Don Miller on Rob Bell's new book, "Love Wins"

[Editorial note: This is another in a series of reviews I want to post on Rob's new book, until I get my own copy to read and review. I made the mistake to order a book from kalahari.net who only has overseas stock at this stage. Now I must wait 14 days for the book to be delivered. This is one of those times I wish I had a Kindle or something similar ... Warning: Don Miller has a unique sense of humour.]

I confess I read this book because of all the hoopla on the internet. John Piper hates it, Mark Driscoll wants to say how much he hates it but is tired of launching his enemies onto the New York Times bestsellers list so he talks about it without talking about it. People everywhere are talking about it.

Man, I’m a sucker for controversy so I placed my order. Surprisingly, the book has been out of print for a while and I could only get this used, battered copy, and it cost me more than the sale price from twenty years ago. Two words: WORTH IT!

Love Wins is a romance novel by Barbara Cartland (who knew John Piper read this stuff? So few men talk about it even though we ALL read them ALL the time! John Piper and I are SO BESTIES NOW!)

Love Wins: Caught in a fierce love triangle, Joan June is torn between her dentist and her chiropractor. The dentist has more money, obviously, but is less open to the spiritual ideas and natural practices of the chiropractor. One gives her security and the other pops her back for free and introduces her to the ancient practice of smelling plants and rubbing oils and bird poo on her face. And whale music. What ever shall she do?

Thinking she’s made her choice, and on her way to tell the Chiropractor he’s the one, June doubles over on the street with a severe tooth ache? Is it a sign? You’ll have to read the book to find out that, in fact, she chooses the dentist! And the chiropractor turns out to be two-timing her anyway. Occasionally she looks back on a life that could have been, but each time she thanks God in heaven for the good man she’s found, even if in moments of temptation she spreads a little dried bird poo on her cheeks to keep her looking young.

Man this book was good. With all due respect, John Piper has no idea what he’s talking about. Read it. Love it. Feel it. Live it. Thank you Barbara Cartland.

Caiaphas' Palace in Jerusalem

Scot McKnight wrote this interesting report. Read the original HERE.


Identifying places in Jerusalem is not always simple, and there are always differences between scholars, but there’s a good chance the pictures below depict Caiaphas’ palace, where Jesus was both tried and held captive. Our tour group stood in the bottom of the holding cell, we read a psalm of suffering, and then sang Amazing Grace. Very special time for all of us. The ruins are from the 1st Century, and these stairs would have been walked by Jesus (if this is where he was tried).

AFRIKAANS POETRY: Limeriek vir my Hond

Vanessa, wrede Woef
wat net kan blaf en poef.
Kyk net wat lê daar op die vloer;
nou is die hondjie in haar moer!
Vanessa, stoute Woef.

Beware of the Pavement

I learned an important lesson recently. You shouldn't take a Pavement too lightly. Pavements are quite contriving creatures. They lurk besides dark roads, waiting for their next innocent victim. Pavements are especially on the look-out for vehicles who drive perilously close to the side of the road, and travel at a slower than usual pace. They seem to have a built-in radar to spot a driver whose attention is not quite as focused on the dangerous art of driving as it should be.

And when the driver least expects it, say when s/he is busy typing some very important message on his/her cell phone, Pavements will leap to action. Like a cat on the prowl a Pavement will pop up in front of the slow moving vehicle and make its presence known to the unsuspecting driver without saying a word.

Its fortunate that the driver travels at such a snail's pace when a Pavement attacks. S/he can come to a complete standstill at the wink of an eye without hitting the Pavement (provided s/he looks up from his/her texting activity in time to see the Pavement standing in front of the car).

Its terrible to hit a Pavement. Pavements tend to make awful, screeching noises if they get hit by a car. They freeze in one place when struck and refuse to move. They also bleed water and some oily substance that could easily be from your car's engine block, especially if the Pavement is old and must make use of lamppost-like walking sticks. (And don't Pavements have such nice multifunctional sticks? Everyone even has a quaint little light on top to help the poor old Pavement see in the dark!)

