Love Wins

I've always been a thinker and at times, that's a good thing, and at others, not so much.  I read things and I don't tend to be shifted much, such as Harry Potter, the Twilight series, and now, Love Wins.  There have been "warnings" at church and criticism all over the internet about "Love Wins" by Rob Bell.  I won't share all of that, I'll just share my experience with the book.

I downloaded "Love Wins" on my iPad before I left for Paris.  The reason I did was for two reasons.  First, I love Rob Bell.  I've read, "Velvet Elvis" and "Sex God" and loved them both.  I've watched many of his videos and his church is in the state I was born and lived in until I was twelve.  I am, at heart, a Midwestern girl and tend to cling to things that come from that region.  Hey, I'm not alone, we all love where we came from, or at least some of the things from there.

I didn't have a chance to read much of it before my marathon and ended up really digging in while in long lines at the Paris airport as I headed to Amsterdam.  As I wound my way through the luggage line, I found myself weeping.  Now, some of that was because I was full of lactic acid but the other factor was that I was incredibly moved.

I think I was so moved because I did not grow up going to church.  I have had a hunger for God for as long as I can remember but have been burned by individuals time and time again.  I've been teased about "how we're praying for you to get saved" followed up by chuckles, had my child yelled at by Sunday school teachers because he kept touching a door handle (aspie alert!), been criticized for not doing enough when volunteering three days a week, and outright hurt by pastors and their family members.  It took me a LONG time to get over it and in some ways, I can head back there quite quickly.

A book that asks hard questions that I have pondered and does it with grace and with thoughtfulness?  SOLD!!

Here are some of my favorite quotes...

On going to Heaven and faith...
"So is it true that the kind of person you are doesn't ultimately matter, as long as you've said or prayed or believed the right things?If you truly believed that, and you were surrounded by Christians who believed that, then you wouldn't have much motivation to do anything about the present suffering of the world, because you would believe you were going to leave someday and go somewhere else to be with Jesus."

On having a personal relationship with Christ...
"The problem is that the phrase "personal relationship" is found nowhere in the Bible"

On Heaven...
"When Jesus talks about heaven, he was talking about our present eternal, intense real experiences of joy, peace, and love in THIS life, this side of death and the age to come.  Heaven for Jesus wasn't just "someday"; it was a present reality.  Jesus blurs the lines, inviting the rich man and us into the merging of heaven and earth, the future and present, here and now.

On hell...
"Often the people most concerned about other going to hell when they die seem less concerned with the hells on earth right now, while the people most concerned with the hells on earth right now seem the least concerned about hell after death."

"There are individual hells, and communal, society - wide hells, and Jesus teaches us to take both seriously."

On praying for salvation...
"What about people who have said some form of the prayer at some point in their life, but it means nothing to them today?  What about those who said it in a highly emotionally charged environment like a youth camp or church service because it was the thing to do, but were unaware of the significance of what they were doing?  What about people who have never said the prayer and don't claim to be Christians, but live a more Christian life than some Christians?"

On the Good News... (my favorite)
"When the Gospel is diminished to a question of whether or not a person will "get into heaven" that reduces the good news to a ticket, a way to get past the bouncer at a club.  And the good news is better than that.  This is why Christians who talk the most about going to heaven while everyone goes to tell don't throw very good parties.  When the gospel is understood primarily in terms of entrance rather than joyous participation, it can actually serve to cut people off from the explosive, liberating experience of the God who is an endless giving circle of joy and creativity.  Life have never been about "Getting in."  It's about thriving in God's good world.  It's stillness, peace, and that feeling in your soul being at rest, while at the same time it's about asking things, learning things, creating things, and sharing it with others who are fining the same kind of joy in the same good world."

This book led to many questions on my part and here is why: I have felt more criticized and unloved by quote "Christians" while I was/am a Christian.  I know many lovely people who are Christians, don't get me wrong who give me such hope and inspiration about faith.  But there are several who go to church every time the doors are open and will judge you to hell and back for not going yourself with snide comments, whom I have never seen ONE OUNCE of kindness or love from.  And this is "Christianity" and the love of Christ?  No fruit present, ever?  I struggle with that a lot.

Our two kids have both prayed the prayer and one is more eager than the other and my husband was quite proud of that fact.  It's interesting to me though that the one who is more "eager" in faith is the least loving of the two and we have to talk to that child quite a bit about being unkind.  So, is it praying the prayer and following the rules or is it seeing the love in actions but perhaps not as boldly proclaimed?  I can't say I know, but I know which one feels better to me.

At the church we've been going to there was a long sermon on how women are the downfall of men with our honey lips, how we should tithe, and a bit from Revelation which included  the pronouncement of "Love wins" being heretical.

Yes, the book that made me cry, that gave me hope, that made me think I could return to church is heretical.  Naturally.

Make your own decisions.  Read the book before you criticize it and really take it in.  I know there are many just like me who want to be faith filled but have been hit by so many arrows and bullets over time that often the last thing you want to do is go to church or hang out with Christians (no offense, seriously, if you're reading this, it's most likely not about you).