Rob Bell, his Spiritual Poison... and the danger of "Christian Universalism"

I originally meant to get into a full-on diatribe regarding Rob Bell, his controversial book "Love Wins", and the discussion of Christian Universalism and the denial of hell/eternal judgment that the book has stirred up. However, it's such a multi-faceted issue that in the interest of time and brevity I think its best for me to approach this issue over several posts. Frankly, this issue is bigger than Rob Bell; the real issue is the emergence of an apostasy within the Christian world that threatens to engulf many, if not most, denominations in Christendom.By the Lord's help, in future posts I'll deal with the larger issue of why Christian Universalism (which has several nuances and variations) is a major threat to the Body of Christ, and how it is paving the way for the coming Antichrist and the future One World Religion.

So I'll take this piece by piece. But I'll start off with this.

Aaron Armstrong of Blogging Theologically has done a very good job of giving us a review/overview of Rob Bell's book, Love Wins. I encourage my readers to check out the full review. Meanwhile, this snippet from his review puts it into quick perspective:

If Love Wins accurately represents Bell’s views on heaven and hell (at least if our understanding of the book accurately represents his views on heaven and hell), it reveals him as a proponent of a kind of Christian Universalism. He would deny the label as he tends to deny any label. But if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, well, you know how it goes.

What Jesus does is declare that he,
and he alone,
is saving everybody.
…
And then he leaves the door way, way open. Creating all sorts of possibilities. He is as narrow as himself and as wide as the universe.
…

People come to Jesus in all sorts of ways.

…

Sometimes people use his name;

other times they don’t.

…

Some people have so much baggage with regard to the name “Jesus” that when they encounter the mystery present in all of creation—grace, peace, love, acceptance, healing, forgiveness—the last thing they are inclined to name it is “Jesus.”

…
What we see Jesus doing again and again—in the midst of constant reminders about the seriousness of following him living like him, and trusting him—is widening the scope and expanse of his saving work.

That is what we know as universalism. And it is cause for mourning.

Christians do not need more confusion. They need clarity. They need teachers who are willing to deal honestly with what the Bible says, no matter how hard that truth is. And let’s be honest—many truths are very, very hard to swallow.

Love does win, but not the kind of love that Bell talks about in this book. The love he describes is one that is founded solely on the idea that the primary object of God’s love is man; indeed, the whole story, he writes, can be summed up in these words: “For God so loved the world.” But this doesn’t hold a candle to altogether amazing love of God as actually shown in the Bible. The God who “shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8), who acts on our behalf not so much because His love for us is great, but because He is great (Isaiah 48:9, Ezekiel 20:9,14,22,44, 36:22; John 17:1-5).

That’s the kind of love that wins. That’s the kind of love that motivates us to love our neighbors enough to compel them to flee from the wrath to come. And our love for people means nothing if we do not first and foremost love God enough to be honest about Him.

Indeed this is one of my biggest problems with Rob Bell. It is that he is a wolf in sheep's clothing, the very kind that Jesus warned us of in Matthew 7:15. Bell doesn't want to label himself a universalist, but his book advances universalist ideals more than any "Christian" book in recent memory --- which is exactly his intention. Like a coward who throws a rock from behind the bushes and runs away, Bell promotes an anti-biblical view of God and His plan to deal with unrepented-of sin. Yet he does it by stealth, all the while maintaining this"Who, me?" facade of  pseudo-innocence that allows him to spread his theological poison while he purports to just be "asking questions" or "stirring discussion of the issue". Fact is, Rob Bell is being used of the devil. It doesnt take a tremendous amount of discernment to recognize that.

If you dont know who Rob Bell is, or think he's a relatively insignificant figure, just give it time. Meanwhile, one has to simply Google-search the words Rob Bell heretic, to get a flavor of who this man is, and why his teachings are considered dangerous and subversive to the Body of Christ. Young, hip, and influential pastor of the fast-growing Mars Hill Church, this is a man whom USA today even spoke of as possibly becoming the next "Billy Graham" of his generation.  It wouldn't surprise me at all if within a decade or less his name becomes a household word nationwide, right up there with Graham, Jakes, Osteen, Swaggart (?) and a handful of church personalities who's names are instantly recognizable both in and outside the church world.

But what's different about Bell is that he could well become the standard-bearer for this form of emerging "New Christianity" being advocated by people like Brian McClaren, Carlton Pearson, and others of their ilk --- men the Bible warns us about in the New Testament book of Jude; men whom Paul warned us of when he said:

But evil men and impostors shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
(2 Tim 3:13)

Hell is an unpleasant reality. None of us takes pleasure in its existence. Indeed, God himself takes no pleasure in it's existence.  But for us to twist the word of God to erase something that we don't like is misguided at best. Bell, Pearson, and a growing list of preachers today don't like the idea of hell, so they adopt a theology that eliminates it. To them, this makes Christianity more palatable to the world at large, but in fact they're doing a disservice to all those who follow them. Rather that being warned to avoid the coming wrath, people are being lulled into a false sense of [eternal] security. Their message may be soothing to the ears, but woe unto those who follow the smooth words of these false prophets. 

The apostotle Paul warned of men like these who would come:

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. (2 Tim 4:3)

This growth and spread of Christian Universalism in the church world is a phenomenon othat is not going away; in fact, this really is the tip of the iceberg, and this issue will  just continue to evolve and unfold before our eyes.
I think I'm going to have a lot more to say on this issue in the weeks and months ahead.
Meanwhile...blessings to all.
And thanks for stopping by.

Full article: Book Review: Love Wins, by Rob Bell. 


See Related Article:

Carlton Pearson Becomes a Shill For a "New Christianity" & The Coming One World Religion

If there was ever any doubt that former Charismatic "Bishop" Carlton Pearson had drifted/ plunged into full-blown apostasy, there should be no more doubt after this.

