Bell begins the book with surprising forthrightness: Jesus\u2019 story has been hijacked by a number of different stories that Jesus has no interest in telling. \u201cThe plot has been lost, and it\u2019s time to reclaim it.\u201d (Preface,\u00a0vi)<\/p>\n
A staggering number of people have been taught that a select few Christians will spend forever in a peaceful, joyous place called heaven, while the rest of humanity spends forever in torment and punishment in hell with no chance for anything better\u2026. This is misguided and toxic and ultimately subverts the contagious spread of Jesus\u2019 message of love, peace, forgiveness, and joy that our world desperately needs to hear.\u00a0(ibid)<\/p>\n
You may want to read that\u00a0again.<\/p>\n
It really says that. And it really means what you think it means. Though it takes time for that to become\u00a0clear.<\/p>\n
————<\/p>\n
Turning on 1 Timothy 2 (where Paul states that God desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth) Bell reflects on a traditional (orthodox) view of hell and\u00a0asks:<\/p>\n
How great is God?
\nGreat enough to achieve what God sets out to do,
\nor kind of great,
\nmedium great,
\ngreat most of the time,
\nbut in this,
\nthe fate of billions of people,
\nnot totally great.
\nsort of great.
\na little\u00a0great.<\/p>\n
A God who would allow people to go to hell is not a great God, according to Bell, and the traditional belief that He would is \u201cdevastating \u2026 psychologically crushing \u2026 terrifying and traumatizing and unbearable\u201d (pp.\u00a0136-7).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
___________________<\/p>\n
Jesus told his followers to\u00a0\u201cEnter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14 ESV)<\/p>\n
These words stand in stark contrast to those of that gnarly rock star, Rob Bell, and one of them is not telling you the truth. \u00a0You have to determine who you are going to listen to?<\/p>\n