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This is a paper that I wrote for my theology class at DTS.

In recent memory, it is difficult to think of a book written by a Christian author that has caused as much controversy as Rob Bell’s Love Wins. 
Before the work was even released, a promotional video was released of Rob Bell teasing the subject matter of the book. The controversy was stirred when in the video, Bell questioned whether or not Gandhi was really in hell. This caused a flood of accusations thrown towards Bell, calling him a “universalist.” Many main-line denominational leaders denounced Bell and his work before the book was even released in March of 2011. If the purpose of that video was to create a storm of publicity, it did just that. Discussion from all perspectives can be found across the blogosphere, Facebook, and Twitter. 

The purpose of this response to Love Wins is to critically examine Rob Bell’s statements within the book and compare that to the views presented in Scripture. This will hopefully be an unbiased and a respectful critique of Bell, and not an uninformed “bashing” of Bell. This response will first summarize Rob Bell’s views and then the critique will conclude the paper.

Summary of Love Wins

As the title of the book suggests, the primary theme of Rob Bell’s message is the amazing and ever-faithful love of God. Bell states, “I believe that Jesus’s story is first and foremost about the love of God for every single one of us.” This short statement shows Bell’s primary reason for writing this book. However, shortly after that opening statement, Bell introduces the tension of the book by saying, “A staggering number of people have been taught 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.” This is a loaded statement with the sense that Bell has a message he is trying to communicate underneath. 

For much of the book, Bell asks tough and often deep questions about God, theology, and what happens to people after death. He delves into the issues of heaven, hell, and whether or not a “loving” God could eternally condemn someone to hell. Bell’s desire for this book is for it to be an open and honest place where discussion can occur. Having read the book, a simple response is that Love Wins is a book with many interesting questions.  But Bell states that “this isn’t just a book of questions. It’s a book of responses to these questions.” The rest of this review will discuss whether or not the questions posed get an answer.

The question of whether or not God could really let people spend an eternity without Him is the crux of what Bell wants to discuss. He battles against the traditional view of most denominations in Christianity that only a few elect souls will make it to eternity with Christ, but everyone who rejects and does not accept Jesus’ gift will spend eternity in hell. As the subtitle of the book suggests, the book is aiming to discuss the truth about heaven and hell.

Rob Bell touches on the subject of heaven first in Love Wins. As one reads the chapter on heaven, the question is posed, “what if heaven isn’t just a far-off place we’ll someday be?” Bell proposes that there is more to heaven than what has been traditionally taught in churches, schools, and seminaries for years. He asks, “Are there other ways to think about heaven, other than as that perfect floating shiny city hanging suspended…above [the] black realm with all that smoke…?” What if heaven is filled with surprises?

From scripture, Bell looks at the encounter of Jesus with the young, wealthy man Matthew 19. Bell highlights that Jesus responds to the man’s question about “eternal life” with the words “entering life.” Bell seems to think Jesus was teaching a connection between “this age” and “the age to come.” Bell’s emphasis is that heaven will be on earth one day, and is also something man can experience today. Bell breaks down the Greek word aion, meaning “age.” Bell points out that this is not an age that has an end, it is eternal. This is the basis of his statements in Chapter 2. Bell says when man does something in accordance with the kingdom of God, man is doing his part in bringing that piece of “heaven” to earth.

In his chapter on heaven, the main point that Bell is attempting to communicate is that “heaven” will be on the earth. Heaven is not a separate place, disconnected from this earthly world. Bell says that one day God will restore this planet to what He originally intended. Where Bell brings a unique perspective on heaven is when he says, “Heaven for Jesus wasn’t just ‘someday’; it was a present reality.” He also says that “Jesus blurs the lines, inviting the rich man, and us, into the merging of heaven and earth, the future and present, here and now.” He sums up his thoughts on heaven with this quote: “Eternal life is less about a kind of time that starts when we die, and more about a quality and vitality of life lived now in connection to God.”

The topic of hell is where Bell’s theology comes under great scrutiny. Bell begins his chapter on hell with the idea that the concept of hell goes against what the Bible teaches man about God. The Bible says that God is loving, gracious, compassionate, and forgiving. Therefore, Bell asks how it is possible that a place like hell exists for those who do not choose Jesus.