It was bad enough when Pearson turned from his Pentecostal/Charismatic roots into the "Gospel of Inclusion" a sort of repackaged Christian Universalism which essentially says you'll go to heaven even if you don't accept Jesus Christ and the New Testament gospel. I watched him drift further into apostasy by embracing (and being embraced by) the "gay Christian" movement, and then drift into New Thought movement (a sort of "churchified" vehicle of New Age thinking)... even becoming a Pastor of a New Thought "church" in Chicago, Christ Universal Temple.

However, when you think it cant get any worse, it does. After effectively being forced out as shepherd/goatherd at Christ Universal Temple a few months ago, Pearson has now popped up again, hawking his newest version of the candy-coated spiritual poison he's given himself over to. This time it's "The Gathering", an interfaith spiritual venture almost certain to lead multitudes into damnation.

In a recent press release, Pearson makes it abundantly clear that he has fully fallen into the clutches of Satan as he now pushes for "a New Christianity". To the discerning mind, it's clear that this "New Christianity" he speaks of is nothing more than a watered down, non-biblical, universalistic Christianity" that is essentially a stepping-stone for churches to eventually merge into the upcoming unified one-world religion which will be the spiritual foundation for the Antichrist who is to come.

The press release is shown in full at the bottom of this article, but I've highlighted a few key snippets from his recent announcement, which show the mindset and direction of this apostate "Bishop":

"Christianity as we know it is unraveling, with fewer and fewer churchgoers. There is a movement in this country—and around the world-- of people who want to come together, sharing a common spirituality and acceptance of each other..."

“Our monthly Gatherings, inclusive of everyone, are an opportunity for all to bridge the culture gap for the first time with this common spirituality..."

"The interfaith, multicultural worship service will focus on world unity tied to Bishop Pearson’s ‘Gospel of Inclusion’. Recognized as a voice of reason and moderation in a world of extremes, his ministry is about a spiritual coming together for all humanity; Christians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, gays, the spiritually unresolved and any other groups which may have been considered “unfit” and unacceptable or have been marginalized."


What we are seeing with the "Emerging Church" movement and the Christian Universalism/Gospel of Inclusion heresy that is attempting to infiltrate the church world is a definitive attempt by the devil to transform Christianity as we know it. We can expect to see more churches and prominent "ministers" adopting this new position, and carrying their churches along with them.  The Bible itself warns of a great apostasy (great "falling away") before the coming of the Lord. Churches that hold firmly to true biblical Christianity can expect not only to become a relatively small remnant compared to the apostate churches and denominations, but should expect a time of full-fledged persecution to come against the true churches of Christ (which is an uncomfortable topic few saints seem to want to talk about today).

This trend is something to keep an eye on. What we're seeing here is just the proverbial tip of the iceberg; we can expect it to get a whole lot worse in the years to come.



Full text of his press release is here:

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/02/prweb5071894.htm

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) February 16, 2011

After engaging a standing room only audience and with over 2,500 others around the world tuned in on-line to his first service in January, internationally recognized Bishop Carlton Pearson today announces his February 27th multi-cultural, interfaith GATHERING in Chicago that is expected to draw an even wider audience.
The live stream of the inaugural service in January drew a global audience from Asia, Europe, India, Africa, the Middle East, South America and across North America.
Bishop Pearson, who is known worldwide for his ‘Gospel of Inclusion’, launched his new ministry on Sunday, January 30th, appearing before the community for the first time since his departure from the 6,000 member Christ Universal Temple in late December. There he was preacher to about 2,000 parishioners each Sunday, with live streaming of his services reaching as far as Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia.

“Christianity as we know it is unraveling, with fewer and fewer churchgoers. There is a movement in this country—and around the world-- of people who want to come together, sharing a common spirituality and acceptance of each other, without fractious politics and structured religions getting in the way,” says Bishop Pearson. “Our monthly Gatherings, inclusive of everyone, are an opportunity for all to bridge the culture gap for the first time with this common spirituality. We will worship together knowing that we don’t have to go along to get along.”

The interfaith, multicultural worship service will focus on world unity tied to Bishop Pearson’s ‘Gospel of Inclusion’. Recognized as a voice of reason and moderation in a world of extremes, his ministry is about a spiritual coming together for all humanity; Christians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, gays, the spiritually unresolved and any other groups which may have been considered “unfit” and unacceptable or have been marginalized.
Bishop Pearson and his wife Gina, a Certified Transformational Coach, will lead the GATHERING, along with other presenters and live music.

The GATHERING will take place on Sunday, February 27th in downtown Chicago from 2:30-4:00 at the Palmer House Hotel. (17 East Monroe Street, Chicago, IL 60603)

Those interested in participating can watch the service live by visiting http://www.bishoppearson.com and clicking on the live stream link.

About Bishop Carlton Pearson

Pearson is the author of The Gospel of Inclusion and God is Not a Christian (both published by Simon & Schuster). Once a Fundamentalist Christian and an evangelical megastar with 6,000 people at his weekly Pentecostal Church services in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he was branded a heretic by the Fundamentalist community when, after 35 years of church ministry, he had come to question and reject the Fundamentalist doctrines of an eternal and literal hell. Instead, Pearson turned to preaching the fundamental goodness in all humanity and that God has a place in eternity for people of all faiths and lifestyles.

Pearson recently left Christ Universal Temple in Chicago where he was the interim Sr. Minister for the past two years. He has appeared on CNN, ABC's 2020, Nightline, Dateline NBC and was featured on NPR's This American Life, among other media. Pearson speaks across the country and through his work, has become spiritual advisor to a number of celebrities and business leaders across the country.
For more information on Bishop Pearson, please visit http://www.bishoppearson.com/