Category Archives: Influential Books

Unknown's avatar kyle 7:40 pm on May 9, 2020
Tags: Bell, , Universalism   

Love Wins

I have always struggled with the idea of friends burning in Hell. Especially those friends who have rejected the Church but lived a life more in accord with its teachings than plenty of people I knew who fully claimed to be Christian. I struggle with the idea that those who have never heard the Gospel had equal opportunity and can be held equally to the same requirements as those raised in the church. Does creation really testify so well to God that someone who never heard the name Jesus is condemned because they didn’t call on Him as their Lord and Savior. Mostly I struggled with idea that God might really want any one to endure the torment of Hell.

This book allowed me to give voice to those concerns. It is well thought out and a convincing argument. I have found a number of Rob Bell’s books to be such. I have not adopted all his beliefs. I have some decidedly different take on where he has moved on to after producing this work. I have also not just accepted his argument blindly. I have done a lot of research on the topic and thought through many of the implications. I think the strongest argument presented is the idea that God does not desire any to endure Hell, and a God that does is not compatible with the God we meet in the Gospels. I would highly recommend this book even if you don’t agree with its ultimate conclusion.

Unknown's avatar kyle 9:49 am on May 9, 2020
Tags: Heaven, , Lewis   

The Great Divorce

The gates of Hell are locked from the Inside – C.S. Lewis

I have done a lot of reading about Hell recently. I started doing more research in earnest after reading Rob Bell’s book “Love Wins.” He presents a hopeful universalism in it. This is obviously opposed to the majority view held by the church for much of history. I still find at least parts of Rob Bell’s arguments convincing. I don’t agree at this time with the conclusion and direction he has taken on matters of faith based on that hope of universal salvation. I am thankful to the voice which so clearly articulates what so many of us struggle with. With all that said, C.S. Lewis has proved a powerful voice for me on issues of Hell. The more I study about his views, the more I find myself in general agreement. I find that “The Great Divorce” by C.S. Lewis describes much of the positions that I have grown to hold over the course of my studies. It is also written through the phenomenal story telling voice which makes the work infinitely more relatable and approachable on a subject which can be so thorny.

Brief Summary

This book is an interesting allegory about a fictional field trip of a bus trip from Hell to Heaven. It describes how Hell is that which we cannot let go of in order to experience the joy of heaven. It also makes a case for the idea of purgatory and that even Hell itself may be both purgatory and hell.

It explores how we might honestly say that we can experience eternal happiness in the light of loved ones still experiencing Hell. It emphasizes the idea that God does not desire any to enter Hell but that it is instead God’s respect for our will that allows us to maintain an eternal separation.

I will admit that I struggle profoundly with the idea that eternal torment without any hope of redemption is a doctrine which reconciles well with the Christian faith. Mr. Lewis paints a picture that I find much more acceptable. Nor after all my research do I feel like he paints an un-biblical view either. I hope you read it, and I hope you find it as enjoyable a read as I did myself.