You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
purplepenning 's review for:
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.