Anyway, I thought, since its been even longer than that since I've blogged, and it's a bit controversial, (or so I've heard...), I should write my thoughts!
And so it begins...
Chapter 1: Intro
Wow. That was...something. He basically used Jesus' own stories to show that, according to the Bible, you can be saved because of everything from whether you give birth to children, to what you do, to who you forgive.
I don't really know what to think about all that, so until he gives some explanation, I'm gonna stick with what I already thought:
You're saved by giving God the reins of your life putting your hope and trust in Him. This will change you, and will be made apparent in your life and actions.
This is fun already, and it's only chapter one!
Chapter 2: Heaven
"There's heaven now, somewhere else, there's heaven here, sometime else."
Well, it hasn't gotten real interesting yet. (But the next chapter is titled "Hell," so I have a feeling that may be it.)
This was a long chapter though, so I'll just summarize his points, and give a short response to each.
•When talking to the "rich man" Jesus doesn't tell him to "believe and confess" to be saved, but to sell his stuff.
-I stick by what I said last time.
•There is a coming "age" of heaven that will be on Earth.
-I'd never thought about this. I guess it makes sense, but will it be on this earth or the new one*?
•Life in the new age will be a) diverse (racially, etc.), and b) "earthy" (farming, etc.)
-Diverse I definitely agree with, ("all nations"), and earthy makes sense, because even Eden had Adam taking care of it.
•There will be much taking care of earth.
-Like I said, it's a return to Eden, work/farming/etc. isn't bad, God made us for it.
•People who say they can't believe in a "God of judgement/anger" are wrong, because any good God will have to eradicate evil.
-Yup. (But I'm not sure how this fits with the idea that people might not go to hell.)
•How we live on earth/our flaws now affect our eternal lives.
-Yes.
•"Heaven" was Jesus' way of not using God's name.
-I think in some cases this was probably true, but that's a big generalization.
•The whole bible points to a day when heaven and earth are 'the same place.'
-"A new heaven 'and' a new earth." Can they be the same if they're both there? (See *)
•If heaven will someday be the same as earth, we had better have a good, clean earth for it!
-Definitely..."IF".
•Things that you love to do now will still be so in heaven.
-Yes. That's why we love it now!
•Prejudices, etc wont disappear immediately, they'll have to be burnt out gradually through heavenly flames.
-I don't know. I'd never thought of prejudice in heaven.
•"It's about experiencing now the kind of life that can endure and survive even death."
-I think I agree with this, but it's worded strangely.
Fin. (Until next chapter, where it should get real good.)
Chapter 3: Hell
Whoa. I actually agree with him. (He has this way of not making you do a 180 degree turn, but moves you in 18 10* turns instead.)
But this chapter wasn't a 180* turn. I'd say about 45*. ([SPOILER] Nowhere does he say he doesn't believe in hell.) He says that the hell Jesus spoke of, (a total of 11 times in His whole life, actually), isn't a place of eternal torture after death, but the gap that comes from turning against God.
I've thought similarly for a little while now. In my mind, that's how hell-after-death works, no red devil, fire, and brimstone, but eternal darkness. Just you, alone with your regret, subjected to the fire of His Holiness, but with none of His Love.
He also brings up that God is really big on redemption, (even to Sodom and Gomorrah), so how could he damn people forever?
Hmmmmmm...
Chapter 4: Does God Get What God Wants?
I don't think I agree with him there.
Wait. I might actually agree with him...
Yeah, I definitely agree!
That's the track my thoughts followed this chapter.
Don't Agree:
At first he basically uses a bunch of verses such as Philippians 2:10 (That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father) to say that if a punishment-forever hell exists, God doesn't get what He wants, so he must not be all powerful. Rob also uses the "Lost" Parables, (coin, son, sheep, etc.) to point out that if God lets these people go to hell, He's essentially giving up on the search.
