Why all The Hell about Rob Bell?

For those of you not on Twitter … I need to give you a little background for this post. Yesterday, while your Saturday was probably just a normal day, a Word War broke out on Twitter. It had to do with love, hell and Rob Bell.

Rob Bell has a new book coming out in March titled, Love Wins. The trailer was released this week. In it he asked questions … that’s it. He doesn’t give answers … just asks questions.

And for that, many people seem ready to burn him at the stake (thought we were more civilized than that) They haven’t even read the book yet, but they posted comments on Twitter that are negative,  harsh and rude. One even said, ”Farewell, Rob Bell” (what does that mean?)

I think a few thoughts posted by Seth Godin this morning get to the root of the problem (Seth is not on Twitter, so I doubt he wrote this in response to the Word War, but it fits)

“Wonder and Anger”

It’s hard to imagine two emotions more different from one another. And yet one can easily replace the other. A sense of wonder and grinding anger can’t co-exist.
Great innovations, powerful interactions and real art are often produced by someone in a state of wonder …
Anger, on the other hand, merely makes us smaller.
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So I wonder if the folks criticizing a book before even reading it are dealing with anger instead of wonder. It seems their worlds are so small they can’t even entertain questions.

What do you think … can anger and wonder co-exist? Is asking questions wrong or a sign of wonder?

UPDATE: After reading “Love Wins”, here is my review.

PS: Christianity Today has a post with more details about the Rob Bell saga, if you’re interested in reading more.
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  • Shelly

    I wonder (pun intended) how many of those people have watched ANY NOOMA teachings…this sounds like signature Rob Bell…ask questions, theorize & get people thinking!

    I just finished reading a discussion group guide on doubt and I think it goes along with your question today…to often we associate questions or doubt with unbelief rather than a healthy search to deepen our relationship with our Maker & our Savior. Doubt (or questions) when wrestled with often bring about the most sincere beliefs within a person… The caution from the discussion group was to ALWAYS be sure you Sri your answers from Gods Word not mans!!!!

    I look forward to reading this new book by Rob!

    • http://www.anewlifehartz.blogspot.com LIndsey @ A New Life

      I love when people ask questions and wrestle with the answers…as a new Christian I am always asking questions and trying to figure out what scripture says. Keeps me focused on learning what the Bible says and prevents me from depending too much on what others say the Bible means.

      I’m curious what study Shelly did on doubt? I’d be interested in that!

      Blessings,
      Lindsey

      • http://janetober.com Janet Ober

        Lindey,
        I’m Facebook friend with Shelly, so I asked her and will let you know when I hear.

      • http://janetober.com Janet Ober

        Lindsey, here’s Shelley’s answer …
        “It was a xp3College free sample discussion starter created by ReThink Group. This company has created the childrens ministry curriculum we use and I was intrigued by the college age topics. They often offer 1 free sample and “The One About Doubt” happened to be the one. God questions to dialogue thru & scripture to look into!!”
        If you want more info, I can connect you with her on Facebook.

  • http://www.hillsideslide.blogspot.com tina

    I don’t know that wonder and anger can’t exist at the same time. Maybe it’s just me… okay, it’s not just me b/c Whitman touched on something with, “I am large. I contain mulititudes.”

    I can see wonder as reaching & opening up, and anger as one reaction to having to let go (or the fear of losing something precious). Sometimes, they are happening at the same time. They share a close kinship.

    I’m interested in what’s causing the anger. At the bottom of someone’s anger, there is something vulnerable & beloved that I bet would pull at my heartstrings; wld fasten a connection.

    Ultimately, I think pursuing the connection will better serve our neighbor, friend, frenemy & community, as well as ourselves.

    • http://janetober.com Janet Ober

      Good stuff to ponder … and you are right, we are complex and often have more than one thing going on at a time. I think being mature means learning to live well with tension whether in our thoughts/mind or emotions, as the quote says … “The sign of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in the mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” F. Scott Fitzgerald

      I think anger is an important part of our worlds … especially when grieving changes and losses. We need to allow ourselves to feel it and process it. But I also think that if one stays angry rather than moving on … they probably won’t produce their best. It could limit us, our creativity and definitely our compassion for others and our willingness to engage new ideas/concepts/questions/etc.

      • http://www.hillsideslide.blogspot.com tina

        Yeah, I’m sure that getting stuck in my own anger is not an ideal thing. …meanwhile, i try to remember that when I’m confronted with someone else’s anger, it might not be this huge force I have to battle, or a wall I have to bang against… there could be a door of understanding that lets me walk right through and connect. …but often, I’m afraid to step up to another’s anger and look for the door.

    • http://www.alise-write.com Alise

      I started to read this comment and was like, “Oh, my friend Tina would LOVE this.”

      But yeah, since it IS you, I guess that makes sense.

      :::waves:::

      • http://www.hillsideslide.blogspot.com tina

        LOLing over here, Alise

  • http://www.messiahmom.wordpress.com kristinherdy

    I got into this a bit with someone. I said I didn’t see the harm in questioning. I believe my God is big enough and strong enough that he doesn’t fall apart when we start asking questions. I think questioning reveals our motives. Do we serve Jesus Christ because we are afraid of Hell? Do we serve him just to gain entrance into Heaven? Do we only love him because he rescued us? Or is it because he’s worthy of love all on his own, for who is is, because of who God was before the fall? because we are his creation and we are loved?

    I think at the root of anger is fear. I don’t want to be a fearful servant, but a joyful one.

