Category Archives: ROB BELL
Dear Rob Bell: The Church Isn’t Giving an Inch on Gay Marriage
Click on the following link for the full article:
Dear Rob Bell: The Church Isn’t Giving an Inch on Gay Marriage.
My Response to Rob Bell on Soul Sunday with Oprah (Part 2)
Here’s what I heard Bell say: “Things are headed somewhere — and that somewhere is good.”
Oprah asked him directly, “Are we ultimately headed to somewhere that is good?” He then refers to the Ted Conference at which only 2% of the attendees
professed to be religious. Bell was struck by the fact that the speaker got a standing ovation when he said that “The moral arc of the universe is long but bends towards justice.” Bell seems to make the point that there is within us all an intuitive impulse that life has a point — It is the sense that there’s a reason to keep going.
My thoughts on this video:
“Things are headed somewhere — and that somewhere is good.” Oprah specifically asks Bell, “Are we ultimately headed to somewhere that is good? Do you believe that?”
Bell didn’t directly answer her question. He referred to a recent Ted Conference, that only 2% of the attendees at the Ted Conference were religious. But the speaker made the point that “The moral arc of the universe is long but bends towards justice.”
Bell uses that line to say that we all have an intuitive impulse that life has a point — It is the sense that there’s a reason to keep going.
MY QUESTIONS TO ROB: But what is that “point,” Rob? Is it self-defined? Are there many possible answers to Oprah’s question? What about the claim of Jesus that He and He alone is “the way, the truth, and the life,” and that “no one comes to the Father except through Him”? What about His promise of an abundant life to all who believe in Him?
Is Oprah fine in her spirituality, Rob? I can appreciate wanting to identify with another person’s quest for meaning and for something deeper, but where do we share the sometimes incredibly offensive truth of the gospel? Off-camera, Rob, do you share the gospel with Oprah?
A Review of Three Books on Eternal Lostness
Friends:
I’ve recently reviewed three books on eternal lostness for the Emmaus Journal. The review is found below. The book that really concerns me is Sharon Baker’s book Razing Hell. Please feel free to post your comments below.
Click on the following link for my review:
review of three books on hell – pdf
“FAREWELL, ROB BELL” AVAILABLE NOW
Thanks to all who have supported me in this publishing project, “Farewell, Rob Bell”: A Biblical Response to Love Wins. I especially appreciate the support of Ken Silva of Apprising Ministries. This book is now available through Amazon.com. There is also a Kindle version. Allow me to repeat the flyer below which shows the cover (masterfully done by Christian cartoonist Ron Wheeler):
God’s given me courage to send a copy to Bell’s elders at Mars Hill Bible Church. Please pray that some of them will read it and respond properly.
I’ve also sent a copy to Mark Galli of Christianity Today who says that Rob Bell and Love Wins are no litmus test of orthodoxy! He’s publishing a book entitled God Wins.
Discussion Questions: Why should we get in such a flap about a book on God’s love? What makes neo-universalism so dangerous?
“Will Only a Few Be Saved?” (Part 3)
This three-part discussion of Luke 13 in which a person asks Jesus, “Lord, are only a few people going to be
Is GOD a tightwad?
saved?” provides a foundation for us to discuss neo-universalism and its charge that Evangelicalism is stingy and holds that God is not generous in salvation.
Rob Bell (and to some extent Brian McLaren) advocate endless opportunities in the after-death state for God to “melt every heart” and win everyone over to salvation.
The Bible indicates that God owes no one salvation. His greatness (contra Bell) does not depend on His saving many, a few, or none. Let’s look at our Luke 13 one more time:
22 Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”
He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’
“But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’
26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’
27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’
28 “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”
To review: Jesus does not directly answer this question about “only a few” being saved. Instead, he launches into an analogy involving a narrow door, a house, and a homeowner. Jesus begins the story by encouraging His listeners to “make every effort” (the Greek word implies agony) to enter through the narrow door.
It appears that many will try to crash the house (“many will try to enter and will not be able to”) and will be turned away. The homeowner will at some point get up and close the door, prohibiting any more from entering his house.
But those on the outside do not simply give up and walk away. They began providing arguments why the door should be re-opened and they be allowed entrance. They claim to have eaten and drunk with the Lord and to have heard Him teach in their streets.
The homeowner responds to their arguments by saying, “I don’t know you or where you are from.” The clear implication is that entrance to the house is based on a relationship with the homeowner. And they had none.
