Love Wins? Rob Bell and Universalism...

I have been thinking about all this quite a bit lately.

First off, here is a link: http://www.gregboyd.org/blog/rob-bell-is-not-a-universalist-and-i-actually-read-love-wins/ to the blog post Greg Boyd wrote about Rob’s book and what is particularly good about it, is that Greg has actually read the book. He had received an advanced copy from the publisher.

Also, here is blog entry Greg wrote on “Baby Universalism” which is interesting in light of this whole topic: http://www.gregboyd.org/blog/baby-universalism-and-reasonable-infanticide/


Here is a preliminary sketch of my thoughts:

I doubt Greg’s comments will have little or any impact on the “new Calvinist” cohort led by John Piper and Mark Driscoll.

In my opinion this is simply another foray in the ongoing civil war within the evangelical community.

In an article I read about this on Tony Campolo’s blog (http://www.redletterchristians.org/love-wins-rob-bell-and-the-new-calvinists/) author Jarod McKenna wrote, “…apart from sexuality there are few hotter issues (no pun intended) that heaven and hell on the evangelical landscape.”

What struck me about this comment is that while this controversy was ongoing in the what I would describe as primarily the American Evangelical community I was in London. And, this past week in Soho at a predominately gay restaurant that my brother works at (my brother is gay). The evening that I was at the restaurant there was to be a drag show later on that night at a club named Jojo’s. So, in my mind as I was surrounded by drag queens, gays, transvestites and also some straight people the two issues of sexuality and heaven and hell were dancing about in my head. I must say the people in that restaurant were the most friendly and cordial people I had met and talked with while in London. No judgmental streak. Perhaps, that is why Jesus felt so at home with the tax collectors and prostitutes?

No one I talked with that night knew, nor cared that Rob Bell wrote a book that supposedly now made him a universalist in terms of soteriology. Nor, would they know what that meant or why someone named John Piper would Tweet “Farewell, Rob Bell.”

I have to agree with N.T. Wright and his summation of the current state of the understanding of heaven and hell and its muddied nature and all the confusion about it as he eloquently wrote about in his book “Surprised by Hope” – so I ask why then not have a conversation about it? As, Scot McKnight has commented his students are already having these discussions as are a great many who concern themselves with such things. All Rob has done is dare to speak about what everyone is already talking about, to confront one of the many things we as Christians must wrestle with.

Certainty not doubt is the real issue.

Which brings me back to the restaurant in Soho – if love does indeed win and we as Christians say we believe it did (at least in principle) on Calvary then everyone was worth the death of God. Perhaps, we are more afraid of losing power and control and our right to be right than we are at loving like Christ loved. Perhaps, we love to greatly the forbidden fruit of judgment and love less the prostitute and tax collectors of our day.

One last thought on all this, after a week of interesting experiences and people in London I woke up about a day or so ago with this text fresh on my mind, “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands” (Rev 7:9 TNIV).

It was strange when I woke up this verse is what was in my head and the words “ great multitude” were blaring. If love did win on Calvary and love indeed will win then surely the multitude of the image bearers of God that will share in the hope of the gospel – the bodily resurrection will be great, both ontologically and existentially. And greater in scope “great multitude” than we can imagine for such is the nature of our Abba’s love.