Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived
Rob Bell
Harper Collins, 2011, 224 pp., $22.99

In the midst of a sea of sensationalist headlines and tweets, trying to figure out how to handle Rob Bell’s new book Love Wins can be difficult. Some have called it heresy; others have said it is genius. The truth, as is often the case, lies somewhere in between.

In his typical creative fashion, Bell sets out in Love Wins to challenge popular theological understandings of heaven, hell the afterlife and who goes where and why. Amid controversial headlines claiming that Love Wins says there is no hell in the afterlife and declares a Universalist theology, neither prove to be the case…at least not in the traditional sense.

Throughout the book, Bell tackles a number of questions that have been debated for generations. He starts with heaven and hell and their existence in a present reality, as well as a future reality and whether the location really is someplace else at the end of time. His theories echo those of N.T. Wright as he argues that our choices today matter greatly as we play a role in redeeming the earth. This question is the least controversial of them all in Love Wins.

From here, Bell begins to open the debate of who goes where and why by looking at two related questions. The first can be summed up as: Can someone know Jesus, but not know they know Jesus? This is brought to life in a handful of stories of former Christians who have rejected Jesus because they were raped, abused or mistreated by those who represent Jesus. Are those people really rejecting Jesus? Or are they rejecting something Jesus Himself rejects?

This leads to the second question, which asks if there is the possibility for people to make a post-mortem decision to follow Christ. For anyone who has read The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis, you will find many similarities to the idea of people having the option to choose Jesus after death.

The most controversial question in Love Wins is the one that remains and is also what has drawn the titles of heretical and Universalist. Based on the responses to the questions above, Bell continues his line of thought to suggest that perhaps we will have an unlimited number of chances post-mortem to turn to Christ and in the end that God will redeem everyone back to Himself.
To argue this last point, Bell refers to a number of Scripture references, but there are questions concerning his exegesis and his understanding of the Greek word translated as “eternal.” It is safe to say that most with biblical training or who have spent a lot of time in the church are left with mixed feelings.

So, what should we as youth workers do with Love Wins and Rob Bell in general?

First, I would argue that Love Wins is a must-read for anyone in ministry. This is more so the case if you feel as if you will disagree with some of Bell’s stances. Due to the national media this book got, we owe it to our students, parents and other church members to be able to speak to the questions and concerns that may be raised.

Second, we need to be careful about throwing the baby out with the bath water. Just because Love Wins is more controversial and questionable does not mean everything else Bell has done needs to be done away with. If you have found the Nooma videos or other books to be useful in helping people find Jesus, then continue to do so without guilt.

Third, I think Love Wins can be a fantastic way to begin deeper conversations with our students about the issues raised above. I often have found that reading something controversial and out of the box (see I Kissed Dating Goodbye or Radical) to be some of the best books to read, not because they have all the right answers, but because they ignite some great conversations and drive students to Scripture for answers. However, caution should be used before suggesting this book to immature Christians who wouldn’t have the guidance of someone to point out potential issues.

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