Rob Bell teaches a different gospel.
In his own words, after being asked to 'tweet' the gospel in an interview with Christianity Today:
I would say that history is headed somewhere. The thousands of little ways in which you are tempted to believe that hope might actually be a legitimate response to the insanity of the world actually can be trusted. And the Christian story is that a tomb is empty, and a movement has actually begun that has been present in a sense all along in creation. And all those times when your cynicism was at odds with an impulse within you that said that this little thing might be about something bigger—those tiny little slivers may in fact be connected to something really, really big.
So, really, REALLY, I am not to follow him. Not to listen to his teachings. Read his books.
This really should grieve me. Paul was grieved to tears concerning enemies of the cross. (Philppians 3:17-19) Maybe I'm revealing my sin more than Bell's here, but, instead of grief, I find relief. No more having to read between his lines. No more confusion. No more, 'well, I guess, the truth could kind of be described that way' in watching his videos. The Gospel is clearly, in his own words, NOT in his message. He will not be my teacher.
What IS the Gospel, by the way. I mean, Bell does mention the resurrection his his 'gospel story'.
The Gospel is this: Jesus died for our sins, was raised, and saves all who call upon His name.
1 Corinthians 15:1-6, Romans 3:21-26, Acts 20:21
It's that simple and that deep. Why distort it behind human philosophy as Bell does? My thought is, then we'd have to acknowledege our sin. Understand how depraved we really are. And then come to the horror that we can't save ourselves. We'd have to trust that Jesus really is enough.
That's hard for us to do. We're bent toward knowing. (We know there's a God. Romans 1:19-20) and doing. (We know there's a law. Romans 2:12-16). But the law does not save (Romans 3:20). The law curses us (Galatians 3:10).
In addition to law, some try to seek God through the wisdom of this world, as Bell seems to do. He's a gifted philosopher and reeks of Hegelian philosophy and eastern mysticism. However, consider the Holy Spirit inspired words of Paul in 1 Corinthians :21-25,
"For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." Romans 1:16
