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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
Read this one: beautiful, hopeful, and heart changing, "There is an exclusivity on the other side of inclusivity. He is as narrow as himself and as wide as the universe. He is as exclusive as himself and as inclusive as containing every single favorite particle of creation."
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
Very thought provoking, and not as extreme as some have claimed.
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
I started this book excited to destroy it. I’ve heard how terrible and heretical (and believe me, the heresy is there in my opinion) Rob Bell and his writing was and that challenged me to want to believe the worst of this book and it’s author. I finish this book with a different feeling. Some of the things Bell says I categorically deny especially around the concepts of hell and the interrelation between other world religions and salvation. Other things, like his relationship between eschatology and current orthopraxy I am far less inclined to dismiss out of hand. Several times, it felt as though he walked very near faithful, truthful, profound thought and at the very last minute snatched his hand back for the sake of something more palatable and far less difficult to accept than what he had built toward. I cannot agree with Bell on many of his theological points, but I can appreciate the fact that he poured over Scripture in the process of writing this and landed on conclusions I personally couldn’t land on.
I guess I don't see the heresy in this book that everyone is talking about.
I think he makes a good point about God being this loving God so why would he want people to be eternally tormented for their sins, especially when Jesus died for our sins? Maybe I missed the lesson on that chapter.
I think he also makes a good point when he says we should be living a heavenly life here on Earth while we are here. Why should we wait for heaven? Why can't we be a loving, caring, compassionate people right now? Why wait for that? Love truly does win. I think we just need to put it into practice on a daily basis. However, maybe this doesn't hold sway in the typical American society because we are so individualistic. If we lived in a more collective society, maybe we would feel differently.
As always, with any of Rob Bell's books, I have to read them more than once, several times, to get the big picture and keep learning.
I think he makes a good point about God being this loving God so why would he want people to be eternally tormented for their sins, especially when Jesus died for our sins? Maybe I missed the lesson on that chapter.
I think he also makes a good point when he says we should be living a heavenly life here on Earth while we are here. Why should we wait for heaven? Why can't we be a loving, caring, compassionate people right now? Why wait for that? Love truly does win. I think we just need to put it into practice on a daily basis. However, maybe this doesn't hold sway in the typical American society because we are so individualistic. If we lived in a more collective society, maybe we would feel differently.
As always, with any of Rob Bell's books, I have to read them more than once, several times, to get the big picture and keep learning.
Read Erasing Hell by Francis Chan to see opposing interpretation of scripture
An important book. I nodded along to most of it and appreciated that it explores the context of particular Bible verses that many (myself included) find troubling.
4.5 stars
This is so simple and it put into words so many things I have believed or been mulling over for years. It didn't answer every question, and at times presented me with more/new ones. But that should be the journey - I'm never going to know all. I feel emotional having read it. I feel like maybe the God I follow isn't as rubbish as I may have thought at times. My .5 of a star that I've taken off is because I wish it had been longer and fleshed out things a bit more.
Very easy to read. Uncomplicated. Simple. Full of love and hope.
This is so simple and it put into words so many things I have believed or been mulling over for years. It didn't answer every question, and at times presented me with more/new ones. But that should be the journey - I'm never going to know all. I feel emotional having read it. I feel like maybe the God I follow isn't as rubbish as I may have thought at times. My .5 of a star that I've taken off is because I wish it had been longer and fleshed out things a bit more.
Very easy to read. Uncomplicated. Simple. Full of love and hope.
This book is for anyone that has truly believed that the "Good News" is so much better than what we were taught. It was short and healing.