Might Agree:
He then moves on to a new idea:
"What if people have one (or many) chance after death to choose God? Even
after Revelation, the gates of New Jerusalem are always open. And, he points
out, no matter how much disbelief you have in it, the idea of everyone going to
heaven is the best possible future imaginable. As I wrote this, I realized that
if heaven is perfection, what could it be then just that?
Food for thought.
Definitely Agree:At this point, he changes the question. It's not really "Does God get what He wants," but "Do WE get what we want?"
If we want to be with God forever, and to experience and share His love forever, do we get to?
Or if we really want to live without Him, try to be our own gods, and live in a reality completely devoid of love, will God allow it?
And the answer is Yes, because the essence of God is Love, and in the end...Love Wins.
Chapter 5/6: Dying to Live/Jesus is Everywhere
I had plenty of time, and these two were short and relatively empty, so I decided to just do them together. So here goes.
Dying to Live
This chapter could by no means be considered controversial. Meaning it doesn't go against any of the "popular" Christian beliefs. It just goes deeper."The early members of the Church couldn't just say what Christ had done, because there aren't words. Instead, they used analogies. One of the most common today is that Christ was the "Final Sacrifice," or the "Blood that was Spilled." But while these are true, they've lost much of their power, because we don't really get sacrificing." (Paraphrased) He then goes on to say that in spite of this, the cross has endured, because we are familiar with the idea of death bringing life. From what we eat to how heroes inspire us, we are surrounded by this idea. And we long to be part of the new creation that will come as a result of the death of Christ. "You die, and you're reborn. It's like that."
Jesus is Everywhere
This did get a bit more controversial, but only if you ignore certain bible verses completely.
His basic point was that everyone has to go through Jesus to get to God, but Jesus can show up in many different ways.
So if you're a person who believes that the only way into heaven is to pray a certain prayer, get baptized, stop sinning, and give 10% of everything you earn, you'd probably hate this chapter.
However, even if you disagree, you are wrong. By the logic shown in the previous paragraph, everyone who dies without ever hearing of Jesus is damned. The Bible says that is not true.
According to Paul, (1 Corinthians 10), the Israelites encountered Jesus as a rock while travelling from Egypt. And as Rob Bell so eloquently put it, "There are Rocks Everywhere." So can we really say that a Buddhist, or Muslim, or Atheist can't go to heaven?
After all, Jesus didn't die for the life of the Jews, or even Christians, but for
"the life of the WORLD."
Chapter 7: The Good News is Better than That
This chapter was longer than either of the last two, but it was pretty focused, so there isn't much more here.
It's mainly about Jesus' overused, cliche, and yet still new parable of the lost son. He starts how most do, talking about the son that left. He says that this son gets a chance to choose between his own story, "I'm not worthy," or his dad's: "Who cares? I love you!"
But then he moves on to the other son. The good, obedient, "righteous" son.The son that comes in during Son 1's party and sets up his own personal hell. That's what Rob is trying to get at: hell is a separation from God, and both sons went there. But what makes hell really hellish is that is that you aren't "out in the field," separate from the party, but right in the middle of it, unable to enjoy it.
The Love of God wants to bring everyone to the party, not keep everyone out. But you can be there, and still be in hell. Because it's not just about getting into the party. It's about accepting God's version of the story.
It doesn't matter how bad you are, God's forgiveness is powerful enough.
It doesn't matter how good you are.
God's forgiveness is powerful enough.
Chapter 8: The End is Here
"The indestructible love of God is an unfolding, dynamic reality, and single one of us is endlessly being invited to trust, accept, believe, embrace, and experience it."
"Trust is difficult," but "Jesus invites us to trust that the love we fear is too good to be true is actually good enough to be true."
"This invitation is infinitely urgent," and must be accepted, or face the "judgement and separation in which people miss out on rewards and celebrations and opportunities."
"Whatever you've been told about the end," "Jesus passionately urges us to live like the end is here. Now. Today."
"Love is what God is."
"Love is why Jesus came."
and
Love Wins.
