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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
This is a fantastic introduction to Christian universalism. A great book for anyone confused with Christianity's generous view of G-d because of the supposed facts regarding the existence and purpose of Hell.
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
I appreciate that this books caused me to think about a lot of topics in faith I don't always think about. Although Rob Bell probably wanted me to think about topics A, B, and C, I often found myself thinking about topics X, Y, and Z instead. I understand the controversy around Bell, this book, and his beliefs, but I never really felt like he made a clear point about the topic of Universalism. Instead, I was just happy to have him encourage me to think more deeply about how we approach faith, in his personal style (that many of us know from the Nooma video series).
I have gone through this book quickly via audiobook. I'm writing this about an hour after finishing the book and I really have not processed it yet. There is much food for thought there. It's radically different than anything else I've read on the subject of eternity. I will have to get a physical copy of the book and sit down with notepad and pen, Bible and concordance, nearby and go through it again before I can really write my impressions of it.
I found the hoopla to be a bit overwrought (as I often do). It's a very typical Rob Bell book ― at times frustrating, inspiring, moving, unexpected, annoying, funny, etc. And very "light." It's not a heavily footnoted book of doctrine. Even the printed page seems full of white space ― large font, stacked phrases instead of tight paragraphs, etc.
His writing doesn't always appeal to me. I almost always prefer the written word to the spoken (the transcript to the live event, the blog post to the video interview) but in Bell's case, I find his speaking to be much more compelling than his writing. For example, it's a fast read, but it took a concerted effort for me to get through the litany of "and this leads to the question" questions in the first chapter. After that, though, I found myself reconciling to the writing style a bit more and actually liking the book.
But not exactly because of the theology. He raises some interesting points, but I think he plays more than a bit loose with what he doesn't include and how he handles what he does include (yes, I'm questioning his hermeneutics and exegesis). There *seems* to be a nice sampling of supportive scripture included, but genre, intent, and context are often missing. And a few short quotes from Augustine, Martin Luther, etc., aren't enough to convince me that Bell's thoughts align with theirs. I'm pretty sure even a slightly more thorough reading of Luther, for example, would take him off a list of "Historic Rob Bell Allies." Bell's views on the role of Jesus in redemption/reconciliation are truly interesting. But foggy. I did really like his discussion of heaven, however. And, oddly, one of the most controversial parts ― his treatment of "hell" ― seemed to me to be the one he handled most fairly. Still, it wasn't the theology surrounding heaven and hell that drew me in but the fact that he's right ― these are questions that people are asking and have been asking for ages and ages and it is important for us to grapple with them in a charitable, non-dogmatic way. Clichéd, perhaps, but true: God isn't threatened by our questions.
To answer the hoopla, no, I wouldn't exactly consider Bell to be a universalist. I do think that he'd fit nicely in the tradition of Liberal Protestantism, and that many will find his theology here "bunk." I'd still recommend reading it, however ― because I think he does a masterful job of reminding us that the gospel is more than we usually grasp, better than we can account for, and never as neatly in the box as we think it is.
For further (or "instead of" reading), I'd recommend [b:Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church|2319645|Surprised by Hope Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church|N.T. Wright|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347624226l/2319645._SX50_.jpg|2326165] by N.T. Wright, [b:The Problem of Pain|26435|The Problem of Pain|C.S. Lewis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328546308l/26435._SY75_.jpg|2976220] by C.S. Lewis, and [b:The Great Divorce|17267|The Great Divorce|C.S. Lewis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1166805741l/17267._SY75_.jpg|1215780] (fiction, also by Lewis) as a good start.
His writing doesn't always appeal to me. I almost always prefer the written word to the spoken (the transcript to the live event, the blog post to the video interview) but in Bell's case, I find his speaking to be much more compelling than his writing. For example, it's a fast read, but it took a concerted effort for me to get through the litany of "and this leads to the question" questions in the first chapter. After that, though, I found myself reconciling to the writing style a bit more and actually liking the book.
But not exactly because of the theology. He raises some interesting points, but I think he plays more than a bit loose with what he doesn't include and how he handles what he does include (yes, I'm questioning his hermeneutics and exegesis). There *seems* to be a nice sampling of supportive scripture included, but genre, intent, and context are often missing. And a few short quotes from Augustine, Martin Luther, etc., aren't enough to convince me that Bell's thoughts align with theirs. I'm pretty sure even a slightly more thorough reading of Luther, for example, would take him off a list of "Historic Rob Bell Allies." Bell's views on the role of Jesus in redemption/reconciliation are truly interesting. But foggy. I did really like his discussion of heaven, however. And, oddly, one of the most controversial parts ― his treatment of "hell" ― seemed to me to be the one he handled most fairly. Still, it wasn't the theology surrounding heaven and hell that drew me in but the fact that he's right ― these are questions that people are asking and have been asking for ages and ages and it is important for us to grapple with them in a charitable, non-dogmatic way. Clichéd, perhaps, but true: God isn't threatened by our questions.
To answer the hoopla, no, I wouldn't exactly consider Bell to be a universalist. I do think that he'd fit nicely in the tradition of Liberal Protestantism, and that many will find his theology here "bunk." I'd still recommend reading it, however ― because I think he does a masterful job of reminding us that the gospel is more than we usually grasp, better than we can account for, and never as neatly in the box as we think it is.
For further (or "instead of" reading), I'd recommend [b:Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church|2319645|Surprised by Hope Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church|N.T. Wright|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347624226l/2319645._SX50_.jpg|2326165] by N.T. Wright, [b:The Problem of Pain|26435|The Problem of Pain|C.S. Lewis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328546308l/26435._SY75_.jpg|2976220] by C.S. Lewis, and [b:The Great Divorce|17267|The Great Divorce|C.S. Lewis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1166805741l/17267._SY75_.jpg|1215780] (fiction, also by Lewis) as a good start.
I was totally prepared to dislike this book, based on all the criticism I’d heard of it, but I actually didn’t hate it. Bell definitely says some good, true things here. Then there are things that I don’t think I agree with, but that’s okay, because it made me consider ideas I’ve never seriously considered before. To me it seemed that the book raised more questions than it provided answers, but it made me think a lot about these questions, and that’s valuable, too.
challenging
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
Very interesting book that gave me lots to think about. I wasn’t the biggest fan of his writing style, the repetitive and poetic nature of the way he shared his research was a little confusing and hard to follow at times. I also expected a concrete answer at the end of this book based on reactions other people had to this book, but he seemed to present lots of information and leave it up to the reader to decide what to believe. All in all, very interesting and thought provoking.
Eye opening. Really made me rethink some of my beliefs.
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
While Bell writes a compelling story, a story I would love to believe, that's all it is a nice story. As much as I would like to believe everyone will go to heaven, I just can't. Bell leaves out so much of the Bible that talks about judgment, passages that I simply can't ignore.