Don't be hatin'
There seems to be some controversy between the Mark Driscoll camp and the Rob Bell camp over whether God loves sinners and is not angry with us...
In this video, Driscoll claims that God IS angry with us as sinners.... that the phrase "God hates the sin but loves the sinner" was invented by a Hindu.
In this article, Bell states that God is NOT angry with us as sinners... and has created a sold-out speaking tour around the subject.
So Ben, where do you lie on the spectrum?
Posted by: Tim | November 30, 2007 at 05:09 PM
OK. I’m officially confused. God is angry at sinners; therefore, he hates us?
I get angry at my kids when they disobey me and do stupid, self-destructive things, but I still love them. In fact, it’s when I’m the angriest with them that I do the most to remind them that I love them. None of this even touches on what scripture says God is like. And it completely ignores how important this is to our personal character.
So this comment has grown into it's own blog post, "Does God Get Angry? Or Does He Love Us?" Didn't mean to write a whole post about it, but here it is:
http://blog.jtimothyking.com/2007/11/30/does-god-get-angry-or-does-he-love-us
-TimK
Posted by: Tim King | November 30, 2007 at 10:47 PM
Just a question... doesn't Mark D. point out that God is BOTH angry and loving towards 'sinners' at the same time? I think he draws this out pretty well at the end of the talk when he talks about what happened to Jesus, God son on the Cross in the 'Great Exchange.'
Hey it's a great post Ben to keep us thinking about how important it is to keep Jesus and the gospel at the center of our relationship with God.
Posted by: Will Henderson | November 30, 2007 at 11:33 PM
As a fan of Bell I actually went to the gods aren't angry tour here in Atlanta. And I walked out of there very curious about the theology he was preaching. He constantly referred to 'salvation' as a realization that we were already forgiven. It definitely had me questioning his soteriology and wondering if he was a universalist. I'm unconvinced so far, but while before I was an all-in fan - i'm now a little more careful.
Posted by: pat gillen | December 01, 2007 at 01:34 AM
Pat--I saw Rob on tour the other night as well. Like you, I left wondering if Rob is a universalist. Theology aside, he is a brilliant communicator. To see the way he "owned" the romm was worth the price of admission.
Posted by: Dan | December 01, 2007 at 06:08 AM
I haven't seen the tour, but after reading the review Ben linked to, I wondered about the same universalist-type conclusions.
I've seen enough Driscoll to know that he's not someone who's failed to communicate the loving sacrifice and passion for redemption that God has.
Also, if we're creating an "angry God" column, don't we have to throw a guy named Jonathan Edwards in that mix? Perhaps George Whitfield as well?
Bell's (no relation) brilliance is well documented, but I think there's a danger in being, well, to smart. I mean, I guess there is...I have no experience in the subject!
Posted by: Clayton Bell | December 01, 2007 at 06:38 PM
I don't have the link, but there's a clip about Rob Bell and his book Sex God on CNN's video feed...
Posted by: R. Gibbs | December 03, 2007 at 12:49 AM