The main passage from scripture that Rob Bell uses to give foundation to his views on hell is the passage in Luke 16 of the Rich Man and Lazarus. In his exegesis of the passage, Bell takes a unique position on the issue of hell. His summary of the passage is stated as this: “What we see in Jesus’s story about the rich man and Lazarus is an affirmation that there are all kinds of hells, because there are all kinds of ways to resist and reject all that is good and true and beautiful and human now, in this life, and so we can only assume we can do the same in the next.” Bell is essentially saying that there is more to hell than what has traditionally been taught. He is posing the question that “what if hell is more than just a hot, fiery place of eternal torment? Bell does not deny the concept of hell, rather, he affirms that he sees “hell” everyday on this earth. To Bell, literal hell exists when man decides to go against what God has planned for his life.

As the title suggests, Love Wins is a book that believes that at the end of all things, love will win out. That when all is said and done, God’s love for all mankind will be what will last and make itself known. Bell states when it comes to salvation, Jesus says, “that he, and he alone, is saving everybody.” Bell makes the statement that Jesus is much more than just the box that Christianity puts Him into. Bell says that some people may come to saving faith in Christ, but not even realize that it is Him that they are experiencing.

 Bell describes Jesus statement in John 14:6 as 

“an exclusivity on the other side of inclusivity. This kind insists that Jesus is the way, but holds tightly to the assumption that the all-embracing, saving love of this particular Jesus-the-Christ will of course include all sorts of unexpected people from across the cultural spectrum.”

Rob Bell keeps the road wide in regards to how people can come to saving knowledge and faith in Christ.

Critique of Love Wins

In reading Love Wins and in writing this critical response, I have found it difficult to figure out exactly what Rob Bell believes. From my reading of his book, I felt that he posed many questions without giving many answers. Love Wins felt like more of a discussion time with Bell and less of a firm stand on what he actually believes. The challenge of the book is attempting to decipher what Bell’s actual beliefs consist of and what is just an honest question posed by someone who is searching for answers. 

Before I read his book, all I heard about was the criticism Love Wins was receiving from the Christian community. I heard terms such as “universalist” and “heretic.” In addition, many of these charges were being said by people who had not even read the book. Going into my reading of the book, I wanted to keep an open mind towards Bell and not be biased in my review. This is the first work I have read of Rob Bell’s, so I was not too familiar with his background.

There is much in this book to critique but I will just focus on the areas of the book that I summarized earlier in this paper. When it comes to heaven, Bell’s views, while unique and progressive, are not unbiblical in nature. Bell tends to focus on the “now” of heaven rather than the “one day” view of it. Bell is correct with his explanation of eternal life. It is true that every person’s soul will live for eternity. Once a person comes to saving faith in Christ Jesus, their soul is forever saved and redeemed. Eternal life exists now, not just after death. Bell also focuses on the renewal of this earth. His desire is to dispel the notion that heaven is this far off distant city hanging high above the universe. At the end of all things, God will bring the heavenly city down to the new earth, and He will live among His people forever. This view is straight from the book of Revelation. God has promised to bring restoration to all of creation, and not just the elect. Bell states this by saying “[the Apostle] John is telling a huge story, one about God rescuing all of creation.” This is the plan of God, plain and simple.

I believe that the areas in which Rob Bell becomes unorthodox in his views are his views of salvation and hell. Much of what he says is very concerning. In regards to salvation, Rob Bell says many things that seem unbiblical. He discusses what happened at the cross in terms of metaphors. Bell says that “For the first thousand years or so of church history, the metaphor of victory in battle, Jesus conquering death, was the central, dominant understanding of the cross.” He goes on to say that the dominant understandings of the cross have changed throughout the years of the church. However he points out that the “sacrificial metaphor” continues to be used by many in the current age. Bell says that this metaphor was effective in ancient times because people of that time related to that particular metaphor, but people today cannot relate to it. Bell says that “The point… isn’t to narrow it to one particular metaphor, image, explanation, or mechanism.”

 The danger in saying this is that Bell is opening the door for other “mechanisms” of salvation. Is Bell saying that there are other ways to be saved besides by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone?

By just reading one book by this man, it is difficult to come to conclusions about the condition of their heart and beliefs. It is difficult to definitively say that “Rob Bell is a universalist!!” However, the way in which he presents his thesis, poses certain questions, and explains scripture makes me wonder. Quotes like “Jesus is bigger than any one religion” sound very close to universalism. I understand the fact that God is bigger than we can comprehend, but is that the way we should word this statement? I think it causes unnecessary controversy within the church. I believe Bell avoids the label of heretic because he states clearly in his book that he believes Jesus is the only way to salvation and peace with God. That is the key to determining whether or not what he is saying is heretical. However, Bell’s exegesis of Biblical passages is in most cases flat-out wrong. I believe Bell uses eisegesis with the Scripture passages he uses. Bell’s interpretation of the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16 was unlike anything I have ever read. 

