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:

Pastor Fired for Not Believeing In Hell.

Pastor Chad Holtz ministered to a congregation in Oxford, North Carolina until he stated that he no longer believed in hell in a blog post to the church website. Holtz told his story to the AP. video below.



Sorry, but I'm not feeling a lot of sympathy for this guy. I'm just gonna be blunt here: good riddance.

When you  as a "pastor" choose to abandon clear Bible doctrines, you are not longer fit to be shepherding peoples' souls. All preachers, especially pastors, are called to be "watchmen on the wall". The day that the watchman decides that the threat of God's judgment isn't really a threat, he does a grave, and possibly eternally grave disservice to those he is supposed to be ministering to.

Note the words of God in Ezekiel chapter 3:

¹⁷ “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: ¹⁸ When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.

It was interesting that I ran across this article while preparing to do one on Rob Bell and his denial-by-stealth of the doctrine of hell. That article will be coming up very shortly. Clearly it seems the Devil is busy trying to undermine the doctrine of hell. In the voices of these false prophets you can almost hear the serpent-like hiss of Genesis chapter 3 as he denied God's warning of death as a consequence of disobedience:

"hath God [really] said....?

Then further...

"You shall not die"... "but shall be as God!"

(Paraphrasing from Gen 3:1, 4.5)

Now, we have Lucifers's 21st century version, as he denies God's warning of hell/the lake of fire, which the Bible calls "the second death" (Rev 20:14):
 
"hath God and the Bible really said there is a hell?"


I see this increase in the denial of the doctrine of hell as just another stepping stone of this creeping but steadily rising apostasy that is attempting to overwhelm the Body of Christ.  Remember Bishop Carlton Pearson began with denial of hell, which led to his becoming a crusader for the Gospel of Inclusion, his acceptance and virtual embracing of gay theology, his becoming the pastor of a New Thought church, and more recently his embrace of "New Christianity" (which is essentially a pseudo-"Christian" front for Satan's one world religion).  Doctrine does matter. Doctrine has consequences. As we can see from Carlton Pearson's example, once you decide to abandon a key doctrine as the doctrine of eternal punishment, there's just no telling how far into apostasy you'll end up drifting!

My dear readers, watch for this denial-of-hell phenomenon to be a bigger issue facing the church world in the months and years to come. Watch very closely.


I'll be back with a follow-up article on this very soon. Peace and blessings be upon all of you .

Video: The Coming UN World Religon

A video about the emerging world antrichrist religion.
This stunning 38 minute video deals with (among other things) the link between occultic forces subtly guiding the United Nations, and indeed the world, toward the coming one world religion of the Antichrist.

Perhaps the most significant part of this video is is reference to the Lucis Trust, an non-government organization (NGO) approved by the UN, that has worked closely with them for decades. Keep in mind this group was orignally called the Lucifer Trust, until they changed their name, for obvious reason, to the less controversial Lucis Trust. Still, their Satanic/New Age doctine and goals are still fairly transparent to those who've looked closely at their teachings. And it should be note that the Lucis Trust was founded by one the the most famous Occultic/Luciferian writers and teachers of the 20th Century, Alice Bailey.

Terry Melanson has an excellent article on Bailey, Lucis, and her UN connection here.

From the article:

Lucis Trust promulgates the work of an "Ascended Master" who was working 'through' Alice Bailey for some 30 years. The Lucis Trust Publishing Company and their many fronts and organizations worship an "Externalized Hierarchy" of "Ascended Masters," who carry out the work of a Luciferian "master plan" for the establishment of a permanent "Age of Aquarius" ruled by one "Sanat Kumara", the "Lord of the World."

Lucis Trust is a powerful institution that enjoys "Consultative Status" with the United Nations, which permits it to have a close working relationship with the U.N., including a seat on the weekly sessions, but most importantly, influence with powerful business and national leaders throughout the world.

Through its founding of World Goodwill, Lucis Trust is "aggressively involved in promoting a globalist ideology":

 Lucis Trust is run through an international board of trustees whose membership is said to have included: John D. Rockefeller; Norman Cousins; Robert S. McNamara; Thomas Watson, Jr. (IBM, former U.S. Ambassador to Moscow); Henry Clausen, Grand Commander of the Supreme Council, 33rd Degree, Southern District Scottish Rite and Henry Kissinger.

Part 3 of 3 of the video "The New Age".

Damage Control

Obama responds to the furor over his former Pastor of 16 years' disgusting and inflammatory comments.

