"Is Hell Dead?" - This week's Time Magazine

[DMcFadden]

"Is Hell Dead?" is the somewhat predictable cover story for Time Magazine around this time of year and in December. The cover story by Jon Meacham features Rob Bell and his new book, "Love Wins," which we have discussed in our threads.

Did any of you read Time this week? (the cover story is online for free at http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2065080,00.html). What did you think of the article? Of the quotes from Dr. Mouw? Of the picture of Rob Bell?

 

[discipulo]

"Is Hell Dead?" is the somewhat predictable cover story for Time Magazine around this time of year and in December. The cover story by Jon Meacham features Rob Bell and his new book, "Love Wins," which we have discussed in our threads.

Did any of you read it? What did you think of the article? Of the quotes from Dr. Mouw? Of the picture of Rob Bell?

This morning I entered a Barnes&Noble in downtown Charleston, btw beautiful city, charming and packed with history and fantastic architecture,

and there it was Rob Bell's Love Wins on its way to become a national/international(?) bestseller. Awfully sad.

The good thing is that nowadays anyone can check it from different angles on the blogs, so no one will be caught by surprise.

Unlike that famous demotivator saying: I don´t really care for labels, they spoil all the fun (and the picture above is an empty botlle of poison).

The book is getting the Label it deserves: Deadly Heresy !

Rob Bell won't kill Hell, but he is surely trying hard to kill the fear of God in the hearts of men.

And as: the Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom. Prov. 1:7 What does this say about Bell ?

So I just hope Time has included comments from biblical christians warning of its danger!

 

[Bill The Baptist]

How appropriate that we are discussing the topic of hell on Hitler's birthday. Of course in Rob Bell's mind there is no hell, so I suppose Hitler is up in heaven dancing a jig with Abraham and Moses.

 

[Rufus]

I saw it at school from across the library so I picked it up and skimmed through the article. The only person mentioned criticizing it was Albert Mohler, no mention of the John Piper twitter post, or the Mark Driscoll Heaven and Hell sermon, or Martin Bashirs interview. Just that "conservatives" didn't like it, and that "young people" really like Rob Bell. Than it went into Bells childhood, and his inspirations.
Anyways, plenty of "young people" aren't following Bell, secondly it mentioned Bells inspiration from NT Wright, who regardless of the New Perspective on Paul, as far as I know, believes in Hell.

The article did mention that if there was universalism, than why attend church, or even try being a good person (not to get into a Justification arrangement, but if everybody is going, than why bother, why care about Jesus)

 

[greenbaggins]

Hell: "The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated, to quote one of my favorite denisons. However, I am more than happy to go underground at a time like this.That way, we can be a fifth under-column underneath 'Christianity,' and pull the ground (I meant rug, of course. It's amazing what the pull of gravity does to us) out from under-neath them.

 

[Peairtach]

Martin Bashir gave him a good bashing.

You could almost feel sorry for poor wee Robbie.

 

[DMcFadden]

I saw it at school from across the library so I picked it up and skimmed through the article. The only person mentioned criticizing it was Albert Mohler, no mention of the John Piper twitter post, or the Mark Driscoll Heaven and Hell sermon, or Martin Bashirs interview. Just that "conservatives" didn't like it, and that "young people" really like Rob Bell. Than it went into Bells childhood, and his inspirations.
Anyways, plenty of "young people" aren't following Bell, secondly it mentioned Bells inspiration from NT Wright, who regardless of the New Perspective on Paul, as far as I know, believes in Hell.

The article did mention that if there was universalism, than why attend church, or even try being a good person (not to get into a Justification arrangement, but if everybody is going, than why bother, why care about Jesus)

Yes, it does mention Piper's twitter post, just prior to the comment by Mohler:

When word of Love Wins reached the Internet, one conservative Evangelical pastor, John Piper, tweeted, "Farewell Rob Bell," unilaterally attempting to evict Bell from the Evangelical community. R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, says Bell's book is "theologically disastrous. Any of us should be concerned when a matter of theological importance is played with in a subversive way."

Mohler was also cited for drawing out the implications of the book:

"When you adopt universalism and erase the distinction between the church and the world," says Mohler, "then you don't need the church, and you don't need Christ, and you don't need the cross. This is the tragedy of nonjudgmental mainline liberalism, and it's Rob Bell's tragedy in this book too."

The article also quotes Fuller President Dr. Mouw:

Fuller Theological Seminary, in Pasadena, Calif., is an eclectic place, attracting 4,000 students from 70 countries and more than 100 denominations. "It's pretty hard to sit with Pentecostals and Holiness people and mainline Presbyterians and Anglicans and come away with a closed mind-set that draws firm boundaries about theology," says Fuller president Richard Mouw.