We are then told that He brings the conversation to a screeching halt by saying, “Away from me, all you evildoers!” This hardly seems consistent with Hebraic hospitality. But the issue isn’t hospitality, but salvation (remember the original question).
Jesus then describes the outside of that house as a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. We pick up the text at this point.
28 “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”
Let’s summarize and add a few questions for reflection.
Jesus uses the analogy of a house —
1. there is a narrow door;
2. effort is required to enter through the narrow door;
3. there will be many (competition?) who will try to enter & won’t be able to (why not?);
4. the house’s owner will get up and close the door (which, of course, is his prerogative — he’s the owner!);
5. YOU will stand outside knocking & pleading, “Sir, open the door for us.” (v. 25)
6. His response? “I don’t know you or where you come from.” (v. 25) (= “you are a stranger to me — why should I trust you?”);
7. YOU seek to identify yourselves: “We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.” (v. 26).
8. His reply: “I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!” (v. 27)
9. CONCLUSION: “There will be weeping there . . .”
What do we know from Scripture THAT WE LIKE?
1. He is not willing that any should perish, but that all come to repentance!
2. Jesus did not come primarily to condemn, but to save. He came on a RESCUE mission! Judgment is God’s “strange work.”
3. The Lord’s arm is not short that it cannot save. There is no INABILITY in the Lord that prevents most or ALL being saved!
4. He wants His house FILLED!
5. He does not delight in the death of the wicked!
6. He has declared that people from every tribe, people, tongue and nation will be at the throne worshipping!
What do we know WE MAY NOT LIKE from Scripture?
1. God is thrice-holy and is allergic to sin!
2. He WILL judge!
3. Hell is a real place!
4. Not all will believe!
5. Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers.
6. Death ENDS all opportunities to be saved.
7. We have an OBLIGATION to get the gospel OUT!
Discussion Questions: Which of the above considerations need more attention by Evangelicals in light of the challenge of neo-universalism? How might solid exegetical preaching help in providing answers to some of these questions?
“FAREWELL, ROB BELL”: A Biblical Response to Love Wins (available soon)
Friends: I’ve been working hard the last few weeks to complete my response to Rob
me at hard labor
Bell’s Love Wins: A Book about Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived (HarperOne, 2011). The book is finished and is being published through Amazon’s Create Space (print on demand). Not a particularly long book (70 pages or so), “Farewell, Rob Bell: A Biblical Response to Love Wins” deals with the primary questions Bell raises in his presentation of what I’ve been calling neo-universalism.
I’m extremely pleased with the original cover art by cartoonist Ron Wheeler. Below is the cover (which probably needs no explanation):
Didn’t he do a great job? I’m trying to keep the price down, so I’m charging only $10 (which includes shipping to the USA and Canada). Send a check or money order made out to me (Larry Dixon) + your address and I will ship your copy as soon as they come off the press! My address: 117 Norse Way, Columbia, SC 29229
Sorry for the commercial, but I believe I’ve put together a solid response to Bell which will be of help, especially to those who have not or do not intend to read Love Wins.
“Will Only a Few Be Saved?” (Part 2)
We began this three-part discussion by recognizing that there is a new challenge facing Evangelicals by a
"Hi, there. We're the NEO-UNIVERSALISTS!"
group I’m calling the neo-universalists. Unlike classic universalists like Karl Barth, C.H. Dodd, John A.T. Robinson, and Nels F.S. Ferré, these neo-universalists are rather militant about their belief that God will (must) save all. God’s very greatness, says Rob Bell in Love Wins, depends on God’s getting what God wants — and He wants all to be saved.
Part of the neo-universalist argument is that Evangelicalism is stingy, teaching a fewness perspective in which only a limited number will be saved. The neo-universalists argue for endless opportunities after death to believe the gospel and mock the Evangelical perspective as “toxic” and as a “hijacking” of the Jesus story.
We suggested in Part 1 of this discussion that God is under no obligation to save any. And His greatness is true with or without man’s salvation.
We then noticed that Jesus Himself was asked a very specific question about how many would be saved in Luke 13. Let’s look at the whole passage:
22 Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”
He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’
“But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’
26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’
27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’
28 “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”
We made several observations as we began our study of this biblical text. To summarize those earlier points, we noticed that Jesus addresses His answer to the people, rather than to the individual who raised the question. And He immediately launches into an analogy about a narrow door, a house, and a houseowner.
