I give up

Although I’ve been avoiding it for a while now, I suppose the time has finally arrived for me to, reluctantly I must admit, read Rob Bell’s book, Love Wins. My rebellious nature more often than not refuses to get caught up in the frenzied trends and hot topics of Christian sub-culture. Whenever there is a big what to do about some book, movie, church or Christian leader, I tend to wait until all the blustering is over — then consider the issue objectively while the rest of the crowd moves on to the next new thing.
Unable to isolate myself from all the ecclesiastical chatter, I’ve come to realize this much about the book. Some readers applaud Bell’s writing as an attempt to stir up critical thinking and discussion on the theology of hell. Some welcome and embrace what they believe to be his Universalist position [everyone goes to heaven]. Others condemn him a heretic who denies a clear and particularly important biblical doctrine. Who is right and who is wrong? Is Bell saying what many are accusing him of?
As I prepare to cross the proverbial Rubicon and crack open its pages, two “if” questions loom heavy in my mind.
If…Bell is proposing a Universalist position, why is that? What has he read, uncovered or finally understood about the nature of God, the teaching of Jesus and the Scriptures overall that nearly 2,000 years of Church history and critical exegetical thinking have missed? The matter is not simply about love but also about truth. Love without truth never wins.
If… in spite of what Bell and others may or may not say about it, you and I believe Hell is a reality — how does that reality influence our daily attitudes and actions? Could it be that some who are the strongest proponents of Hell’s reality fail to live as if it is a reality? Is it possible the only time Hell has a practical impact on even the most theologically orthodox and conservative Christians is when its existence gets challenged?
I don’t know exactly what Rob Bell thinks or what he has written but I know how many Christians have responded. Once I’m done reading I can then enter into the dialogue or whatever is left of it. But one way or another, I’m committed to the admonition of the Apostle Paul who said, “Let your conversation be always full of grace.”