Rob Bell, the controversial mega church pastor and author of “Love Wins”, recently announced that he was leaving the Grand Rapids church (Mars Hill) that he founded. There was so much interest in the announcement that Mars Hill’s website crashed. To most, Bell’s departure does not really cause the world any concern. Usually when a pastor leaves a church it has a great impact on a small group of people, both in positive and negative ways. However, Rob Bell’s departure affects just about everyone in the country.
How can one pastor’s departure affect a whole country?
1. Robb Bell is working on a major TV project with Carlton Cuse, the executive producer and screenwriter for LOST. The New York Magazine reports that the two are working on a show that would be loosely based on Bell’s life. The show is rumored to be called “Stronger”:
Stronger is similarly expected to explore spiritual themes but without being as on-the-nose as other recent series that have tackled these issues, such as 7th Heaven and Touched by an Angel. There’s also expected to be a narrative twist to the project that will make it a bit unconventional, but for now, that detail is being kept secret (this show is from a Lost-ie, after all).
Bell and Cuse met at TIME’s 100 most influential person dinner. With the power of a big time TV producer, especially one from LOST, millions of people will be exposed to Bell’s brand of Christianity. Clearly, Bell’s move to Los Angeles will position himself to rub shoulders with celebrities, politicians, and other influential people.
2. Bell’s teaching and writing are changing the way Christians and non-Christians think about God. Through his book, “Love Wins” Bell explained that we should think more about God’s care for people rather than God’s plan for damnation. The reaction caught the attention of CNN, ABC News, Newsweek, and other major media outlets. The topic of “who goes to heaven” is an extremely sensitive subject. You do not think he is making that big of a splash in the world? Well, his story and his book were the subject of a TIME magazine cover story that questioned, “Is Hell dead?” Bell reengaged the debate of annihilationism, universalism, and salvation on a secular level. What pastor can do that? With about 78% of the country claiming some sort of Christian identity, Bell’s teaching will continue to make waves within a large majority of America.
3. By leaving local church ministry, Bell will reach an audience that few have been successful with. Rob Bell has big plans. He has accomplished what few pastors can do: grow a church from nothing, write books, star in his own DVD series, and speak all around the world. Bell is no Pat Robertson, Jerry Fallwell, or Jim Baker. His “hipster” image is putting certain Christian stereotypes to rest. He is perhaps in the best position for a mega church pastor to become mainstream. When we say mainstream, we mean not just with all Christians, but with the secular world. To some, that is a very encouraging thing but to other it is frightening. Perhaps, Rob Bell could tap into that demographic that is quickly disappearing from church life: the Millennials.
Stay tuned. Rob Bell just may begin to change the face of Christianity.
2 Comments
I agree, he has definitely changed the way many people view God and forced a lot of people to study the Scriptures for themselves.
“Forever and ever”—is clearly a chronological term. Time is a very vague “thing” and has only meaning were there is decay. Decay is the influence of the Bad. Is there decay in heaven? Can decay ( becoming less and less) hold on for ever? Theoretically yes, but only if the subject of decay is infinite? Is Lu infinite?
Cycle ( in my own term): God creates perfect. Devil corrupts it. Jesus Christ restores. What if this circle of life happened more than once and is about to happen again?
Where do the angels originate from? Why are they always mentioned as sons of God which is by the way the same term Jesus uses for those who come to HIm? Is it possible that they were humans in a previous cycle? This would very well explain the differnet ranks of angels….
What if this whole play here is not aimless? You would be surprised would you 😀 ? What if the main goal is to restore every single creature? What if this is not done in one cycle?
God is unchanging, thats so true that we can’t even comprehend it. But what if the clay he uses gets better from cycle to cycle? In the theoretic first cycle the clay is so rough that the whole spektrum of Gods being cannot be imprinted on it. (the omnipotence of God is shown in the quality of the imprint, because that’s unerrant–the Adam of the first cycle is just as perfect as the Adam of the last one). The ashes of the burnt out hell( after closing one cycle) mingle with the clay and the clay gets smoother. The next time God creates, the clay is smoother thus it can “incorporate” a bigger “part” of Gods infinity(the imprint gets better). In the next cycle an even bigger part is imprinted. And then an even bigger one. Doesn’t it seem that this leeds to something to say the least? /the controversy between the part imprint and the whole, can be resolved through the fractal theory./ God does not make “part” or half things! In the first cycle not only His left arm and a right foot is imprinted but the whole image of men. To put it more simply the imprint of the first cycle is a 10 megapixel living picture of Him, the next a 100 megapixel and so on. What happens after the last one I do not dare to say…partly because I do not know:) /Btw talking of imprints ever wondered why almost everything is symmetric in our world?/
Before anyone try to mislead You: what’s up with that luciferian doctrine of “as above so below”?
