The New York Times has an intriguing piece on the recent controversy brought about by Rob Bell with the promotional materials for his new book . . . http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/05/us/05bell.html . . . Bell has really pissed off a whole slew of folks with intimation that perhaps good loving folks like Gandhi aren’t actually burning in the fires of the pits of hell . . . see Bell’s Love Wins promotional video at https://www.robbell.com/lovewins/.

This tricky question is one of the ones that really does leave a lot of folks cold . . . albeit not the ones who believe they have the secret passkey to the kingdom.

Back in 1989 before I came to Taiwan, there was a fellow speaking at one of the local churches in my home town of Abilene, Kansas . . . speaking on his own experience in Taiwan. The opening title card of his talk? Taiwan is in the Grip of Satan . . . it turned out the bulk of his talk was proof that most Taiwanese are Idol Worshipping Godless Satanists doomed to the fires of hell . . . his proof, video of folks burning paper money at temples, his students riding in BMWs, and the like. After I got here, I found out that this guy had been living a pretty damned good life among the so-called heathens . . . he had a personal driver provided by the university and his kids all went to the American School (even at a professor’s salary I couldn’t afford the tuition to that school for my daughter) and his university? Well, he pictured it as typical but it was actually the lowest ranked university in the country at the time, a very expensive private school that was the last refuge for children of rich folks whose kids could not pass the exams to get into reputable schools.

I’ve met a few jerks and assholes in Taiwan in my time here but I’ve also met a whole bunch of really good folks . . . folks who I can’t imagine rotting in hell merely because they followed a different path from the folks who enjoy pointing their fingers at others and denouncing them as inferior or the like merely because of their beliefs. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve met a whole bunch of really good Christians in my life as well . . . but . . . the anger and resentment and name calling and out and out threats being generated by some in response to Rob Bell’s work ain’t among ’em.

IMO.

All the best,
Brian