The Rise of Witchcraft in America

David Kupelian has written an excellent article on the rise of Witchcraft/Wicca in America.

Its a bit long, but a very good and worthwhile read.

Excerpt from the article:

"So, what is witchcraft? Is it the same as Wicca? Is it a form of Satan worship, as critics allege? Or can witches be good? Can they really cast spells that somehow call forth the spirits beyond the world of nature to help them accomplish their will – whether good or evil? And what's the deal with going naked? Most of all, why do so many people today aspire to be witches?

I'm a journalist, and in the news world we see many reports on witches, but they don't have hooknoses or poisoned apples. Instead, we hear that increasing numbers of modern-day Americans – housewives, students, professors, even soldiers believe it or not – self-identify as witches or Wiccans. We see stories about Wicca being an official, legal religion and a fast-growing one at that, about judges ruling that witches must be allowed to lead prayers at local government meetings, and that Wiccan convicts must be provided with requested "sacred objects" so they can perform spells in their cells.

A few basics: "Wicca" and "witchcraft" are often used interchangeably, but they aren't exactly the same. While witchcraft goes back into ancient times, with many varieties springing from diverse cultures and worldviews, Wicca is a relatively modern nature-based religion first popularized in the 1950s by an Englishman named Gerald Gardner. Most "witches" today, at least in the Western World, are followers of the Wiccan religion. Although Gardner claimed he was resurrecting an ancient pre-Christian, matriarchal pagan religion, that is disputed – some historians saying he just made up parts of it. And while there are other forms of Wicca today besides "Gardnerian" Wicca, each with their own variations of belief, ritual and practice, all share certain basic features.

According to Wiccan teachings, to find balance, practitioners must worship both the male and female aspects of deity, the god and the goddess, embodying the life-force manifest in nature. Although males are welcome, Wicca is predominantly a female religion, and the goddess dominates the god..."

Full article here.

"Pentecostals" On The Way 'Back to Rome' too?

The previous post dealt with the Orthodox church making plans to reunite with the Roman Catholics, something that Anglican church leaders are also planning to do.

Next thing you know "Pentecostals" might start partaking in that ecumenical nonsense. Oh, wait.. they already did (years ago, actually) Story here.

African-American Pentecostals on roots-searching pilgrimage to VaticanAfrican-American Pentecostals on roots-searching pilgrimage to Vatican

Millions of pilgrims are expected in Rome this year thanks to the efforts of Pope John Paul II. The Pope has made ecumenism, or efforts to bring Christians of all denominations together, a major theme of the Jubilee 2000 Holy Year.

African-American Pentecostals are some of the first making the trek, as 170 delegates from the Cleveland-based Joint College of African-American Pentecostal Bishops are in Rome this week for a visit. The group is on a roots-searching pilgrimage emphasizing values that bind this brand of Protestantism to Roman Catholicism.

John Paul, speaking in English, told the bishops at the audience that he was extending them ''a special welcome.''

''I am confident that your visit to Rome will help strengthen ecumenical relations between Catholics and Pentecostals,'' the pope told the group.

One of the organizers of the trip, Bishop Carl H. Montgomery, II, assistant presiding bishop of the United Pentecostal Churches of Christ, wondered aloud in an interview on the eve of the audience: ''Can we in this 21st century not dwell on the differences'' among Christians?

The pilgrimage to Rome ''is our way of saying we recognize the Catholic Church as our historical grandparents,'' said the bishop, whose church is in Baltimore, birthplace of the Roman Catholic church in the United States.

The bishops will attend seminars at a pontifical college where U.S. seminarians study and participate Sunday in a service in a Catholic Church in Rome where many U.S. expatriots worship. The leader of Cleveland's Catholic diocese, Bishop Anthony Pilla, helped arrange the pilgrimage.

Pentecostalism, concentrated in inner cities, has experienced rapid growth in the 1990s, with Asian and Caribbean immigrants to the United States among the newest members. The same spontaneity and exuberance that characterize those religious gatherings are also catching on in some Catholic churches, and the pope has given his blessing to an increasingly popular charismatic movement in the United States and elsewhere.

Montgomery praised the pontiff as ''the most ecumenical of modern times.'' The pope's frequent championship of the poor is also much appreciated among the Pentecostals. Montgomery hopes his group is one of the firsts to make the trek to the Vatican and that many more will follow. Millions are expected to make the trip to Rome this year at the Pope’s urging to bring religions together. (Source: Associated Press) Millions of pilgrims are expected in Rome this year thanks to the efforts of Pope John Paul II. The Pope has made ecumenism, or efforts to bring Christians of all denominations together, a major theme of the Jubilee Holy Year.