Demography is also working in Bell's favor. "He's trying to reach a generation that's more comfortable with mystery, with unsolved questions," says Mouw, noting that his own young grandchildren are growing up with Hindu and Muslim friends and classmates. "For me, Hindus and Muslims were the people we sent missionaries off to in places we called 'Arabia,'" Mouw says. "Now that diversity is part of the fabric of daily life. It makes a difference. My generation wanted truth — these are folks who want authenticity. The whole judgmentalism and harshness is something they want to avoid."

 

[steadfast7]

Apparently in a recent sermon, Bell said he does believe in hell. The definition is the elusive thing though. I think Wright and Bell are in the same ball park regarding what it is. Both are against the medieval depictions of everlasting inferno. I believe Wright sees it as "dehumanization", the increasing loss of the image of God (whatever that means).

 

[DMcFadden]

The Time article cites Wright as his hero.

 

[Osage Bluestem]

The whole Rob Bell issue is a tragic theological disaster as Mohler said. Bell's book is so popular it is going to take years of work and refutation to fix the damage he is doing to the ignorant.

 

[steadfast7]

The whole Rob Bell issue is a tragic theological disaster as Mohler said. Bell's book is so popular it is going to take years of work and refutation to fix the damage he is doing to the ignorant.

I think we can still be thankful that The New Calvinism is still a force to be reckoned with. However, I was chatting with Paul Washer who came to India for a conference and his only concern with resurgent Calvinism among young people is that they are so "cool." So there are hip young people on both ends of the spectrum; interesting to see how it plays out.

 

[Bill The Baptist]

I think we can still be thankful that The New Calvinism is still a force to be reckoned with. However, I was chatting with Paul Washer who came to India for a conference and his only concern with resurgent Calvinism among young people is that they are so "cool." So there are hip young people on both ends of the spectrum; interesting to see how it plays

Paul Washer is one of my favorite preachers because he is not afraid to tell it like it is, and he is not afraid to be passionate in the pulpit. So many reformed pastors today deliver such dry and passionless sermons because they don't want to manipulate people with emotion. I understand and appreciate that sentiment, but we should get fired up about the Word of God. It is only manipulation if it is fake. As far as young reformed Christians thinking they are cool, all young people think they are cool. Once you get older and start having kids, they let you know just how uncool you are.

 

[torstar]

The whole Rob Bell issue is a tragic theological disaster as Mohler said. Bell's book is so popular it is going to take years of work and refutation to fix the damage he is doing to the ignorant.

Many of us grew out of far worse things were believed when we were younger. [I still shudder to think of it.]

Should happen just around the time you get your first real job (and see the deductions carved out of it) or sign a binding financial instrument.

 

[DMcFadden]

Bell's book is so popular it is going to take years of work and refutation to fix the damage he is doing to the ignorant.

Ignorant indeed! The pastor at the church we attend was ranting and raving at staff about the Time piece. He claims that two retired ministers in the church (i.e., almost by definition that means residents of mine in the retirement home I lead! Ouch!) read Bell's book and were "convinced" by it. Saying that someone was "convinced" by Bell must be like saying that the wind was so strong that it blew down all of the noodles in the chicken noodle soup!

 

[torstar]

Reading the book left me stuck between guffawing and head shakes of disbelief and feelings of sorrow.

It was in-d-d-d-d-d-d-describable....

 

[Bill The Baptist]

As Jonathan Edwards said, "Every natural man that hears of hell flatters himself that he shall escape it." There are two ways that men do this, they either convince themselves that they are going to heaven, or they convince themselves that hell doesn't exist. Rob Bell has managed to do both.

 

[SolaSaint]

The whole Rob Bell issue is a tragic theological disaster as Mohler said. Bell's book is so popular it is going to take years of work and refutation to fix the damage he is doing to the ignorant.

David,

I have been thinking about this lately. Do we blame the heretic for leading the ignorant masses, or do we blame the ignorant masses for giving liberal preachers and Theologians the lime light? I used to alway blame the Bell's of the world for creating false doctrines, but it truly is the millions who don't want the truth of the Gospel but instead they want easy believism. These are the ones to blame: if it weren't for them these liberal preachers would go away. Peter Drucker has made much of the church a market driven business where the customer is always right.

 

[Gforce9]

" ................. Saying that someone was "convinced" by Bell must be like saying that the wind was so strong that it blew down all of the noodles in the chicken noodle soup!"

Absolutely marvelous!