Love Wins or How grace works or Is Rob Bell a Heretic?: Old Post 2

Last updated on: March 1, 2013 at 11:40 am by David Russell Mosley

Love Wins or How grace works or Is Rob Bell a Heretic?: Old Post 2 2013-03-01T11:40:21-04:00 David Russell Mosley

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Rob Bell, Heretic?

Well, amidst what I am sure will be the general deluge of reviews on Rob Bells most recent book, Love Wins, I thought I would add my own.

What the biggest question most Christians have about Bell’s book is, is he a heretic? The simplest answer I can give to that question is no. What Bell presents in Love Wins is not some kind of Unitarian Universalism where all roads lead to a proverbial Rome, that is, Heaven. Bell makes it clear, salvation, life in God in the resurrection comes only through the salvific act of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, God in flesh. The question, however, is not that simple.

While Bell presents views that are similar to those presented by C. S. Lewis in The Last Battle and The Great Divorce, he does what Lewis does not, he writes an entire book dedicated to the subject and calls others to believe as he does.

Also, on the question of heresy, it is true that the Early Church might have condemned him, but probably more specifically his views, as heresy, but I think they would have been wrong. Today, the label of heresy should be saved for those who deny Jesus as God incarnate, who died for the sins of the world and was resurrected three days later, ascending to the Father forty days later and denies that salvation comes through Jesus alone. This Bell does not do.

Therefore, even if you disagree with Bell’s understanding of grace, I would not recommend that you condemn him to Hell for his views. First, that is God’s decision alone. Second, he says nothing that I think should keep him from God’s grace in Jesus Christ.

Rob Bell and Grace

This brings us to just what Bell does say about grace. Without giving too much away, Bell states that not only do all have the opportunity to come to God’s grace in this life, but that God’s persistent love extends beyond this life into the life to come. As I said above, Lewis shows something similar to Emeth the Calormene who finds himself in Aslan’s Country when he has served Tash his entire life. Origen, in the third century, goes even further saying that eventually everyone will turn to Jesus, either in this life, pre-resurrection, or in the life to come, post-resurrection. For Origen, this extends even to Satan and his angels.

The people Bell seems to upset the most are those who have a Calvinistic or Augustinian understanding of grace, where God only chooses a select, elect few to spend eternity with Him, the rest He condemns (or they condemn themselves) to Hell. This needs to be kept in mind when reading Love Wins. (Frankly, I think they both get it wrong but that Bell might possibly be closer.

What do I think?

Personally, I disagree with Bell. I don’t think the Scriptures, or the majority of Church tradition are clear on this issue. I don’t think it is completely evident that all people will always have a choice. I have a hard time reconciling certain passages (especially parables) with Bell’s view (or Calvin’s for that matter). Nevertheless, I hope he’s right. Yes, I hope that all people will always have a choice, that they will not only be able to, but will choose Jesus in the end. I want it to be true, even if I don’t see it in Scripture. Since I want it to be true, and I don’t think it is, that spurs me on even more to help spread the Gospel to all people. That is love and God is love. This is what Bell calls us to, even though all people will always have a choice, we must help them see that there are real consequences now and in the life to come for our decisions now and as Christians we must help people make the right decisions and accept God’s love.Also, check out my friend Peter’s review Love Wins.

Previous Post

February 28, 2013

Why I'm Still in the Restoration Movement: Old Post 1

Next Post

March 2, 2013 Should We Be Using Instruments in Worship to God?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A Secular Age Advent Apologetics Atheism Beauty Being a Catholic Evangelical Being Catholic Being Deified: Poetry and Fantasy on the Path to God Blogging Book Reviews C. S. Lewis Catholic Imagination Catholic Social Teaching Catholicism Christmas Church Calendar Church Fathers Church Life Community Conferences Cosmology Creation Curdled Words Deification Distributism Easter Economics Education Epiphany Essay Extracts Eucharist Faerie Faeriean Metaphysics Fatherhood Films Folk Liturgy Food and Drink G. K. Chesterton Harry Potter J. R. R. Tolkien Jove King Arthur Language Lent Life Literature and Poetry Liturgy Medieval Theology Music My Publications Mythology On the Edges of Elfland Ordinary Time Ordination Parenthood Parish Patristic Theology Pentecost Politics Prayer Racism Radical Orthodoxy Restoration Movement Sacramental Ontology Saints Science Sex and Sexuality Sophiology Stories The Inklings The Radical Catholic Reimagination of Everything Theologians in the Church Theopoetics Thesis Research Uncategorized University of Nottingham What I'm Reading Writing

Select a Month December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 July 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz