Egg on my face

So in Sunday's sermon on the creation, I mention that the Rob Bell video "Everything is spiritual" is really excellent. Then I catch up some reading and I find that there is quite an upset with some things Rob is saying regarding his upcoming book "Love Wins" that I have on pre-order and will read as soon as I can access it via Amazon.

Rob is one of the most gifted communicators in the world. He seems to have a knack to take parts of scripture that many consider dead and bring life to them. He started his church in Grand Rapids Michigan by preaching through Leviticus of all books! Kudos!

The stuff that Rob talks about is excellent, but I have repeatedly stated in many ways that I am concerned about what Rob does NOT say. One of the key areas that he is silent on is atonement, redemption, confession and many of the other great themes of the cross that the New Testament is built on. He simply ignores the great book of Romans and the themes of Jesus saving work of the cross. Driscoll once commented about the Emerging church and said that the they believe in a salvation by association rather than by confession and faith. Basically: hang with Jesus people and you're OK. Rob is one of the Emerging leaders, and there have been question asked about this very influential pastor's theology and how orthodox it is. Brian McLaren another Emerging author has laid his cards on the table about his unorthodoxy, Rob Bell has never done so....until now.

So after recommending Rob's video on Sunday (which is really excellent!) He comes out with this video introducing his book where he makes it pretty clear that in his opinion, God would never send anybody to eternal punishment, let alone the billions who mock, ridicule or simply ignore God's Son. The question then has to be asked about how Rob understands the scriptures?Repeatedly Jesus talks about hell, punishment, God's wrath and his role in saving us from God's just anger at our sin. Most of Romans is a reminder of God's grace and saving work done through the cross and it reminds us that to ignore God will result in the outpouring of God's wrath, because sin demands justice.

I cannot wait to read the book, mostly because I hope that Bell's video is more of a marketing scheme and not what he really believes. Because if it is what he believes then he is so far outside of orthodoxy, that I am not sure we're even sitting at the same table, let alone worshiping the same God, who has clearly revealed these things through scripture.

So I am waiting, hoping and praying....