Love Wins: At the Heart of Life's Big Questions (Unabridged) [Audio Download]

Back in 1515, German artist Albrecht Durer produced a famous woodcut illustration of a rhino (yes, this is a review of Love Wins!) Having been nowhere near a rhinoceros he based it on a written description of a rhino and an anonymous sketch.

Durer gave his rhino plates of armour and an extra small horn, based on the limited information he had.

As centuries passed, artists got a the chance to draw and paint the rhino from first hand. But, in spite of the evidence of their own eyes, many artists persisted in portraying it as wearing a suit of armour. Why? It is argued that Durer's woodcut became so established as the 'definitive rhino' that even real rhinos themselves couldn't compete with what had become the accepted portrayal of rhino-ness.

So... Love Wins...

A plea from the heart: do not dismiss what Rob Bell is saying out of hand because his portrayal of the Gospel looks unfamiliar to you. If you have decided exactly what the Bible says about the life to come before you even open it, you will constrains God's words with your own preconceptions. In other words you will plate it in suits of constricting armour. Scripture is not best served by being squeezed into suits of armour.

Whatever your preconceptions - positive or negative - may I urge you to approach Love Wins with your mind open. Bell has done rather more theological homework than his detractors suggest. And while you read Rob's book, be prepared to pick up your Bible with an open mind too - don't just say 'scripture plainly teaches' - it's the very least that scripture deserves that you don't presume upon it.

* Advance apologies to any art historians or semiologists if there are any inaccuracies in my retelling of the Durer story.

Rob Bell has done some great work in opening up a bit of space for people who have grown up in conservative Christian circles to exercise their brains a bit. Even those who don't agree with him are working hard to combat him. Putting aside their obvious hatred for someone they seem to see as a turncoat, that can't be such a bad thing.

The irony is that this book uses the evangelical methodology to prove the opposite of what evangelicals normally believe. Instead of God as a cosmic bouncer, joyfully pronouncing, 'Your name's not down, you're not coming in,' Bell suggests that God always leaves the door open, even throughout eternity. Not that everyone is saved; just everyone that wants to be.

In the evangelical style, Bell takes a few verses that he likes (stuff about God 'reconciling all things to himself') and then imposes them on the verses he doesn't (anything about hell). He flips between reading texts poetically, symbolically or literally, without reference to literary or historical context. To all those evangelicals criticisng Bell for this weakness, I say, 'Take the log out of your own eye first; he learnt it from you.'

And his habit of making sweeping assertions without reference to any authority other than himself (there are no footnotes in the book, so we have to trust him on everything) leaves him open to the same kinds of critique one might give of a crazy-looking street evangelist: who gave YOU the right to speak for God?

The writing style.

The style.

Reminds me.

Reminds me of an advert for an expensive car in a Sunday newspaper magazine.

It's short.

Sleek.

Stylish.

Conversational, yet persuasive.

It feels cool.

Maybe too cool.

Because sometimes this level of coolness is a bit too much about surface impression and not about depth.

How much can you say in a paragraph of six words?

It raises all kinds of questions about the relationship between Christianity and consumer culture. I hate to say this (because I want to believe it's not true), but the book gives me the impression that Bell is trying to change the theological picture for the sake of some of his friends who struggle to believe in hell. I hope there's more to it than that, because the consequences of this change are far-reaching.

So, I think Bell is wrong, but much more in methodology than in his basic point that we should start by assuming God loves all of us and wants to include all of us. His assertion that God wants everyone to be 'saved' is right and biblical, but he then does violence to the Bible by trying to make every verse line up with that assertion. But, you know what, there are so many thousands of books (and now there will be dozens more) that use the same flawed methodology to 'prove' that God hates us and enjoys seeing us burn that I am glad this book has been written. If it tips the scales a tiny bit towards love and away from hate, hallelujah.

To respond to this book I feel I need separate categories of critique;

Firstly, as a piece of writing. I have really enjoyed and got alot out of Rob's last few books and so, especially with the controversy surrounding this one, I expected the same. However, unlike both Velvet Elvis and SexGod, this had no references (excpet bracketed chapter references for bible verses). The preface god helling, however, the two chapters on heaven and hell I found to be slightly disappointing. In fact, the first half of the book especially seemed to be written using fragments of verses to back up other verses. It is not thorough, scholarly or in an academic way 100% reliable. However, that said, expect the usual flare and one-liner questions or statements. The second half of the book seemed to be written from a real excitement of the topics and that came across. This was inherently less scholarly written (less references, more enthusiasm!) and it worked better. It's what he's best at.

Secondly, the content. This has obviously been hugely controversial in certain christian circles. However, to alot of the world it has been unheard of (certainly this side of the pond). I struggle to see the problem of someone expressing his views. Perhaps authors like Brennan Manning, Richard Rohr, Henri Nouwen, Paul Tillich, and nameless others have already been voted against by the "evangelical" border control and this one sneaked in before being caught out as a virus of some sort. What he is saying is Good News. What he is saying is that God is real. Heaven is real. Hell is real. Our choices matter. However, what he is not saying is that your worth is not down to you, you have to be a 'christian' to meet with Jesus, to be saved by Jesus. He is not saying that the god of cliquey religion, fear, guilt and not saying or realising how you REALLY feel, what you REALLY think about God, is worth paying any attention. He's saying God's bigger, and better than we get. For this reason, and I think its flawed sholaricism only goes further to show that we do not win, Rob Bell does not win, his books do not win, it is in fact Love that wins, and that is bigger than any of us.

Although some bits are poorly written I understand his decision to write them such as they are, it is after all, more accessible to those of us who sometimes want only to hear Good News and not to critique the crap out of something 'til it lies in the abstract ether of our minds without power to transform. However, for the message, the honesty, the truth, the invitation and the enthusiasm, I highly recommend it. Perhaps not his most well written book but I would say his most raw and honest, and I would add exciting!