Neal Punt’s take on Rob Bell’s book

I want to thank Reformed scholar and author of the book What’s So Good About The Good News (a book that I have and continue to read), Neal Punt for stumbling by this site and offering the link on his site describing the theological differences between him and Rob Bell author of his latest controversial book Love Wins.  As I have said, I have tended to lean to Neal Punt’s, Conditional Universalism or the terminology I like better Evangelical Inclusivism, where all persons will be saved except those who the Bible declares will be finally lost vs. all persons will be finally lost except those who the Bible declares will be saved. Here is the link and again I want to thank Pastor Neal Punt for offering it.

Intelligent Quote of The Day

I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again. Most Evangelical and Fundamentalist churches DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT, believe in the Bible. They believe that Bibles must be translated, interpreted, and taught according to THEIR pre-assumed dogmas and doctrines about it. Then they lie their butts off claiming they got all their views directly from scripture when all they did is use a translation which was in many ways tailored to their dogmas.

That’s why many Evangelical churches want members to use certain translations which support their views of hell, tithing, purity, and any other subject they consider to be important. Any translations which does not support their views is condemned or ignored.

—“The Scott” and his take on the Rob Bell controversy and the dishonest scholarship in evangelical and fundamentalist circles.

Rob Bell Strikes Back!

Thanks to my friend “The Scott” for finding this Youtube clip. As I said before and I will say again, I reject Absolute Universalism unilaterally (and I hope to write about a post on why I reject it) but when I have an opportunity to read Rob Bell’s latest controversial book Love Wins, I want to give him a fair hearing.  I have no reason to say, “Good-bye Rob Bell” (as Calvinist scholar John Piper did in his twitter message) after listening to this clip. Some of his views may be heterodox for some tastes, he still reveres scripture but not in the way some others do in the more narrowly defined way. There is a difference between being a Christian and a Biblicist. The historic Worldwide Church of God was a “biblicist” cult as to opposed to a Christian church—but  that too is another topic for another time.

Getting to know Rob Bell and his upcoming book

This video has probably been on many blogs by now. I just wanted to play catch-up. The video is from Rob Bell, U.S. pastors of  the Michigan-based Mars Hill Church, promoting his upcoming book Love Wins which will be released on March 15th. Many ultra-conservative minded fundamentalists and evangelicals are pouncing this man by calling him a heretic and labeling him an outright universalist. Again, his book will be released next Tuesday, so it is actually difficult to conclude that he is an Absolute Universalist (everyone is saved, no one goes to hell) or he is like myself a `Conditional Universalist“(but I prefer the terminology Evangelical Inclusivist where persons are elect in Christ (i.e., “saved,” “justified’”) except those whom the Bible expressly declares will be finally lost). I think it`s best that one waits for the release of the book, reads the book and rightly forms a conclusion. I was also elated to hear that he has been in some way associated with the late great Dwight Pryor`s  Center of Judaic Christian Studies organization. Some of his other videos, he shows an interest of the Hebraic heritage of Christian faith. Looks like this man ain`t going away anytime soon and will be probably be a force to be reckoned with in the years to come. To me, that`s a good thing.