Love Wins or Hell Under Fire I'm reading both right now

OK, my son Ryan asked me if I would ever review Rob Bell's book, "Love Wins."  Well, actually what I am going to do is review both Bell's book and another book, "Hell Under Fire" edited by Christopher Morgan and Robert Peterson.

Morgan and Peterson edited a group of related writings about the Conservative Evangelical Position on Hell.  Their book was in response to questions from their students at the California Baptist University and Covenant Seminary.  They wanted to set the record straight.

So, they deal with the topics of Universalism, Annihilationism and Conditionalism.  What amazes me is that they brought these writings together in 2004.  Rob Bell should have read their book before writing "Love Wins."

In "Love Wins" Bell tries to convince us that God is not a tyrant, not an egomaniac, nor is He someone who would ever send people into eternal torment in a place called Hell.  He also takes to task our conservative protestant evangelicalism and calls it "toxic" and filled with horrible stories of torment.

Well, the answers to all of Rob Bell's views or questions can be found in the book, "Hell Under Fire."  The group of author's who come together to pen this work deal very effectively with Hell, eternal torment, eternal punishment, God's love and oh yes, our need for a vibrant relationship with our Lord and Savior.

Sorry Rob, but they make you look like the misinformed misguided expositor of the Bible that you are.

One statement from "Hell Under Fire" pretty well sums up their argument, "We must either admit the endless misery of hell or give up the endless happiness of heaven!"  In other words, you can't ignore the eternity of torment of hell unless you want to ignore the eternity of heaven and being with God.  Rob states that all people will eventually make their way to heaven and thus spend eternity with God.  But that is totally opposed to what Jesus teaches in the Bible when he states that the resurrected will go to either an eternity in heaven or an eternity in hell.  Again, sorry Rob, but your theology is full of holes.

The book, "Hell Under Fire" is not an easy read, but it is one that every one of us should take the time to go through.  It is set up well.  There is an introductory chapter, then a chapter on what the Old Testament says about Hell.  Then a chapter on what Jesus says about Hell.  Then a chapter on what the Apostle Paul teaches on Hell followed by a chapter on what Revelation tells us about Hell.  Then the editor's give a couple of summary chapters that deal with the exposition that has taken place in the other chapters.

If you are at all interested in the topic of Hell and whether it is real or not this is the book that you want to read.  Or read through D.A. Carson's chapters on Hell in his book, "The Gagging of God."

But whatever you do, don't take Rob Bell's work as being truth.  He misquotes scripture, draws wrong conclusions and waters down the word of God so much that we might as well throw the Bible out and claim that Christ never walked this earth.

If you really liked Rob Bell's book, well, then I guess you will disagree with me.  For a good treatment on Rob Bell's book please go out and goggle Kevin DeYoung and read his twenty page review of Bell's book.

If you have comments, please let me know.  If you want to read "Hell Under Fire" and then get together and talk about it I would love to do that.

God bless,
Dan