I changed my mind. I read the book after all. It was only fair, and turned out to be a pretty decent read. It only took a couple of hours. Had it been formatted like most other books, it could have been about 75 pages, but Rob Bell doesn't...
work..
that...
way.
It turns out he's been influenced pretty heavily by N.T. Wright's perspectives on the Kingdom of God and its implications for our mission in the here and now. He's also been influenced pretty heavily by Tim Keller's preaching / teaching on the parable of the lost sons (a la The Prodigal God). Bell seems to put his own spin on their views, and the result is a good read. I still think that his point about most Christians not believing that God is good is a valid one - one that we need to take seriously.
But I have some great ideas for how to win an argument about our eternal destiny, based on what I've seen in Love Wins:
1. Redefine words/concepts like love, heaven, hell.
2. Attach my views to historical figures like Origen, Augustine, etc., without quoting them directly.
3. Win the Reformed by suggesting that Martin Luther thinks I might be right...but again, don't quote him.
4. Don't answer the questions the interviewers and fans are asking me about what I do and don't believe.
5. Make fun of Christians who I disagree with.
6. Make fun of what lots of Christians believe.
7. Make a case that my view is something that the uncomfortable texts could possibly mean - and ignore the likely, clearer meaning wherever possible.
8. Couch my theology in anecdotal stories of suffering and pain so that would-be critics will feel guilty.
9. Shave my head and wear thick-rimmed glasses.
10. Don't support my propositions; just state my assumptions so unilaterally that any would-be critic will be afraid to argue with them, thinking These must be true; he speaks as though they're so obvious!
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