Universalism and Rob Bell

Image by Keegan Jones via Flickr

One of the more refreshing theologians Rob Bell has caused quite a stir with evangelicals with who claim that his new book yet to come out 'Love Wins', advocates 'universalism' everyone gets to heaven.
Its an interesting charge because his new book hasn't even come out yet. It seems to be speculation or good marketing!
It reminded me of a blog post regarding Rob Bell and homosexuality, which I penned a few years ago. It turned out that again the person making the accusations had not read any of Rob Bells material and his ammunition came from a Pentecostal church somewhere in Tasmania.

I find it interesting how quick people jump to conclusion without real wisdom of pondering.

Universalism yet is an interesting charge. I've found in a lot of my readings theologicans and writers on the edge of wavering towards universalism. I name Brain Mclaren and Baxter Kruger (Love that name!)

For me the edge is the place to be. I'm still a believer in justice. Yet I don't think justice and universalism fit easily together. Yet I know that grace and universalism do. Grace and love are everything about God. So I'm on the edge.

It would be interesting a Church where there was a strong conviction of universalism. Much of the moral compass of the Church would disappear. Everyone would be accepted because the playing field has been flattened. Everyone is in. Maybe it would become a place of caring for the soul.

Some interesting Australian Blog about Rob Bell::

Jarrad McKenna, on ABC online
An Annabaptist in Perth
Backyard missionary

An the USA

Brian Mclaren's response

Missional Distinctivness

Hammo over at backyard missionary put up his most important distinctives for a missional community without using "non-biblical" words, they are::

- generosity - I’d love for the people in our neighborhood to be aware that this is a community who splash their money and time and relationships around with great liberality. In such a self focused society I believe that personal and corporate generosity can function as a prophetic statement about what the kingdom of God is like. And who would ever knock a church for being obscenely generous?!

- earthiness - It’d be great if those who come near feel a sense of these being ordinary people who sometimes get life right and sometimes stuff it up, but who do it with Jesus in the midst. When church people start to give off airs of superiority most Aussies will simply walk away. Again I’d ask, who would ever knock a church for being a ’society of sinners’ where other likeminded strugglers are more than welcome. Everyone knows we aren’t as squeaky clean as sometimes gets made out so let’s be honest with that and maybe we might drop the hypocrite flag a bit lower.

- fun - seriously! I realise this may depend on your definition of ‘fun’, but surely a community where people laugh a lot and enjoy being together has to be one that others would want to be part of? The dour and drab countenance that seems to characterise some church gatherings on a Sunday morning must surely communicate something of the God we worship… I want to be with people who know how to enjoy themselves and can party well (and I say that an introverted non-party animal!)

intelligent - ok by this I am meaning a community where there is the ability to reflect deeply on the issues that face us as missionaries in the west and not simply fall in line with the next fad, nor adhere to a mindless fundamentalism because this is all we have known. Inevitably this means being a curious and questioning community, safe in our relationship with Christ, confident enough to admit that we don’t know it all but courageous enough to consider other viewpoints.

adventurous - people who get the whiff a challenge and rise to it rather than people who simply see the ‘danger’ and wish to play it safe. Having been both in communities that have played it safe and communities that have ‘given it a go’ I never want to go back to the dullness and predictability of that kind of environment.

willing to get involved - its easy to do ministry from a distance, but to be willing to get involved in people’s lives and to have them in your home, to put yourself out and not farm someone out to a designated ‘committee’ is a big commitment. But surely if anyone is going to sense real genuine love from us then it will be largely because we didn’t stand at a distance and yell instructions, but because we got down and dirty and involved in the good the bad and the ugly of life and walked the path come what may.

While I think they are a great list. I also wonder if you can use communicate somthing that incorporates mainstream Australian spirituality. If you can turn on TV and see someone offering horoscopes on free to air television. Then surely the church may have something to say in a missional context as well. Obviously this could also be done without use of 'Biblical language".

Maybe::

Spiritual: A group wanting to incorporate Christian spiritual practices.  Such as prayer for one another, as well as the world. Trying to discern the voice of our creator, through happiness and pain. Believing that the miraculous do occur in our midst.

Maybe not to good, but hopefully you get the point...

Stretched

One of my favorite reads is 'Backyard missionary', I've got a lot of respect for Hammo as one who has gone before me. His las post "Stretch" a reflection of his community in Perth has had me thinking a little bit.

The line-

I have said a number of times that on a scale of 1-10, if normal established church life is ‘1′ then we probably ‘jumped’ out to around an ‘8′, to a place of unfamiliarity and to an environment that made most Christians uncomfortable. (Its ok for overseas missionaries to jump to ‘8′ but not local ones!)

For me, after we did Forge and the stagnancy of Ranges at the time I would have done the same as Hamo, gone to 8 straight away. I supose Ranges would have been about a 2 on Hammos scale. We didn't do the plunge for a few good reasons. We were a new church plant 3 years old and the people that we had with us already had gone through enough joining our team. We decided that the external would look the same but the underpinning would change.

So it has been a slow movement up the scale at Ranges we would now be about a 3-4. Although the Vineyard Catalyst Network which we set up, the communities would be 5-8.

Hammo also mentioned some of the difficulties meeting others expectations

• Children's Ministry
• feed
• worship

I think these problems happen for every church, large and small communities. Yet they have their own set of issues. Eg a large church you start having great worship, then... 'excellence, elitism' sneaks in the music team, which no one can crack. (Yep I've been in and tried to get into these types of teams, very clicky).

I think it would be easier just to start at hammos ranking of 8 without a Christian team. Or if people wanted to join, you lay your cards on the tables. The 'feed', 'worship', 'Children's Ministry' expectations are made pretty clear. I really think next time this is how we will do things.