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I would like to talk about the buzz in the news today about Rob Bell and his new book, “Love Wins” and how it relates to the LDS teachings. Here are some links to it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYSNACNH-Yo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIKkvmSNUCY&feature=related The first link was a video shown at the Nazerene church lately and I really like this guy.
Bridget
The comments posted on the http://www.patheos.com/community/lovean … ll-church/were almost all negative. Things like “his (Mr. Bell’s) followers are all following him off a cliff.” It is a reminder just how dogmatic and certain people can be. According to some, Mr. Bell’s questioning whether Ghandi is in hell, landed himslef in the same fate.
This part of the FAQ reminded me of Ray’s “currents in the stream” post:
“What if I don’t agree with all of the content of this book?
This is ok. Love Wins describes Christian orthodoxy as a wide stream that has room for a variety of perspectives and plenty of uncertainty, hope, and mystery. Within that stream, our community values and practices questioning, leaving room for mystery and doubt. Whenever Jesus is firmly established at the center, there is room for disagreement, tension, questions, faith, and paradox in any conversation. Because of this, our community can hold varying opinions and yet be united in Christ. Both those who agree and disagree with all or part of Love Wins are swimming in the stream of orthodoxy and belong at Mars Hill.”
Bridgette, if you haven’t already be sure to check out M&G’s post on this topic as well.
There is an interesting article comparing the ideas of Mr. Bell to some concepts of universalism and collective salvation within Mormonism. The article is here:
http://blog.beliefnet.com/flunkingsainthood/2011/04/what-evangelicals-might-learn-from-mormons-%e2%80%a6-and-mormons-should-learn-from-rob-bell.html#ixzz1LQomtW76 I especially found the last few paragraphs noteworthy.
Quote:Our task as Mormon Christians is not to ensure that we and all other human beings “go to heaven,” as though heaven were entirely removed and far off. Instead, it’s about dragging the heavenly future into the earthy present. We follow the commandments not because doing so will earn us frequent flyer miles for a nonstop postmortem evacuation flight to heaven, but because doing so equips us to serve God’s children right here, right now, in the refugee camp that is this world. Bell writes:
It’s very common to hear talk about heaven framed in terms of who “gets in” or how to “get in.” What we find Jesus teaching, over and over and over again, is that he’s interested in our hearts being transformed, so that we can actually handle heaven.
Bell’s book presents an unwavering emphasis on the kingdom of heaven as something that begins in the here and now. This is something that Joseph Smith understood intimately but that contemporary Mormons, whose pastel imaginings of heaven sometimes appear to stop with the blissful reunions of their own eternal families, have largely forgotten. The kingdom of heaven is not a vacation spa located somewhere else in a future, postmortem time. It is to be built here and now, brick by brick, by people committed to God’s justice. Some of those people will be Mormons, and many more will not.
Good stuff!!!
:thumbup: More from Rob Bell: Compare to D&C 19 – Is hell really “forever”?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agRu8SZRMME&feature=player_embedded Compare to D&C 76 – Will God eventually save everyone?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m49jau2gOM&feature=player_embedded My heretical universalist opinion? Three words: Charity
NEVERfaileth. Here is a thread in our archives about “Love Wins”. http://forum.staylds.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2288&hilit=wins#p27371
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