2/11/2000 AP

http://www.everything2000.com/news/news2000/2000pilgrimage.asp

Catholic and Orthodox Churches Discuss Union

Many of us who believe there will be a coming One World Religion will find this very interesting.
The Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox church have apparently laid the foundation for an eventual reunification, after having split almost a century ago .

I'm expecting that its only a matter of time before the Protestant denominations end up going "back to Rome" to unite with the "mother Church". Moves toward uniting the world's religions have been taking place for some time now.

NOTE: The reader might also want to keep in mind a related topic posted here: "Churches Back Plan To Unite Under Pope"which dealt with apostate Anglican (Episcopalian) Church leaders who are also looking to reunite with the Roman Catholic Church. First the Anglicans... now the Orthodox churches... there's definitely a trend here, folks. Only question is, "who's next"?

http://www.javno.com/en/world/clanak.php?id=98153

Catholic and Orthodox churches have laid the corner stone of a bridge unifying the two churches separated for almost an entire millennium.

The pope is 'first amongst the patriarchs', Rome is the 'first seat', the Roman Catholic Church 'lies within love'. A document signed both by the Catholic and the Orthodox churches, established unmistakably and definitely the primate of the Roman bishop, opening the way to the union between Catholic and Orthodox believers, who have been divided since the 1054 split.

The undisclosed document is the result of a summit held in October in Ravenna, where a Catholic delegation, led by Cardinal Kasper and an Pan-orthodox delegation led by Bishop Zizioulas from the ecumenical patriarchate of Constantinople, set the basis for a discussion over matters to solve in order to reestablish the union.

The 46 articles, a real road map, underline the path to follow in discussing topics in order to overcome the divisions of the past. Thus, the recognition of the Roman primacy is achieved, but it was immediately said that ‘the first seat’s role’ in the ecclesiastic community context has to be discussed. In other words, the prerogatives of the bishop of Rome have to be settled, considering that there are very differing opinions about the issues.

The document traces three basic concepts: ecclesiastic communion, authority and concilliarity. Both sides agree that bishops are the head of local churches and that nobody can substitute them. They both agree in recognizing that an ‘only and holy Church’ is achieved in every local church that holds Eucharist service, and in the communion of all churches.

An agreement has been reached also about the structure of a universal Church. The bishop represents the authority of local communities. The regional communities recognize a head among them (protos, in Greek). The global structure is still unsettled: experts will have a lot of work to do because the document states that at the universal level ‘those who lead different regions, along with all the bishops, cooperate in what concerns the entirety of the Church’. In this context it is underlined that ‘the heads have to recognize who is first among them’.

But to ensure an agreement - the ecumenical road map – there must be cooperation among everyone. All the bishops of Christianity, it is said, must not only be united with each other in faith, but “they also have the same responsibility and the same duty towards the Church”. The councils are “the main instrument” by with the Church’s community is expressed.

In other words, the Orthodox world marks that the bishop of Rome can not think to be a totalitarian sovereign who makes decisions alone or interferes with local administrations.
After all, Ratzinger himself stressed many times in the past that the bishop of Rome can not behave as an “absolute monarch”. A passage from the text (referring to regional authorities) sounds like a precise warning “The first can not do anything without the approval of the others”.

The Pope, however, is always mentioned in the text as bishop of Rome, or as one the five historical patriarchs.

Now it is up to Ratzinger. Only he can give a boost to the procedures. The Pope summoned all the cardinals of the world to a summit which will take place on November 23, and on that occasion the agenda will be exactly the ecumenism. The Catholic-Orthodox document will be the base of the debate, the Italian daily Repubblica reported on Wednesday.

Meanwhile Benedict XVI is reforming the bishops’ Synod, that is the world episcopate parliament that is held every three years: more delegates will be given to oriental Catholic churches – a link between the two churches – which will also have over 25 bishops, more space will be given to the discussion and working groups will be established. Benedict XVI has expressed the will to take “concrete steps” towards bringing the Christian churches closer since his election. But there are also some problems within the Orthodox side.

Patriarch of Moscow Alexei II is reluctant to recognize the supremacy of Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I and at the same time he does not forgive the Vatican the activity of Catholic dioceses in the former Soviet Union. His representatives in Ravenna walked out of the summit because the Estonian Orthodox Church joined the ecumenical patriarchate of Constantinople.

