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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
mind-boggling. Need to process and then discuss or rant or write or all of the above.
This “scandalous” book is a must read for anyone grappling with hell, heaven, atonement, or the reason for Jesus in general. We must listen to all perspectives to know what we really believe.
While Bell took some liberties at times, and minimized (in my opinion) the just nature of our God, I do think he has some very valid points that should be considered. His ultimate conclusion of God = Love is irrefutable.
Over the last few hundred years the church has taken a very “no-questions-asked” approach to these complicated topics. It’s time we read the Scriptures and listen to all points of view to untangle where the truth really lies.
While Bell took some liberties at times, and minimized (in my opinion) the just nature of our God, I do think he has some very valid points that should be considered. His ultimate conclusion of God = Love is irrefutable.
Over the last few hundred years the church has taken a very “no-questions-asked” approach to these complicated topics. It’s time we read the Scriptures and listen to all points of view to untangle where the truth really lies.
The writing style was choppy, but Bell had an interesting perspective on heaven and hell.
I could say that I read 198 pages of a mind-bending Q & A & Q book. If Love Wins were a movie, it would be Inception.
Great script. Lots of confusion. And there’s never-ending speculation about how it ends.
* Does Bell deny the existence of hell? Eh, kind of, not really.
* Does Bell assert that Jesus is the only way to heaven? Well... yeah.
* Is Bell a universalist? Eh... yes and no. That’s a loaded question that requires explanation and is never explained quite clearly (to me anyway).
Bell’s book is thought-provoking and engaging enough to warrant 3 stars but to me, it’s not a book that will stand the test of time as a reference. It’s a book for the here and now, to engage this generation of post-modernists. We love asking questions but just as much, I think we also demand answers. It’s why people believe in evolution or creationism or the Big Bang or Darwinism or Calvinism or a whole host of theories they believe best explain (or provide answers to) the whys and hows.
Bell raises lots of questions. He provides few answers. But the few answers he does provide provoke more questions that he doesn’t even bring up. He’s mastered the art of the Socratic method so well, it’s as if he sat directly under Socrates’ teaching.
This. Frustrates. Me. I don’t mind questions as long as I get some answers. And I want some of those answers to be final.
There are lots of things I like about Bell’s books, things that may frustrate a lot of people. For example,
sometimes he writes
like
this. It’s almost poetic,
the way he tries to keep his paragraphs
short,
his sentences
short,
and if you just want to read straight prose,
it can get very frustrating.
Bell is an artist. But he also has a way with words. He can describe images that come alive with such detail that the reader can easily picture the description. Bell’s prose, as a result, is engaging for me to read.
Bell invites his readers into a discussion, which I don’t mind because I’m looking for answers too. I’m just disappointed when I read 198 pages and put a book down that’s filled with more notes and questions than when I walked in. I’m not a pastor or seminary-educated; I’m just a layperson just trying to navigate my way around Scripture and documented church history.
And by the way, Bell offers no notes.
No footnotes at the bottom of a page.
No notes at the end of the book.
No citations for any of his English translations from the Greek or Hebrew languages.
No cited sources for any assertions that aren’t common knowledge.
The best Bell offers is a Further Reading section, which is probably where he got a lot of his ideas and inspiration from.
So Bell’s aim, as I understand it, is to simply introduce readers to a centuries-old discussion about heaven and hell, along with (as the book’s tagline claims) the fate of every person who ever lived. The following is a chapter-by-chapter summary of Bell's book.
Chapter 1: Questions about heaven and hell that are set-up for the rest of the book.
Chapter 2: Heaven is a place on earth. God will eventually redeem and restore this broken world.
Chapter 3: Bell says Gehenna was really the city dump in Jesus' day. Not a spiritual place of eternal torment. Bell says people can still reject God in the afterlife but leaves the door open for eventual repentance. He introduces an idea similar to purgatory in Catholicism. Then he says everyone will eventually be reconciled to God.
Chapter 4: Bell asks: Does God get what God wants? What is it that God wants? "'God wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth' (1 Tim. 2)." Bell says contradicts himself in this chapter by saying that yes, some people believe God gets what He wants through eventual universal reconciliation and restoration but that God's love allows for the freedom to reject him if someone wishes to do so. He adds that people don't need to believe in the traditional doctrine of hell to be a Christian and that people can assume there's a chance for repentance in the future.
Chapter 5: Bell tells his readers that Jesus dying on the cross and rising again the third day was a very beautiful thing. Don't mar this beauty with nasty talk of eternal exclusivity via the traditional view of hell.
