Generally, four main ideas were problematic for me throughout the book.
1. The misuse of questions. I am a firm believer in asking questions. I have always said that questioning equals seeking, and God wants us to seek Him. But this was different. The questions Rob asked were not for the purpose of seeking, they were for the purpose of proving a point. And doing that every now and then is okay, but it was so dominating. Essentially, questions were used to manipulate. And maybe some may say, "so what," but it didn't set well with me at all.
2. The misuse of scripture. I'm not going to go into detail and explain how he misused them, I just know that I've never read a book and had the thought so many times, "that's not what that means, I think he's taking that out of context." I realize that I'm not perfect in interpreting scripture and so to have this thought once or twice while reading a book is normal. But it was continuous throughout. Not good.
3. What about faith? He refers to what we believe as our Christian faith, but the reality is that once this life is over, it won't take faith to believe any more. And "without faith, it is impossible to please God." (Hebrews 11:6) My pastor mentioned this fact several weeks ago in a sermon and as I read, it was evident that this point was not going to be dealt with.
4. Don't judge God! This is my biggest issue. What gives Rob Bell the right to decide what love is? Just because love being both merciful and just doesn't make sense, doesn't mean it's not what it really is. God is both and God is love. Many times throughout the book he makes a remark something like, "What kind of God is that?" or "Who would want to follow a God like that?" How arrogant! I can't believe he can be okay with this. God is who He shows and says He is all throughout scripture and He doesn't change. He is the potter and we are the clay. We have no right to define what He is. He made us and can do as He pleases. So back to faith. I understand that it doesn't always make sense. But I choose to believe that God is good, even when that doesn't make sense. He says He's good and by faith I believe Him.
What we decide in this life does determine our eternal destination. Part of me would like to think otherwise also, but that's not what God's word tells us. I would love to talk more with anyone about this, as I know I have not been real specific in this entry.
Finally, I end with Matthew 7:13-20.
The Narrow and Wide Gates
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.True and False Prophets
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.I know this is strong language but we're told to watch out. So the quickest summary I can give on "Love Wins" is simply this:
Love Wins = Bad Fruit = Bad Tree = Equals False Prophet = Heresy
