Love Wins

Because I'm on twitter and a couple weeks ago I saw, and was distressed by, the furor that erupted over the book Rob Bell was about to release I decided that I would be reading that book.

There are three chief complaints that emerged over this book Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived
1. It was claimed that Rob Bell's ideas were Universalist
2. It was claimed that Rob Bell suggested Hell does not exist
3. It was claimed that Rob Bell suggested Hell is empty

If you're following along, yes claims 2 and 3 are contradictory in that 3 would suggest that Hell at least exists.  In any case, NONE of these are true claims.  I have only one simple suggestion, if you've read any C.S. Lewis, most specifically The Great Divorce, The Chronicles of Narnia, and A Grief Observed. Nothing Rob Bell has to say should be in any remote way "new" and if what Bell has to say is heresy then so is the work of Lewis. Bell's gift is that he's a great communicator and so it may be easier to understand in his book, but it has been said before.

I'm not going to give you my review of the book, read it for yourself, don't try to find out more before you read it, that's silly. Trying to find out what conclusions he comes to at the end of the book by reading blogs is like searching blogs to find out who committed murder in a mystery novel, and some of the bloggers made up their own ending. So, read it for yourself, and decide for yourself.  While you're at it, read a little Lewis too.