"...this has the potential to be the most modern example of the apostle Paul that anyone has ever seen." Really? Steady on. From reading Paul's writings, I cannot imagine him being tripped up by such a simple interview.
And why would you expect perfection from Rob Bell? Almost every member here can recall falling flat on their face when attempting to preach to family & friends about the true gospel.
Why should we be so closed-minded from one simple interview? Jesus likened the Kingdom of God to a small seed growing into a great tree...why would we expect an instant, great tree? These things take time to develop.
Jesus asked that when He returned, 'would He find faith on the earth?' Hardly an indication of any significant turning to the truths of God in the end times.
How would one preacher be a "significant turning"? Jesus also told the Pharisees their house would be left desolate and would not see Him again until they were ready to pronounce "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord" [Matt 23:39].
Paul was a Pharisee...did this statement apply to him too? Or did Jesus pick him for the express purpose of 'showing many things to suffer for the name of Jesus' [Acts 9:16] as well as being 'a pattern to those who are going to believe in Jesus' [1 Tim 1:16]. One out of many, no matter how famous that one is, is still a Few.
Wake me up when minister Bell stops charging money for the truths of God that he thinks he knows. Remember, "Freely you received, freely give."
Bell's selling his knowledge of the scriptures does not make him a follower of Paul, much less of Jesus.
John
John, you don't want to be 'woken up' because Bell doesn't conform to your expectations. How arrogant can one be to expect a potential new convert to practice every single belief as an elder in the Word? Why in the world, would anyone in their right mind, expect someone
like this to be just like Ray? Do you really think Ray or Paul or Peter had ALL the answers right out of the gate?
You see, when the rubber hits the road, the religious hobbyists jump off the bandwagon. Never fails. I've read over dozens of unscriptural, borderline heretical comments from forum members for more than 3 years. And I'm just talking about the things that other members will fawn over and not see error.
Now someone with the audacity to preach all will be saved and you nitpick because his book cost $12? How much did you spend on internet access just to read from bible-truths.com?
My point is, we just have to have perspective. There's a whole world out there that God is choosing His people from, not just this tiny forum community.
Marques
P.S. If we want to nitpick these pastors who have recently had a change of heart and are preaching universal salvation, at least make the effort to contact them to express your concerns. Be proactive and not simply sit back and stew in pessimism.
If God is changing us, why doubt He is changing these preachers?