We saw in verse 24 that Jesus challenges the people to “make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.” Salvation in Jesus’ analogy sounds difficult: the door is narrow, “every effort” is required to get into that house, and the many who try to enter (and won’t be able to) appear to present an obstacle to the ones Jesus commands to “make every effort to enter.”
Additional Observations:
1. Moving on in the text, we notice that the one who is to make every effort to enter is faced with a greater challenge. There is an owner of the house who may get up at any time and close the door! What?! Doesn’t God want His house filled? How could He ever get up and close the door? The neo-universalists argue that salvation’s door should remain eternally open. Let’s notice exactly what Jesus says: “25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’”
"This is MY house, right?" (God)
Notice the term “once.” Jesus seems to be saying that the opportunity to enter through that narrow door into salvation’s house is limited. It is limited by the Owner Himself! He, as the homeowner, has every right to get up and close the door to His own house, doesn’t He?
Why does a homeowner get up and close the door to his house? Perhaps the open door has made the house drafty? Perhaps he’s keeping out wild animals? No! In this text the open door is shut because the time for people to enter is over! It’s His house. It’s His door. It’s HIS prerogative to close that door when He chooses to do so.
2. But those who find themselves on the outside, on the other side of that door, do not simply go away. The verse says, “you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’” The “you” is plural. Those outside don’t give up. They continue knocking and pleading, “Sir, open the door for us.” Apparently, they are unable to break down the door, or jimmy the lock, or go into the house through a window. This door is the only way into the house, and if the houseowner doesn’t open the door, they won’t get in.
3. There is then a discussion through the door. The houseowner responds to the pleas of those outside who are asking for entrance. We read, “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you are from.'” (v. 25). Those asking for entrance are strangers to the homeowner. They have no familial connection with the owner; He owes them nothing. The owner of the house gives them two reasons why He is not going to open the door to them: (1) “I don’t know you.” and (2) “I don’t know where you are from.”
4. But in this analogy Jesus says the conversation will continue. He says, “‘Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.'” (v. 26). So they did have a connection with the homeowner. They enjoyed at least one meal with Him and heard Him teach in their streets! These outside have moved from asking for entrance to demanding entrance based on these factors. But these do not qualify them as having a relationship with Him. His response is shocking in its unqualified rejection. Let’s carefully notice His response:
5. Jesus says the homeowner will reply, “I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!” (v. 27). Their claiming to have eaten and drunk with Him and to have heard Him teach in their streets was completely insufficient in providing a reason why He should re-open the door. The homeowner repeats exactly His rejection: “I don’t know you or where you are from.” (v. 27). He then brings the conversation to a shocking and abrupt conclusion by saying, “Away from me, all you evildoers!” (v. 27). So these pleading for entrance are not just strangers to the homeowner, but evildoers. And no sane person is going to knowingly allow an evildoer into his home!
6. We then have Jesus’ conclusion to the matter. Remember, this conversation began with someone asking Jesus a specific question: “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” Jesus concludes His analogical response by saying, 28“There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”
If we have correctly understood Jesus’ analogy as referring to eternal salvation, then His conclusion emphasizes several matters:
(a) Jesus describes the outside of the house as a place of “weeping . . . and gnashing of teeth.” Those who
The agony of those outside . . .
don’t get into that house are on the outside and it is not a pleasant location! It is characterized by weeping and teeth-gnashing. Edersheim, referring to the expression “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (used in Matt. 8:12; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; and here in Luke 13:28), points out that “weeping” is associated in Rabbinic thought with sorrow, but “gnashing of teeth” almost always with anger (not, as generally supposed, with anguish). [Is it not, therefore, reasonable to assume that those who reject the work of Christ, if they were offered the opportunity to leave hell, would rush to spread their sin and unbelief among the blood-bought children of heaven?] Those outside the house are not in spiritual or eternal neutrality. They experience terrific pain.
(b) Those who are outside will see the celebrated leaders of Judaism (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets) in the kingdom of God. [This reminds one of the rich man’s experience in Luke 16:19-31 who sees Lazarus in Abraham’s bosom (heaven)].
(c) Those outside will not only see Israel’s leaders in the kingdom of God. But Jesus says, “you yourselves [will be] thrown out.” (v. 28). (TO BE CONTINUED)
Discussion Questions: When Jesus says in John 1:12 that one receives the RIGHT to be called a child of God, how do these pleading to be let in assume a RIGHT they do not possess? How ought the fact of the owner of the house getting up and closing the door to His house motivate every believer to systematic, strategic, intentional evangelistic efforts right now?
Dr. Larry Dixon
larrydixon.wordpress.com 