Rob Bell, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Michigan (just to be clear once again, completely unrelated to Mark Driscoll’s Mars Hill Church, Seattle), has been skirting controversy around Evangelical circles for a while. Now he’s creating controversy outside of Evangelical circles…
It all started with this rather provocative video…
Let’s be fair, there’s both something and nothing in this video to be worked up about. Bell doesn’t answer any of the questions in the video, instead it raises some fair questions. However, meaning in spoken language is never purely conveyed by content but also by body language and tone. In that regard there is plenty in this video to get worked up about…
Which Justin Taylor did. Lots of people accused Taylor of jumping the gun and judging Bell on the trailer alone… at this point Kevin DeYoung posted up some very helpful thoughts in answer to some of the criticism Taylor received.
Shortly afterwards advanced copies of the book were passed to some for review. Here, again, is Kevin DeYoung in a lengthy and devastating review. Here is a shorter, but just as devastating, review by Tim Challies.
Bell has since appeared lots to promote the book. This interview with Martin Bashir has gone viral in Christian circles…
There’s also been some debate about the manner in which this interview was conducted, so here is my take to throw into the mix:
- I think Bashir’s opening dichotomy given to Bell regarding Japan is both a false dichotomy and a very good question for Bell. It’s false because there’s so much more to the issue of natural disasters and suffering than just what is presented. But it’s a good question because Bell is given a chance to correct this in his response…which he doesn’t. I think the answer to such a question reveals so much about ones theology, and I think Bashir knows this as well which is why he framed it the way he did.
- Bashir has been accused of being repetitive and badgering in this interview. I disagree because I think Bashir’s consistent question reveals the inconsistency in Bell’s position. Is it important how you respond to Jesus in this life? Bell says it’s really important, yet his book strongly suggests it doesn’t matter…love wins.
Here is an interview with Bashir which reveals quite a lot about Bashir personally as well as some of what went on in his interview with Bell. Lengthy, but highly interesting listening.
Last year I wrote an OK essay on the Emergent Church. If you’d like to read it give me a bell (!).
Comments are closed