Nope, there is no way you can save a Pavement when he gets hit by an unsuspecting driver.

The best you can do, is pay for the damage to your car and get somebody to heal the broken Pavement - apparently it is quite a specialist profession to cure ailing Pavements. The worst is that you can't even take legal action against the Pavement who, clearly, was in the wrong with his (her?) jumping in front of your car.

One lesson I'll never forget is to not send SMS's again while I'm driving my car. There's always one of these sleazy creatures of the night ready to pounce on your car when your attention is distracted.

Afrikaans Review of "Love Wins"

Read the original in the Afrikaans newspaper, "Kerkbode" HERE.

LOVE WINS DEUR ROB BELL.

UITGEGEE DEUR HARPERCOLLINS, 2011.
BLADSYE: 202.
RESENSENT: GUILLAUME SMIT

Rob Bell, bekende predikant-skrywer van die Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, se nuutste boek, Love Wins, het opspraak verwek nog voordat dit vroeër vanjaar uitgereik is. Die vraag waarmee Bell die boek begin, is of God – wat vrylik die ewige lewe aanbied deur genade en sonder enige verdienste van menslike kant af – werklik diegene wat nie op die regte manier reageer nie, hel toe gaan stuur. Hoe rym dit met die Bybelse vertelling dat God ’n God van liefde is wat sy genade onverdiend vir enigiemand aanbied? Bell vra of hierdie liefde inklusief genoeg is om ook buite-om die grense van ons dogmas te funksioneer.

Die skrywer ondersoek die Bybelse pentekeninge van die hemel, die hel, verlossing en die oorvloed wat ’n lewe in Christus bied wanneer dit nie as einddoel beskou word nie, maar as ’n uitnodiging tot ’n feeslewe in die teenwoordigheid van die lewende God. Dit val op dat Bell deurentyd met Bybeltekste werk. Hierin is sy návertellings van die Bybel tegelyk innoverend (hy breek telkens alternatiewe invalshoeke op tekste oop), en tradisioneel (hy sit verskillende tekssoorte amper fundamentalisties langs mekaar neer).

Daar is plekke in die boek waar ’n mens met hom sal verskil. In sy bespreking van die hel, byvoorbeeld, hanteer hy die teksverwysings op so ’n manier dat die indruk ontstaan dat die hel slegs die teenswoordige lewe se stryd teen die slegte is. Hy redeneer ook die Bybelse “Gehenna” tot ’n metafoor van swaarkry. Dit bring uiteindelik mee dat hy die vraag of daar werklik ’n hel is, in die lug laat bly hang sonder om daaroor standpunt in te neem. Die leser moet self besluit.

Oor die vraag hoe ’n mens tot geloof in God kom, haal hy verskillende Bybelgedeeltes aan en toon aan dat daar nie ’n eenvoudige, standaardmanier is om tot bekering te kom nie.

Teen die einde van die boek maak Bell ’n baie sterk saak uit vir die sentraliteit van Jesus se leë graf as basis vir ’n nuwe lewe voor God. Hy betoog dat geloof in Jesus ’n eksklusiewe saak is, maar dat die Bybel dit tegelyk ook inklusief aanbied en so die deur oophou vir enigiemand wat op soek is na God. Die Christelike geloof is vir hom nie bedoel as ’n afgegrensde geloof van mense binne teenoor mense buite nie. Almal is welkom by God.

In die slothoofstuk bespreek Bell die tekste wat verwys na Jesus se komende oordeel, en dui wel aan dat daar verantwoording gedoen sal moet word.

Vir my is Love Wins ’n grensverskuiwende boek. Dit verdien nie die verdoemende kritiek wat al daarteen ingebring is nie. In geheel is die boek ’n pleidooi om op ’n nuwe manier na God se liefde vir ’n stukkende wêreld te kyk en raak te sien dat ons tradisionele dogmas dalk beperkend inwerk op wat die Bybel eintlik daaroor te sê het. Maar om regtig te begryp hoe Bell dit regkry, moet ’n mens die boek self lees!