Every single Lu of every single cycle claims that this is the last cycle meaning the fullness of Gods spektrum(even writing something like this in every cycle but the last one is heresy-apologies for that) is imrpinted down below here in the matter. So the down-god(demigod,ruler of this mudworld,Prince of the air, in one word Lu) became the same as God the Creator.
If that would be true for our cycle then the world would have welcomed Jesus Christ!!! In the last cycle I believe there will be the same falling away and the same corruption, and Lu will persecute Jesus Christ like he did now, but then a miracle will happen I am quite sure of this folks. Lu will repent, he will take Christ down from the cross and will climb on it instead of Him. That is when Lu does not want the ruling might anymore. That is when He becomes like Jesus Christ. (Anti-Christ also means copy-Christ).—bare with me I know how this sounds please give a thought a try then you can discard it and call me anything you want, but until that pray for your enemies and for Lu too. Then Christ Jesus will only smile and say “come down there you rascal, there is no need to suffer anymore because it is done, You became just like me. You do not want to take the crown by force anymore, there you have it for free. ///until this point Lu is a creature and so always dependent on Gods nurishing love, but Lu has chosen not to receive it from God anymore as he rebelled. Being immortal-in human terms,cause Lu is not immortal- does not mean that one cannot suffer. Lu suffers because he needs Gods love just like every creature does, so he steals it from every other creature rightfully receiving it.God is just waiting for Lu to come by every single day,He awaits him with a big hug, but Lu refuses to come to Him. All the force by which he tries to steal the crown comes from God and God is more than ok with that. Just like for a parent is normal that a lousy kid needs more attention and love then the well behaving one///
Again this is not the last cycle we are in now!!! The coming Antichrist will try to deny this with every power of HIs, that is why he will create the best utopia we could ever imagine. Unless He doesn’t do that, he cannot claim that the whole imprint of heaven is on earth.
After the Antichrist arrives the fabric of time will be torn, for those living in his utopia it will seem a 1000 years, but in our current terms it’ll be about 40-50 years and then Jesus Christ comes again. Don’t get me wrong I’m not into dates, although claiming that we have to ignore this type of approach comes from the non- or misunderstanding of Rev.1:1. Please do interpret!! God says the things to come to Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ tells John, and John tells us. After the AC is in the temple–meaning body-, being in the temple-meaning genetical manipulation where not a single building block will be spared- he has one single hour. One day being 1000 years, a single hour is 40 something years. I only thought I share this to give all of You hope for the time of great tribulation which is just around the corner : You could possibly see Jesus Christ’s coming with your physical eyes-now thats something. Again Beware: the AC will pull this trick and he will be seen in the sky in literally a couple of years, but thats not who we are waitng for.
There You have it, some of my pearls! Even for pigs to consider:)
God Bless You all: A chubby red haired hungarian unemployed worm / perechides@gmail.com
that is 150*98EA for the frightened kings of this world hiding under rocks.
P.s.:
Btw being pushed by the usual suspects of the media, combined with a stairing-into-the-bright- future artsy pic is not the best sign in my opinion.
Just ask yourself the question! How come that the same brood /for we wrestle not aginst flesh and blood; those who call themselves jews-and use the real jews as front I must add- but belong to the seed of the serpent and not to the seed of the man/ that shaped the world into the rotten cadaver it is today, wakes up one day and says to himself: Hey lets not poison their minds and bodies anymore like we did for at least 3 generations, lets give them the Truth that will set them free…
Never forget nobody would ever swallow poison if it wasn’t wrapped in candy. For the most effective lies to create one needs to corrupt the most beutiful reality of God.