See Part 1 Can a Loving God Send People to hell? Does God take pleasure in the death of the wicked? No (Ezekiel 33: 11). Does God desire that all be saved? Yes (1 Timothy 2: 4; 2 Peter 3:9). Has God done everything for man to believe in HIM? Yes. So, can a loving God send people to hell? Yes! But the question is not fully correct! God does NOT send people to hell. Instead, … [Read more...]
Dangers and Consequences of Christian Universalism (Part 1)
Some Christians, who endorse Universalism a.k.a. Christian Universalists, vociferously claim that all people (irrespective of spirituality and/or morality) are heaven-bound. They believe in the following: (1) Christ’s atoning death is for the salvation of all mankind. (2) The historical-grammatical interpretation of the Bible is incorrect e.g. ‘Hell’ lacks context; there … [Read more...]
A god Who Admits All People to Heaven is…(God Cannot Save All People)
Very minimally, Universalism or Inclusivism asserts that God will save all people whether they believe in Christ or not. However, Universalism severely debilitates God, which I will now strive to elaborate. … [Read more...]
Evaluating Universalism
[This post is a work in progress as part of the CAA Catechism.] [Add the title only in the title field, not in the body of the post.] Summary in 400 words or less: Universalism is the belief that every individual will eventually be saved. After all, if God is all-loving and all-powerful, then surely He could ultimately bring all people into heaven. Perhaps after death God … [Read more...]
Love Wins Critique (Conclusion)
Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 (I conclude my critique of Bell's book and also provide further resources) What Are The Implications of the Doctrine of Hell? First, what are the implications of Bell’s view? One issue is a modified view of God as his love has been redefined so that he is no longer holy. The view seems concerned with rescuing the … [Read more...]
Love Wins Critique (Part 6)
Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 (in this part, I examine the importance the doctrine of hell and whether I've been "judgmental" of Rob Bell) Is Hell an Essential or Core Christian Doctrine? How are doctrines important? Additionally, where does the doctrine of hell fall when it comes to essential Christian doctrine? Paul warns us in Acts 20:27-31: For I have not … [Read more...]
Love Wins Critique (Part 5)
Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 (In this part I examine Bell's motivations and supporters for this book/view) What are Bell’s Motivations? This is a difficult question to answer as no one really knows the inner thoughts, desires and motivations of another individual (except God). I’ve also asked myself if Bell is intentionally trying to deceive the reader. Some of his … [Read more...]
Love Wins Critique (Part 4)
Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 Major Problems with Love Wins As stated in my introduction, I will be unable to address every one of the problems found in Love Wins. However I will address three major errors I found around Bell’s notion of God’s will, his interpretation of the word “eternal” and his understanding about hell being “here and now.” I would refer to the reader to the … [Read more...]
Love Wins Critique (Part 3)
This is part 3 in a series of blogs regarding Bell’s recent book, Love Wins, where I summarize the doctrine of hell and its history. Part #1 - Part #2 My own Problem with Hell It is worth mentioning that the doctrine of hell is not something that I hold with victorious spirit – such as expressing gladness that others (even bin Laden) are going there. If there was one … [Read more...]
Love Wins Critique (Part 2)
This is part 2 in a series of blogs regarding Bell's recent book, Love Wins, where I summarize his view in the book and evaluate whether he advocates universalism. Part #1 What is Bell’s View in Love Wins? Bell begins the book claiming that many have hijacked the story of Jesus and that is now time to reclaim it (p. vii-viii). It is later clear that he means those who hold … [Read more...]