i recently read this comment at the end of another long rob bell – is he a universalist or isn’t he back-and-forth um… let’s be nice and say ‘conversation’ :

“Game set and match, Jonathan. Well put.”

and responded with this:

“see when you start using “i won the tennis match” language it really emphasises the fact that for so many people this rob bell crap [cos let’s be honest] has become a lot less about standing up for God’s Truth and become a lot more about being right… or having the appearance of being right.”

and that is sadly what it feels like it has become for a lot of people – whereas, right or wrong, the bible is very strong about the fact that Rob Bell is our neighbour and our response needs to be that of love, and 1 Corinthians 13 lists a whole bunch of amazing things we can do and achieve but if there is no love, it means nothing, it achieves nothing, it counts for nothing.

and something about us being the clanging bell… a lot of noise, but no point.

yes, if his theology is publically bad it does need to be dealt with (publically i think, the Matthew passage about ‘if your brother sins against you’ doesn’t apply here because it is not a brother sinning against you – note how Jesus responds publically to bad theology a lot) but it does need to be done in love and the end point hope is that he will always be restored…

i’m not sure how much of that is evident in “Farewell Rob Bell” and various other sentiments that have been expressed this last week.

how bout we all just wait til we can read the book now? [excepting for those of you who are running away completely from the book because, um i can’t remember why, but something]