Rob Bell Is Not Alone

About a decade ago, back when I was a member of Grand Rapids’ liberal Fountain Street Church and before I became an interfaith chaplain, I was invited by a conservative Christian to hear Rob Bell at his relatively new church, Mars Hill, in Grandville. I don’t remember what he preached in his 45-minute sermon, but I do remember thinking, “If Rob Bell cut that down to about 20 minutes, he could’ve preached it at Fountain Street Church.”
“What?!” my Christian companion exclaimed.
Oops. Did I say that out loud?
I suspected something was up with Rob Bell’s new book, “Love Wins,” when I saw that it was published by HarperOne and not by Zondervan, which had published earlier books (“Velvet Elvis” and “Sex God”). “Must be pretty controversial,” I thought, knowing that, while both publishing companies are owned by the same person (Rupert Murdoch), HarperOne would likely face less hermeneutical heat from true believers than Zondervan would.
That supposition was reinforced when I went to buy the book, first at a regular bookstore (sold out), then at a Christian bookstore.
“Excuse me, do you have Rob Bell’s new book, ‘Love Wins’?”
“No and we won’t be carrying that book.” (Emphasis his.)
I did note that they had former Minnesota Republican governor Tim Pawlenty’s new book, “Courage To Stand,” which I assume was in a Christian bookstore because it contains his systematic theology and biblical scholarship.
I never have understood why proclaiming a loving God and a welcoming heaven, as Rob Bell does, is controversial to many Christians. Isn’t that what Jesus proclaimed? Jesus even said you don’t have to wait to die to get to heaven. “As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’” Heaven isn’t just somewhere over the rainbow, it’s on this side of the rainbow too, here and now.
The parable of the Prodigal Son is Jesus’ best description of what God and heaven are like. Some say the parable is about repentance. Really? The father (God) runs to the Prodigal Son (humankind), when he first sees him; hugs and kisses him before the son even has a chance to utter one guilty word. How is that a parable about repentance? It’s a parable about God’s unconditional love for everyone and not just for the righteous (or self-righteous) few (the brother). And heaven, Jesus is saying, is like a big party that everyone gets to go to.
I had a friend in college who was visited in his dorm room by a couple of Christians, trying to convert him. What looked to them like evangelical zeal looked to him like religious harassment. Finally they asked him, “Don’t you want to go to heaven?”
“Will you two be there?” he wondered.
“Why, yes, of course.”
“Then I’ll pass.”
It must be difficult for Rob Bell to defend himself against people who think they’re the only ones going to heaven and who won’t even bother reading that book.