Chapter 6: Bell says that (since Paul says that) Jesus was present in the rock that Moses struck to give water to the Israelities, so Jesus is present in anywhere or anything. He also puts forward the odd idea of reverse universalism which posits that Jesus is present in all paths (ie, Jesus can be Mohammad for Muslims, Vishnu for Hindus, or nirvana for Buddhists).
Chapter 7: Using the template of the parable of the prodigal son (or the two sons), Bell says that we will all be at a party/celebration (heaven) and we can choose to exhibit negative attitudes and vices (hell) during the party if we want to. We can reject the Father's love.
Chapter 8: Bell reminds his readers that people can miss out on rewards, celebrations, and opportunities and that love wins.
Great script. Lots of confusion. And there’s never-ending speculation about how it ends.
* Does Bell deny the existence of hell? Eh, kind of, not really.
* Does Bell assert that Jesus is the only way to heaven? Well... yeah.
* Is Bell a universalist? Eh... yes and no. That’s a loaded question that requires explanation and is never explained quite clearly (to me anyway).
Bell’s book is thought-provoking and engaging enough to warrant 3 stars but to me, it’s not a book that will stand the test of time as a reference. It’s a book for the here and now, to engage this generation of post-modernists. We love asking questions but just as much, I think we also demand answers. It’s why people believe in evolution or creationism or the Big Bang or Darwinism or Calvinism or a whole host of theories they believe best explain (or provide answers to) the whys and hows.
Bell raises lots of questions. He provides few answers. But the few answers he does provide provoke more questions that he doesn’t even bring up. He’s mastered the art of the Socratic method so well, it’s as if he sat directly under Socrates’ teaching.
This. Frustrates. Me. I don’t mind questions as long as I get some answers. And I want some of those answers to be final.
There are lots of things I like about Bell’s books, things that may frustrate a lot of people. For example,
sometimes he writes
like
this. It’s almost poetic,
the way he tries to keep his paragraphs
short,
his sentences
short,
and if you just want to read straight prose,
it can get very frustrating.
Bell is an artist. But he also has a way with words. He can describe images that come alive with such detail that the reader can easily picture the description. Bell’s prose, as a result, is engaging for me to read.
Bell invites his readers into a discussion, which I don’t mind because I’m looking for answers too. I’m just disappointed when I read 198 pages and put a book down that’s filled with more notes and questions than when I walked in. I’m not a pastor or seminary-educated; I’m just a layperson just trying to navigate my way around Scripture and documented church history.
And by the way, Bell offers no notes.
No footnotes at the bottom of a page.
No notes at the end of the book.
No citations for any of his English translations from the Greek or Hebrew languages.
No cited sources for any assertions that aren’t common knowledge.
The best Bell offers is a Further Reading section, which is probably where he got a lot of his ideas and inspiration from.
So Bell’s aim, as I understand it, is to simply introduce readers to a centuries-old discussion about heaven and hell, along with (as the book’s tagline claims) the fate of every person who ever lived. The following is a chapter-by-chapter summary of Bell's book.
Spoiler
Preface: Raises more questions than it answers, book has no notes, footnotes, endnotes, or bibliography. Further reading doesn't cut it.Chapter 1: Questions about heaven and hell that are set-up for the rest of the book.
Chapter 2: Heaven is a place on earth. God will eventually redeem and restore this broken world.
Chapter 3: Bell says Gehenna was really the city dump in Jesus' day. Not a spiritual place of eternal torment. Bell says people can still reject God in the afterlife but leaves the door open for eventual repentance. He introduces an idea similar to purgatory in Catholicism. Then he says everyone will eventually be reconciled to God.
Chapter 4: Bell asks: Does God get what God wants? What is it that God wants? "'God wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth' (1 Tim. 2)." Bell says contradicts himself in this chapter by saying that yes, some people believe God gets what He wants through eventual universal reconciliation and restoration but that God's love allows for the freedom to reject him if someone wishes to do so. He adds that people don't need to believe in the traditional doctrine of hell to be a Christian and that people can assume there's a chance for repentance in the future.
Chapter 5: Bell tells his readers that Jesus dying on the cross and rising again the third day was a very beautiful thing. Don't mar this beauty with nasty talk of eternal exclusivity via the traditional view of hell.
Chapter 6: Bell says that (since Paul says that) Jesus was present in the rock that Moses struck to give water to the Israelities, so Jesus is present in anywhere or anything. He also puts forward the odd idea of reverse universalism which posits that Jesus is present in all paths (ie, Jesus can be Mohammad for Muslims, Vishnu for Hindus, or nirvana for Buddhists).