This passage is the foundation for giving validity to his views of hell. While he does not clearly state it, it is inferred from his writings that Bell denies a literal hell. He seems to have issue with the concept of a place where people who have rejected Christ will spend eternal torment separated from Christ. Bell’s main thought is that there is literal hell here on earth now. Bell’s definition of hell is that it “is our refusal to trust God’s retelling of our story.” Bell places a great emphasis on the fact that people that reject Christ experience much pain and heartache in this life, and says that those experiences are a form of hell. Bell says the torment that the Rich Man was experiencing was the fact that he had not yet come to the place where he had died to himself. He was still conforming to the wrong ideology that he was greater than Lazarus. The Rich Man felt that it was still his right to be served by Lazarus. Bell says Jesus was telling this story to further prove his point that there needed to be a social revolution in Israel.

While it is true that Jesus preached a message of social justice throughout the Gospels, it takes much explaining away to get past the point of this passage. Jesus was clearly saying that the righteous man Lazarus went to Paradise after death, and the Rich Man who rejected God spent eternity in torment without God. From what Jesus said, it makes logical sense to infer that hell is a real and very hot place. If the rich man’s torment was his lack of dying to wrong ideology, how come he was desperate to have Abraham send Lazarus back to warn his family? 

Over and over Jesus talks about those who reject the kingdom of God will be cast out. One does not get the notion that at the end of all things, it will all work out for the best for everyone. There is no evidence in Scripture for a post-mortem chance at salvation for those who reject Christ in this life. Bell’s notions that there may be many ways to experience the grace of God comes from his interpretation of John 14:6. Rob Bell comments saying that Jesus’ statement in John 14:6 “is as wide and expansive claim a person can make.” How can one come to such a conclusion? John 14:6 is as much of an exclusive claim as one can make, not inclusive. In my opinion, I feel that Bell has come to his own conclusions, and misuses scripture to prove his ideas. He does not look to scripture to form his theology.

The difficult thing about Rob Bell is that he does not decisively make a stand on any point. He asks many questions, poses “what if?” scenarios, and goes against the common views held by orthodox Christians for centuries. What he does not do is clearly say what he firmly believes about hell or salvation. He implies much, but does not take a firm stand. This alone, and the fact that He says “Jesus is the only way” is what holds me back from labeling him a heretic, but his interpretation of scripture is often wrong and the direction to which he seems to lean in regards to salvation and hell is not a biblically based direction.

Personal and Ministerial Implications

The main issue I see with Love Wins is that Rob Bell, as a minister, is not closely guarding the doctrine of Scripture. Paul warns Timothy in his second letter to him of the critical mission to protect the Gospel. Paul says, “What you heard from me, keep as the pattern for sound teaching… Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you…” Paul also tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:16 to watch his “life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” It is the responsibility of a minister of the Gospel to guard it carefully and faithfully and communicate it clearly. I am not saying it is wrong to ask questions and examine closely what the scriptures tell us. However, as a Christian leader, I believe it is unwise for Bell to publicly question the very foundational beliefs found in the Gospel. Bell has a responsibility to the many people that read his works or listen to him speak. He has a great influence so he must be incredibly careful not to lead them astray. I believe the path that Rob Bell has started down will lead to many problems.

One problem that arises from the idea that all will eventually be saved is that the church loses the motivation to carry the Gospel to the world. Why preach the Gospel if everyone will eventually end up ok because God’s love will win out? I honestly think that Bell has a heart for the lost and would say that it is the duty of the church to carry the Gospel to the world. However, as this “doctrine” is passed down to his followers, they may or may not have that same view. This is a dangerous road to start traveling down.

Conclusion

It certainly appears that Rob Bell is a follower of Christ and that he believes salvation comes only through Jesus. In my opinion, he does not say anything in Love Wins to make me decisively call him a heretic. However, his views on hell and the implied denial of its existence as traditionally taught, and the fact that he gives a wide road to salvation through Jesus are cause for great concern. I cannot judge his heart or motives, but his assertions and questions go against the very core of orthodox Christianity.