Love Wins (1)

You may have heard on the radio or other media about Rob Bell’s new book. It is entitled: Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived. It is published by Harper Collins and also available on Kindle. You may want to access this link and listen to the video clip promotion: Love Wins Promo

With the book not being out yet, and only going by the video clip it is hard to tell exactly what Rob Bell is going to say. The value of all this is that apparently people in the public workplace all over have been discussing its potential message. The blogosphere has certainly been inundated with responses and opinions at this point. I want to reserve my judgment and critique of the book until it comes out.

At this juncture here are a few points I do want to make:

 
1.  A book like this is addressing ultimate concerns and eternal questions.


2.  A book like this is putting on the table in the midst of the public square dynamic issues of destiny.


3. A book like this re-invigorates the discussion and forces every Christian back to the Bible to see what he or she believes.


4. A book like this challenges traditional thinking on heaven and hell, and that is not necessarily a bad thing.


5. A book like this will eventually need someone on the larger stage of Christian orthodoxy to respond seriously to it, if indeed it does tout any form of universalism (which is what I have seen and heard already).


6. A book like this motivates us to learn more about God’s love.

So, does love win? Perhaps the metaphor of winning and losing is the problem. Perhaps the metaphor of a bride falling in love is the better one. Does God and Christ love the bride? Just as a covenant relationship with God is the core truth of the Christian faith, so the metaphor of a bride and bridegroom aptly sets the stage for understanding God’s love. I personally think the better question is…does Love ever commit?

I just downloaded my Kindle edition that will be coming on March 15. I eagerly await…as does the rest of Christendom!

In Christian love, Curtis