his style to be a bit of organized chaos that seemed to be like conversing with a severely ADD person that managed to stay on the same topic but wanted to convince you of his opinion by using a hundred different arguments. I've never really minded somebody questioning my beliefs (and think that it's healthy to ask questions, myself), but Bell does seem to take it to the extreme.

Many of his questions are not new.  Even many of his answers are not new.  I think that his packaging of these ideas is new ... and confusing.

The book uses a lot of scripture in defense of his answers. He says a lot of the same things that mainstream evangelicals would say; but there is too much of Bell's thoughts mixed in with the biblical teaching to be acceptable for good theology.  I don't think that I would call him a universalist, actually I don't know how I would identify his theology. It is very confusing.

I am not much of a theologian and really not qualified to give a theological defense (for or against) of Love Wins.  If you are interested in a pretty thorough (and pretty long) review, I suggest you read this review from The Gospel Coalition.

In the end, we are all responsible for our own choices.  We can let others think for us or we can think for ourselves.  I don't think that I would put down Rob Bell for his thoughts. In fact, there is much in his book that I agree with.  Perhaps, that's the danger -- a little truth mixed with a lot of conjecture.  Where does truth end and conjecture begin?

Go ahead and borrow the book from your local library if you don't have anything else to read; but guard your heart. Any book that threatens what you hold dear should be read with caution.

I will say that he chose his title well.
After all, I do believe that:

God is Love
God wins
     therefore
Love Wins

John <><

‎"Doubting everything and believing everything are equally convenient solutions that guard us from having to think."  --Henri Poincare, Of Science and Hypothesis