NowTHINK!AboutIt

Rob’s Heaven
Chapter 2
“Here Is The New There”

Chapter 2 is the longest chapter in Love Wins and it starts out with Rob questioning popular visuals of heaven and hell. The ones that depict heaven as separate from this life – later and someplace else – with hell ominously situated between the two, also someplace else. Hence the title of the chapter: “Here Is The New There.”

Although references to hell are included, the focus in this chapter is heaven.

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Rob disagrees with the “we’re here” and “heaven is there” perspective and brings up several points to make his complaint:

• He implies that common teachings about heaven’s other-wordly bliss, hell’s torment and the ease with which one can miss heaven and be swallowed up by torment, forever, comes perilously close to traumatizing children causing them to stumble. Something Jesus gravely warned us not to do, p. 22. This, however, is not the point of the chapter.
• He mockingly mentions the popular but questionable images associated with heaven (that no one really believes anyway): white robes, St. Peter at the gate, everyone having so much fun they forget about family and friends grinding it out forever in the other place, pp. 24-25, along with images of floating on clouds, perfect hair and singing in perfect pitch, p. 57.
• A lot of what Rob says hinges on his interpretation of the interaction between Jesus and the Rich Young Ruler (RYR), Matt. 19 & Luke 18 (pp. 26-31). I’ll say more just now.
• Rob speaks of “eternal life” – or heaven as we think of it – as two consecutive ages (aions) or periods of time. The temporary one we live in now leads to the eternal one that follows. Most refer to the second one as the millennial kingdom. Rob suggests the two are inseparably connected so heaven is both now and later and it only follows that what we do in this age is important for preparing for and determining what we will do in the next, pp. 30-31
• Rob does say the second age will include all nations (p. 34), will exist on planet earth (pp. 34-35) and he points out that these ideas are well established in the Old Testament (pp. 32-33).
• Judgment and Justice will prevail in the age to come (pp. 36-39) but will be balanced by grace and mercy (p. 39), implying that grace and mercy are equally active in the next life as they are now. There will be an increase of justice not the reduction of grace and mercy.
• Later in the chapter he expands the definition of aion (age) to mean “an intensity of experience that transcends time,” p. 57. Rob’s words: “To say it again, eternal life is less about a kind of time that starts when we die, and more about a quality and vitality of life lived now in connection with God, p. 59.
• He also makes no direct reference to the eternal state, which most expect will follow the millennial age, the second aion, but he doesn’t deny it either. His mention of the gates of the new Jerusalem (Rev. 21:25) in chapter 4 – Does God Get What God Wants? – implies it.

His purpose in this chapter is to change our perspective on “heaven” and to suggest a better way to interact with it now, in this life. And the evidence that one is ready now for heaven in the next life is character, which is demonstrated not through religious ritual but through personal morals and social justice.

Rob is promoting the life we live outside of religious ritual but he is not suggesting it is contrary to it. A life that is mostly ceremonial offers little for the rest of the world to connect with. A well established life outside of, but in agreement with faith, is relatable and can have an evangelistic effect, the thing we are working for.

His primary arguments are based on one meaning of the Greek word “Aion,” age or period of time. He takes an accurate but very narrow approach to this particular word. [Read more…] about Rob Bell’s “Love Wins” – Review Chapter 2

Rob’s Premise And Quandary
Chapter 1
“What About The Flat Tire?”

In his latest book, Love Wins, Rob Bell again shows that he neither slavishly follows the curriculum nor fears testing convention. The book represents his biggest push against the envelope so far and in it he challenges some of our most sacrosanct beliefs about heaven and hell.

One question that permeates the discourse is: what does it really mean to say “God is Love” and how can we balance His love with the idea of eternal, everlasting, never ending wrath? Rob says, “What is God like?” is the recurring question throughout the book. (p. 182)

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He gives us a broad sweeping statement of his focus on the cover:

A book about heaven, hell and the fate of every person who ever lived.

And in the book he asks many searching questions implying ideas that fly in the face of common understandings. But, he codifies none of them.

The book focuses mostly on when a person arrives at heaven or hell and how permanent the placement is once there. It’s mostly philosophical but Rob does include many Scriptures (134 to be exact).

What makes his approach unusual is even though he clearly challenges our accepted beliefs he makes no statement of faith nor does he provide a systematized list of doctrines: do’s and don’t’s, spiritual how-to’s or salvation formulas .

In that regard he definitely changes the rules. [Read more…] about Rob Bell’s “Love Wins” – Review Chapter 1