Emerging church/mysticism promoter Rob Bell is
making the circuit in American media to promote his newest book, Love
Wins. The book is receiving a lot of publicity, largely because of a
pre-release video (see bottom of this post) by Bell where he suggests
that in the end everyone will go to Heaven, regardless of beliefs.
In our February 28th posting titled Rob Bell Puts
God on Trial – “Hath God Really Said?” researcher Steve Blackwell states:
"In the sixties we were bombarded with
“love,” and we have seen what that experiment has produced; a whole
generation of babies murdered in the womb. Today, love is in the air
once again, and Rob Bell has captured the essence of this love fest by
making scandalous claims against God. He has put words into the mouth of
God that are pure and simple lies; Rob has made God a liar."
Lighthouse Trails has been tracking
the spirituality of Rob Bell for several years now, shocked to see that
many Christian junior high, high schools, colleges, and seminaries have
students watch Bell’s hip Nooma films and read his book, Velvet
Elvis. And even though much of Bell’s anti-biblical beliefs have
been exposed, he is still being invited to speak to evangelical college
student bodies (an example that we documented in February was a speaking
engagement at Point Loma Nazarene University.1)
Typically, schools that are big into
contemplative spirituality embrace figures such as Rob Bell because the
universalistic nature of contemplative fits well with Bell’s “theology.”
Lighthouse Trails receives countless reports about kids from Christian homes
who enter Christian colleges, and within a term of being exposed to
contemplative, their Christian faith is turned upside down, and often
they come out four years later as deluded, unbelieving, and confused
about what the Christian faith even is.
Just a couple weeks ago, we were
told a story about a pastor’s son who sat for four years under Dallas
Willard and graduated as an atheist! Parents, you better find out what is
happening at your child’s school before it is too late. Try this test – find
out if the school has ever shown a Nooma film. If the answer is yes, then at
best the people running that school have no discernment; at worst, they know
what they are doing, and it is called deception. Unfortunately, your
children are the victims.
Regarding Rob Bell’s spirituality
proclivities, one example that should convince any discerning believer can
be found in Velvet Elvis, where Rob Bell tells young readers
to study New Ager/tantric sex advocate Ken Wilber for three months
for a “mind-blowing” experience. Take a brief
look at Wilber’s
site. This is all the evidence you should need. .
Bell’s new book,
Love Wins,
is not a big surprise to Lighthouse Trails. The “natural” course for those
involved in mysticism is to ultimately become panentheistic (God is
in all), universalistic (all are saved), and interspiritual
(all paths lead to God); these are all characteristics that negate biblical
Christianity and the atoning sacrifice by Jesus Christ for our sins through
His shed blood on the Cross.
Emerging leaders says that a
loving God would never cause His Son to die on the Cross as a substitute for
the sins of others. They say they believe that Jesus died on the Cross
but explain that He died to be an example of true “servant-leadership,”
NOT as a payment to God for sin. Some of the things they have said about
the Cross are: it is a vile doctrine (Alan
Jones); it is false advertising for God (Brian
McLaren); and, such a God does not exist (Brennan
Manning).
If Bell, McLaren, Manning, and Jones
are correct, then God made a terrible horrific mistake in sending His son to
die – it wouldn’t have been necessary. What a mockery to God such a belief
is! In a book review on Bell’s book Drops Like Stars, it states:
[Bell's] view of the cross
brings God to our level. While Jesus Christ became a man and bore our
sins upon Himself, it wasn’t simply to feel what we feel, but to break
the power of sin and death in order that we might have eternal life in
Him. It is through his suffering, death AND resurrection that we are now
united in Christ. Tragically, Bell has not given his readers the whole
truth. . . .
In a recent
interview Bell
said:
“The most powerful thing is when
somebody joins us in our suffering … In some ways the gospel, or the
story of Jesus, is like a cosmic act of solidarity.”
Did God send His Son so that we
could stand together in the solidarity of our sufferings? No. Not our
sufferings … Those in Christ Jesus find fellowship in and around HIS
sufferings:
“That I may know him, and
the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings,
being made conformable unto his death” (Philippians 3:10).
Jesus Christ conquered the power of
sin and death, but has yet to return and put an end to suffering. There are
only two choices for all of humanity–eternal life in Christ in heaven, or
eternity without Him in Hell. Of these two realities, Bell gives no warning
or makes no distinction.
That book review was written in
2009. In 2011, it appears that Rob Bell is now making his distinctions
clear; and he has fallen on the side of apostasy; tragically, many will
believe him.
"...do not be
conformed to this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good
and acceptable and perfect will of God.... Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good."
Romans 12:2,
9
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