The media can feed you and eat you alive
I’m looking forward to getting my copy of Love Wins from Amazon in the mail any day now. By reading some comments in yesterday’s post, I’m starting to think this book (and what Rob Bell is saying) might not deserve to be in the top 10 on Amazon. But, as the husband of an author myself, riding the media circus will eventually end up eating your lunch.
I’m also looking forward to sharing a few notes from each chapter here starting April 1st, and I’d be thrilled if you picked up the book (hardcopy / Kindle version) and joined in on the discussion then. Until then, I’m sure we’ll see a few more media circus interviews like the one below. Or maybe Rob will start realizing that his skepticism of the Christian faith and love for asking so many questions is starting not to sound too intelligent. Thoughts on the interview with Martin Bashir?
8 Responses to “The media can feed you and eat you alive”
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[...] Wins (hard copy / Kindle version). I’d suggest at some point checking out his livestream or MSNBC interviews, but we’re just glad you’re here! Whether you enjoy the philosophy of Rob [...]
I thought Bell did a good job, and has opinions worth listening to. I don’t agree with him on some points, but appreciate where he is coming from. I mean, can you seriously respect a being who says “Love me or I will torture you forever”? Just one of the many glaring weaknesses of the current iteration of the Doctrine of Hell that is so widely embraced by American Evangelicals, in my opinion.
I thought the original question was a false dichotomy, but would have answered it by saying “God is not omnipotent.”
It’s unfortunate to see how Bell’s book is infiltrating the church. Below is a thoughtful, thorough response to Bell’s book from a biblical perspective.
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2011/03/13/rob-bells-love-wins-a-response/
Thanks for the link, Andy. As followers of Christ (before anyone else) we have to have our ears open to what everyone is saying. We don’t have to believe it all, but our faith can only grow so far with the help of just one preacher’s words / life. Glad you’ve entered the discussion here!
No matter what your take on the book, Bell is almost always interested in conversation and discussion, and being open to having disagreements. Bashir asked meaning of life questions and wanted them answered in 5 seconds before moving on to the next one. Like answers are so black and white to these questions…. Cudos to Rob for even taking this interview, and for the grace he showed during. Human reaction is to defend oneself from critics, but like most of his teachings Rob chose an alternative path, a very Christ-like response.
I don’t think Bashir wanting answers in 5 seconds is a wrong thing just because of that. The man is just as / more intellectual than Bell. After being in the press myself, I know you only have 30-90 seconds to get your point across, so I can see why he wouldn’t the conversation to move quickly. And he also understands the tough questions a bit more than the woman that interviewed Bell on Livestream does.
God won’t just let our mind go wherever it wants to go without it being tested through fire. It will either stand on its own or not. Thanks for sharing Morgan!
Great job Rob! I just wonder why you were invited to be interviewed when it’s obvious that Mr Bashir already had his answers. I must say not just any pastor could sit so calm under that kind of trial. But atleast some of the questions people wanted answered were answered.
Bell did a decent job at sticking the interview out, that’s for sure. It’s extremely easy to get flustered when someone is after you so hard. As far as Bashir already knowing the answers, I sure hope that we all have someone that is able to test us from their understanding / experiences.
Just because Bell is a best-selling author and pastor of thousands, he’s not the sharpest brain in the world that can demand that people just listen to him because he is who he is. You are right that Bashir pressed the issues a bit forcefully, and that Bell was mostly calm…..but he did seem a bit flustered and annoyed by Bashir toward the end. Thanks Jon!