A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

The Bible talks about religious leaders who are "wolves in sheeps clothing", and the apostle Paul talked about the Devils mininsters presenting themselves as "ministers of righteousness" just as Satan himself likes to pretend to be an "angel of light". Over the years I've seen quite a few ministers who fit the bill all too well. One such person is John Shelby Spong.

For over 30 years now he has been writing, teaching and lecturing with an evangelistic zeal across America and the world. But this Episcopal Bishop's message is one very different from that found in the New Testament . One of his most popular books is entitled: "Why Christianity Must Change or Die". He doesn't believe in the virgin birth, nor the literal resurrection of Christ, the doctrines of original sin, salvation through Christ alone, or that the Bible is a fixed standard by which people should live their lives today. Of course, he is in favor of homosexual marriage.

His views are so blatantly contrary to the Bible and orthodox Church beliefs that one wonders why he even bothers identifying himself as a Christian at all! He is essentially a secular humanist who prefers to wrap himself in the cloth of religiosity, since this of course gives him access to the very church circles in which he can spread his poisonous teachings. The fact that this man is a highly sought after speaker is just another sign of the times we live in.

There's no question in my mind that this man is just another one of Lucifer's false prophets of these last days, sent to undermine traditional Christian faith and values at every opportunity. Jesus taught that there would be people like this. And He said we'd be able to identify them with relative ease: "by their fruits ye shall know them". The Bible speaks clearly of a time when there will be a "great falling away", or apostasy in the Church. One day we'll all look back and clearly see that "Bishop" Spong was one of the many (mis)leaders who helped to bring it to pass.

William Witt has a good article on him here, an article which also deals with what is the major division in Christian thought today, namely, the constitutive vs. illustrative views of Jesus' ministry and Christianity itself. Its a division and a debate that is already causing many churches to compromise; and it's all paving the way for the coming One World Religion.

Robert Meyer also has an article on him entitled Bishop John Shelby Spong: Soaking Up False Theology.

Article: Ushering In One World Religon

This article is a few years old but it really resonated with me, so I thought I'd post it.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/812905/posts

Dec 27, 2002 CBN.com – GENEVA, Switzerland — A one world government and a one world religion — it may just sound like fiction from the popular "Left Behind" novel series. But some Christians say this scenario may be closer than most people think.

Earlier this fall in Geneva, hundreds of spiritual and religious leaders met at the United Nations for a peace summit. And although all the major faiths were there, including some who claim to represent Christianity, it was clear that Jesus was not invited.

The event was actually the first ever UN summit of women religious leaders. Mournful cries could be heard emanating from one of the meetings as more than 500 women from more than 70 countries came to talk about ways to achieve world peace. Most were from "Eastern religions" — Buddhists, Taoists and Hindus.

And a woman named "Amma," who is known as the "hugging saint," came with her own band of followers. She claims to be able to impart "divine love and wisdom" in her hug. She said, "It's not only hugging but it is also imparting that spiritual principal into people, so to have them know who they are, so once you know that, peace will spontaneously happen."

Honorary Chair Shirley MacLaine, known for her adventures into New Age, did not show, but several celebrities did, including Linda Evans, Lindsay Wagner and Linda Gray of "Dallas" fame.

Full article here

Churches back plan to unite under Pope

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article1403702.ece

I cant even begin to emphasize how important I think this story is. This might be one of the biggest news stories to hit this weekend, although the mainstream media gave this stuff a collective yawn, as always.

The Times of London is reporting that Anglican and Catholic leaders are proposing to unite both churches under the Pope. Bible prophecy-watchers have been expecting something like this for some time now.

Why is this a big deal? Long story short: The Bible has long prophesied of the Antichrist to come, and Revelation 13 speaks of his partner in evil, one called the False Prophet. These 2 men are the leaders of a united world political system, and unified religious system also (commonly referred to as the One World Government and One World Religion). Many prophecy watchers (myself included) expect the World Religion to be centered in Rome, under the Pope. So its been interesting for some time now that there have been rumblings for some time of the breakaway denominations coming "back to Rome" unifying with the Roman Church.

Whatever is done in the dark comes to light eventually. Watch for more of talk of "unification" of different "Christian"denominations. And watch for churches to embrace the Roman Church all over again. This breaking down of the walls between denominations and religions is just a further step in the fulfillment of last days prophecy. It's a shame more people dont realize that.

Thanks for stopping by.