Rob Bell caused quite a stir with His recent book Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived. As I mentioned in a previous post, Bell deconstructed our traditional views of Heaven and Hell but offered few concrete conclusions, only vague possibilities. This angered some, gave hope to others and confused most. As Rob Bell muddied the waters of our view on the afterlife, Francis Chan decided to bring clarity - at least where Hell was concerned.
In Erasing Hell Chan, with New Testament scholar Preston Sprinkle, search history and the Bible to conclude hell is real place of torment reserved for those who do not follow God. When they finally come to this result, it is accompanied by a confession of our futility in defining God's actions and methods with human logic and an acknowledgement of the higher ways of God. While the book mentions Bell and his arguments, it doesn't seem to be from a stance of superiority, but rather to give a greater understanding of their different views. Chan's passion to inform us completely and clearly is motivated by "a sense of urgency over the reality of hell." Chan, unlike Bell, does not address heaven . . . which does seem to throw a shadow of incompleteness on his discussion of the afterlife.
While both Bell and Chan come to the conclusion that God is larger than our ability to comprehend, their differences, in both method and outcome, are astounding. Chan seems to scour the Bible and consults several experts to come to a well-supported conclusion. Bell's approach? First, let's remember that Rob Bell is a pastor and noted author of several books. He has a degree in theology and people look to him as an authority on spiritual issues. This being the case, why does Bell seem to be so casual in his discussion of such an important topic? Bell's hypothetical suppositions give the impression that he is merely "thinking out loud" as opposed to truly seeking an answer. Harsh? Maybe, but Rob Bell's gift as a compelling author needs to be exercised responsibly. If writing about "the fate of every person who ever lived" as the title suggests, you would think Bell would take the topic more seriously.
Like Bell, Chan espouses the merits of examining and questioning the Bible and the methods of God. While both wrestle with whether a loving God can send people to a hell of eternal suffering and equally admit they don't completely understand God, it is at this point that Chan makes perhaps his most important argument of all. "He's the Potter and we're the clay." The clay doesn't get to tell the potter how life works or that it is unfair. We want to shape God into our image and make Him follow our rules . . . our logic.
Both Chan and Bell agree on this: our response should be to live as if, to quote the street evangelist, "the end is near." Each book offers the invitation to know God through Jesus and come to the conclusion that, when we do, "love wins".
While both Bell and Chan come to the conclusion that God is larger than our ability to comprehend, their differences, in both method and outcome, are astounding. Chan seems to scour the Bible and consults several experts to come to a well-supported conclusion. Bell's approach? First, let's remember that Rob Bell is a pastor and noted author of several books. He has a degree in theology and people look to him as an authority on spiritual issues. This being the case, why does Bell seem to be so casual in his discussion of such an important topic? Bell's hypothetical suppositions give the impression that he is merely "thinking out loud" as opposed to truly seeking an answer. Harsh? Maybe, but Rob Bell's gift as a compelling author needs to be exercised responsibly. If writing about "the fate of every person who ever lived" as the title suggests, you would think Bell would take the topic more seriously.
Like Bell, Chan espouses the merits of examining and questioning the Bible and the methods of God. While both wrestle with whether a loving God can send people to a hell of eternal suffering and equally admit they don't completely understand God, it is at this point that Chan makes perhaps his most important argument of all. "He's the Potter and we're the clay." The clay doesn't get to tell the potter how life works or that it is unfair. We want to shape God into our image and make Him follow our rules . . . our logic.
Both Chan and Bell agree on this: our response should be to live as if, to quote the street evangelist, "the end is near." Each book offers the invitation to know God through Jesus and come to the conclusion that, when we do, "love wins".
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