Chapter 7: Using the template of the parable of the prodigal son (or the two sons), Bell says that we will all be at a party/celebration (heaven) and we can choose to exhibit negative attitudes and vices (hell) during the party if we want to. We can reject the Father's love.
Chapter 8: Bell reminds his readers that people can miss out on rewards, celebrations, and opportunities and that love wins.
A book 95% of all people would agree with in its grand majority written in an approachable but thoughtful way.
I want everyone to read this book. No matter their history with religion or their current beliefs, this book is bound to shake them up inside. A beautiful picture of God's exhaustive capacity to love and change us and create beauty in this life.
This book kind of blew my mind. That's rather high praise for anything, but Bell covers the topic of heaven/hell in a way I've never read before.
That said, the premise of the book is relatively simple: Jesus' love is for absolutely everyone. In itself, this is not a new message to me or likely to millions of others reading this book, but Bell goes a step further. Not only is the love of Christ a message that's possible for everyone to receive and make their own, it is in existence regardless of whatever actions we as humans take (either positively or negatively). Love is not something to be earned or deserved.
Actions taken every day move us either closer to the grace of God or further away from the peaceful gospel of love and forgiveness. Bell characterizes "heaven" and "hell" not in the normal up/down dichotomy, but rather to the extent which we allow suffering to rule our lives. Certainly in the world around us, hell exists in many forms every day. Heaven comes when people take action to right injustices which manifest as personal or institutional "hells."
My favorite quote from the book comes near the end: "For some, the highest for of allegiance to their God is to attack, defame, and slander others who don't articulate matters of faith as they do." As humanity, be we folks who categorize ourselves as Christians, Muslims, Jews, Atheists, Universalists or anything else in between, it is not our job to decide who is specifically "correct" in the way they worship God or celebrate(or don't celebrate) the presence of a higher power in the world or universe. Rather, we should strive to bring about a loving heaven with the way we treat others, and resist caving into the hell of self-righteousness and elitist exclusionary views of the earth and those who live upon't.
*Bonus points to Bell for not using a male or female pronoun for God. Not sure if this is too revolutionary for some of you out there, but I thought it was nice.
That said, the premise of the book is relatively simple: Jesus' love is for absolutely everyone. In itself, this is not a new message to me or likely to millions of others reading this book, but Bell goes a step further. Not only is the love of Christ a message that's possible for everyone to receive and make their own, it is in existence regardless of whatever actions we as humans take (either positively or negatively). Love is not something to be earned or deserved.
Actions taken every day move us either closer to the grace of God or further away from the peaceful gospel of love and forgiveness. Bell characterizes "heaven" and "hell" not in the normal up/down dichotomy, but rather to the extent which we allow suffering to rule our lives. Certainly in the world around us, hell exists in many forms every day. Heaven comes when people take action to right injustices which manifest as personal or institutional "hells."
My favorite quote from the book comes near the end: "For some, the highest for of allegiance to their God is to attack, defame, and slander others who don't articulate matters of faith as they do." As humanity, be we folks who categorize ourselves as Christians, Muslims, Jews, Atheists, Universalists or anything else in between, it is not our job to decide who is specifically "correct" in the way they worship God or celebrate(or don't celebrate) the presence of a higher power in the world or universe. Rather, we should strive to bring about a loving heaven with the way we treat others, and resist caving into the hell of self-righteousness and elitist exclusionary views of the earth and those who live upon't.
*Bonus points to Bell for not using a male or female pronoun for God. Not sure if this is too revolutionary for some of you out there, but I thought it was nice.
3 stars seems harsh considering the consistently “heretical” critiques this book receives. Bell was doing deconstruction of evangelicalism years before it was a term. Unfortunately, 4 stars feels overly generous considering my impressions.
What I like about this book is that, along with being a pretty easy and quick read Bell promotes that he is not the first person to come up with these ideas. I like that he gives readers things to think about without owning his own opinion. I like when people bring up the idea that maybe it's ok for us to doubt a teaching we thought was hard and fast in order to find the truth. I like the idea that God can probably take our doubt. What I don't like about this book is that it's an easy and quick read about hell, which isn't an easy subject. Bell makes it less scary but doesn't dive too deeply into scripture, which I think could have benefited his points. I also think that although the book is well-written, some of his examples are kind-of reaching, which annoys me because I didn't think he HAD to try so hard. I think he could have made his point by asking fewer, unanswered questions, and diving a little further into the subject he was talking about. Still, despite what critics say, I really think Bell's heart and mind were in the right place, when writing this. And I think people need to settle the heck down and stop being so mean to him. Just saying.
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced