Rob Bell defends his view of Hell in "Love Wins" debate

because the thing is when someone like me hears you ask those questions the immediate understanding I have is that clearly you don't agree with that and that clearly you think hell isn't forever and that clearly you think people can get out of hell now I'd be interested if you're willing to say that quite clearly because often when people have asked you that you don't say that you just answer with a question or whatever do you think people can get out of of of of hell and go back to Heaven is that what you're saying I'm simply beginning with when we use eternal yeah or forever is this a category are we talking about the same thing that the biblical writers talked of so like in the Hebrew scriptures Olam is the closest word and Jonah says that he was in the belly of the fish for Olam which was three days so I'm just asking when we take our forever and we impose it and are are we bringing an assumption to the scriptures that the writers don't have okay so that to me that just sounds like universalism M and the fact that that that hell isn't that's a basic sort of biblical studies question when Jesus says Eternal punishment what does he mean and is there sort of a larger context because when he says eternal life can I can I come though moving beyond the Greek to to is if you like it's to me what comes through in the book more is that it you don't like the picture that this would paint of God in the first place and so a couple couple of people ask what let me just get these questions out one person asked is your generous view they call it of judgment and Reconciliation primarily the product of Bible study or the application of kindly logic I the idea that God couldn't be like this and another person asks and this is more directed at you Adrian in your view of hell if we believe God is Justice how can a finite human being with a finite ability to reason come to earn infinite punishment surely Justice demands that um the time fits the crime how how on Earth can we believe in an eternal conscious torment I mean obviously a lot of people do struggle with this and you've mentioned already another option Rob which doesn't really feature in the book but annihilationism this idea that people yeah there there's a section on the book sort of the ex-human postum formerly human that's one of the sort of there's that's the way many people sure are you more comfortable with that than the Eternal conscious torment view I mean it seems to me like you've definitely ruled that out as being even considered you know that just for you is totally out kilter with the idea of well it just raises questions and so so like when I'm when I'm asking Adrien those are legitimate honest straightforward tell me more the question from you Rob I suppose do you think is the answer to that question well well when he says like in the questioner who says um a finite being in a finite segment of time receives infinite punishment that has to be sort of kept up and maintained by God that says something about the nature of god so let's say a 17-year-old rejects Christ dies and 17 million years from now whatever you want to say say that that's obviously a sort of over-the toop language God is still punishing that person is God like that and I think it's a totally legitimate do you think God is like that Rob no I don't think God is like that okay so so I'm taking from that answer that you you definitely do not believe in Eternal conscious torment I mean I can't draw any other conclusion that that you don't believe in that and that's fine that's fine there's lots of evangelicals who would agree with you in the is possibility possib is that is that a possibility is that a possibility yes so if your question is is do is that a possibility yeah it is

Channel: Premier On Demand

Views: 202,824

Keywords: Rob Bell, Adrian Warnock, heresy, Love Wins, Unbelievable, Justin Brierley, Premier Christian Radio, heaven, hell, universalism, evangelical, debate, theology, Mars Hill Bible Church, nooma, emerging church, reformed, blogger, heretic, Bible interpretation, Justin Taylor, Kevin DeYoung, Gospel Coalition, punishment, eternal conscious torment, Lazarus, parable

Id: agRu8SZRMME

Length: 3min 48sec (228 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 27 2011