    • http://janetober.com Janet Ober

      Hi Kristin,
      You are right on with the thought that at the root of anger is fear. A Twitter friend said, “Fear drives anger and both drive people.”

  • http://cindyhan111.wordpress.com cindy hanson

    Thank you for posting this… I’m not on Twitter, nor did I know abou the upcoming book… I am interested to read more. I think it’s so interesting that there are so many people who care about how others spend eternity. It’s not that I don’t care, I just wonder.

    • http://www.alise-write.com Alise

      What I don’t get is why a MORE inclusive idea of God is so off-putting to so many. Don’t get me wrong, no hell certainly changes the idea of the sacrifice of the cross (I don’t think that it negates it in any way, but there’s no denying that it changes the way that we need to look at it and other key verses), but people seem to be genuinely upset at the idea of a God who really does love EVERYBODY and who is not interested in eternal punishment for a temporal decision.

      Mostly I can’t believe that people are ready to throw out Bell as a Christian based not on the actual book, but on a 2 minute book trailer. That’s love.

  • http://apprising.org Ken Silva

    The problem is Rob Bell is teaching a form of Christian Universalism: http://apprising.org/2011/02/26/rob-bell-teaching-universalism/

    • http://janetober.com Janet Ober

      Did you get an early copy of the book? Or are you friends with him? Or how do you know that?

  • http://apprising.org Ken Silva

    I wrote about Bell’s quasi-universalism two years ago: http://apprising.org/2008/12/10/rob-bell-and-christian-universalism/

    • http://janetober.com Janet Ober

      Read your posts Ken … but how do they answer my questions to you? Have you (or Justin Taylor) received new solid info for your posts this weekend?

      Also, in one of your posts, you talk about cults … isn’t it a major sign of cults that they are not open to discussing views that don’t agree with their own? And that they don’t want any of their followers to ask questions that challenge their beliefs?

  • http://apprising.org Ken Silva

    The evidence is right in my posts, as far back as two years ago. I agree with pastor Kevin DeYoung who said of the video:

    “We don’t have to guess if Bell will say something dreadfully, horribly, disgracefully wrong. He already has.

    ” isn’t it a major sign of cults that they are not open to discussing views that don’t agree with their own?”

    As one who’s been in the fields of Comparative Religion, apologetics and counter-cult evangelism for 23 years, your question doesn’t get to the heart of the matter.

    Dr. Walter Martin, a recognized expert in the field of religious cults, defined a cult as a group of people gathered around someone’s teachings that claim to be in line with historic Christianity but denies cardinal doctrines of the faith.

    The Emergent movement now fits that classification; they have their own leaders who interpret the Bible, their own postmodern progressive/neo-liberal theology, and their own gospel of universalism.

    Glad I could clear that up for you.

    • http://janetober.com Janet Ober

      So in answer to my first question … you haven’t received new info recently, then why all the new posts, why jump to conclusions before reading the book? Isn’t that unkind?

      Also, aren’t we discouraged from “pointing out the speck in your brother’s eye” … so even if you disagree with Rob Bell, how do you justify criticizing him so much? Buddy, he’s your bro … created in God’s image and following Jesus, just like you … maybe seeing some things differently, but that’s okay.

      And your answer to my questions about cults is interesting … I wasn’t referring to only religious cults that do not follow ‘cardinal’ doctrines (btw, who gets to pick and choose the doctrines?) I was referring to the cult mentality of not being open to discussing new ideas or questions … and of being fearful of people outside their ‘fold’?

      Also did you just call the Emergent community a cult? (btw … what does Emergent have to do with this? Bell has repeatedly denied that label and any other labels) Why do you feel the need to call others names that you know they won’t appreciate? Does that somehow give more validation to what you believe? You can believe whatever you want to, no one is asking you to change any beliefs you have … so can you give others the same grace and not call people that disagree with you names or ‘warn’ against them?

  • http://apprising.org Ken Silva

    “why all the new posts,”

    Did you notice they were merely quotes from well known evangelicals commenting on the video, which is bad enough.

    “Isn’t that unkind?” Not at all; it is to faithfully do the job Jesus has given me. (cf. 2 Tim. 4:2; Titus 1:9)

    You say Bell is “following Jesus, just like you … maybe seeing some things differently, but that’s okay.”

    No, he’s not; and it isn’t okay. Universalism is not the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ Name. It isn’t slavation by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in the finished work of Christ alone on the Cross.

    Therefore, it’s another gospel; no gospel at all, which is condemned in Galatians 1:6-9

    You ask about: ” ‘cardinal’ doctrines (btw, who gets to pick and chose the doctrines?)” God chose them; they’re based upon Scripture, and they’ve always been part of the historic orthodox Christian faith.

    “what does Emergent have to do with this? Bell has repeatedly denied that label and any other labels” If it looks like a duck…

    “so can you give others the same grace and not call people that disagree with you names or ‘warn’ against them?”

    Ever read Matthew 23? Can’t be more loving than Jesus. When these apostates stop trying to pass their warped and toxic teachings off as Christian, I’ll stop warning against them.

    • http://janetober.com Janet Ober

      Wow Ken … more anger, more judgement, more names. What you write tells me a lot about you. Take a few deep breaths, go for a walk, relax …

      And you may continue, but I’m done with this conversation … since almost dying, I’ve come to realize life is too short to focus on the negative.

      Plus I’ve got love to spread around … btw, have you read the new command in John 13? It’s by love that the world will know we follow Jesus.

      Peace to you brother.

  • http://apprising.org Ken Silva

    I’m not the least bit angry. :)