A call for civility in the Rob Bell discussion
Rob Bell and publisher HarperCollins are benefiting greatly from the free publicity the evangelical world is giving his latest book, Love Wins. Unfortunately, in their haste to make their feelings known on the subject of hell, some things are being said that seem inappropriate when we consider New Testament teaching on how we are to treat our brothers and sisters.
Before we judge Bell’s theology, I think we have a responsibility as Christians to acknowledge certain things about him:
1) Bell’s ministry is reaching people for Christ. Mars Hill is drawing young adults in ways most churches can only dream of. His Nooma videos have influenced countless thousands to consider Jesus and Christianity.
2) Mars Hill is demonstrating Christ’s love to their community. Their outreach programs include sponsoring fundraisers for AIDS and provide winter clothing for those in need in their part of Michigan. Those are just two small examples of ways in which they are tangibly being the hands and feet of Christ.
3) Bell’s position is based on love, not hate. At a time when two people calling themselves Christian pastors in Kansas and Florida are drawing headlines for their completely unChristian positions of hate, we need to acknowledge that Bell’s position is based on an extension of what may be the most firmly established of all biblical principles: God is love.
4) Bell is a sincere seeker for Christian truth. Even a casual look at the whole body of his teaching demonstrates that he is not trying to attack Christianity, he is sincerely trying to understand the Bible’s teaching, apply it to today’s world, and teach it in a way that transforms lives. Whether we agree with his conclusions or not, we should acknowledge the integrity of his search.
Personally, I don’t agree with Bell’s conclusions. But I respect a man who has dedicated his life to bringing Christ to his community, and whose ministry shows every sign of being blessed by the Holy Spirit. I admit that I don’t fully understand how to reconcile Jesus’ words that if he be lifted up (on the cross, which he was) that he would draw all people to himself. I know the theological justifications we use because we can’t stand to leave any part of the Bible in tension, nevertheless the tension remains.
This kind of discussion can be a very healthy thing for the Body when handled properly. Iron sharpening iron helps all of us grow ever deeper in our understanding of God and his Word. Unfortunately, the vehemence of the discussion has moved it into the public eye as yet another example that Christians can’t even agree with each other, and another excuse for unbelievers to cast many of us as “haters.”
Galatians 6:1 tells us that when we believe we’ve found a fellow believer in error, we are to be very careful in correcting him or her lest we act inappropriately ourselves. As part of the same thought, verse 2 reminds us that our responsibility is to be part of the support system for fellow believers, not something that tears them down. And verse 3 reminds us to keep a healthy humility in our own opinions.
May we all bear this in mind.
March 26th, 2011 at 10:47 am
Brian, it is such a blessing to see you honest and loving response. Sometimes when I see the vehemence of some Christian’s response it leave me wondering who is the Christian in these discussions. Often I have seen that the world addresses it difference more kindly than the family of God. Like you, I don’t agree with some of the conclusions that Rob Bell is coming to, but like you I actively value his freedom to express his thinking, and I would rather have his integrity than other people’s “rightness.” After all, we might be wrong!!
March 28th, 2011 at 6:03 pm
[Reposted from a comment thread on this post a friend of mine shared on Facebook.]
A few thoughts:
1. “Bell’s ministry is reaching people for Christ. Mars Hill is drawing young adults in ways most churches can only dream of. ” That is only valid if his intent is to provide answers in order to give people real, objective hope. Merely inviting people to discuss trendy topics ad nauseum is hardly a laudable goal nor can it really be considered “reaching people for Christ”. In fact, since Rob Bell is such a rockstar a question is begged, where are all the missionaries and culture warriors his leadership has produced?
2. “Mars Hill is demonstrating Christ’s love to their community.” This has exactly nothing to do with the questions Bell has raised. It would really matter if Mother Teresa, an angel, or Paul himself were the subject in question here. The question is whether Bell is preaching a gospel foreign to what we find in Scripture or not. So to bring up merit badges of good works is little more than a glorified red herring designed to detract us from the issue at hand.
3. “Bell’s position is based on love, not hate.” Really? Bell doesn’t hate? And This commenter feels the need to let us know this? Again the issue here is truth and because truth is wedded to love the latter cannot exist without the former. Again the author throws out a herring from his basket in a valiant attempt to distract from the issue at hand.
4. “Bell is a sincere seeker for Christian truth.” I would really like to know how many deconstructionalist works the author of this post has read. I would wager the answer is “not many” because it seems rather clear to me from Bell’s answers, writings, mentors, and friends that he rests pretty comfortably in the postmodern stream of philosophical thought which is wholly opposed to the notion of objective truth (hence the unending questions with an abject disdain for solid answers). How could Bell or any other postmodernist be a “seeker of Christian truth” when their very philosophy precludes such a quest from ever beginning?
I agree that this is a novel take on the Bell situation but I fail to see where the author has added anything new or substantive to the conversation. Instead, all I hear is more noise, perhaps with a bit of extra whining included.