Christ Alone: An Evangelical Response to Rob Bell's "Love Wins" [Paperback]

Michael E. Wittmer (Author), Michael S. Horton (Preface)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2, 2011

In this highly readable and wonderfully engaging response to Rob Bell’s New York Times best seller Love Wins, Michael Wittmer examines Bell’s claims about “heaven, hell, and the fate of every person who ever lived” in the light of the Bible and historic Christian doctrine. Wittmer writes in the introduction, “I respect Rob Bell. He wrote Love Wins to start a dialogue about the most important issues of our faith, and this book is my attempt as an evangelical to join that conversation.”

THE AUTHORS

Michael E. Wittmer, Ph.D., teaches systematic and historical theology at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. His previous books include Heaven Is a Place on Earth: Why Everything You Do Matters to God, and Don’t Stop Believing: Why Living like Jesus Is Not Enough. He resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with his wife and children and speaks widely. Michael S. Horton, Ph.D., is the J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics, Westminster Seminary California; president of the White Horse Inn; and editor-in-chief of Modern Reformation magazine.

FROM THE PREFACE BY MICHAEL S. HORTON

“[Rob Bell] gave us a wake-up call and Michael Wittmer has answered it... Offering more light than heat, Christ Alone appreciates the attractiveness of Bell’s questions and conclusions.... Avoiding caricature and personal attack, he carefully evaluates Bell’s interpretations of Scripture. It’s not a careless diatribe against a book, but filled with pastoral wisdom for perennial questions.”

"With clarity and a gracious spirit, Wittmer provides a resource that I can hand my parishioners who are seeking answers to the questions raised in Rob Bell’s Love Wins." -- Pastor David Beelen, Madison Square Church, Grand Rapids, MI

"Christ Alone is a gracious, respectful biblical and theological engagement with Love Wins. Wittmer’s astute questions help readers discern the strengths and weaknesses of Rob Bell’s positions.-- Professor Darwin Glassford, Calvin Theological Seminary

"Written by one of our best and most engaging systematic theologians…. Buy the book and buy one for a confused friend."-- Owen Strachan, Instructor of Christian Theology and Church History, Boyce College

"... a tour-de-force, brilliant in its critique and gracious in its tone."-- Trevin Wax, Kingdom People Blog

" Regardless of what one thinks of Bell, I encourage everyone to read this book carefully and prayerfully. It is good, strong spiritual and theological medicine indeed."-- Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch

"In terms of the quality of Wittmer’s book, I am as impressed as I am stunned…. [I]t is cogent, thorough, well-thought out, well-written, and well-edited. He should be proud."-- Father Rick Morley, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Basking Ridge, NJ

Product Details

• Paperback: 172 pages
• Publisher: Edenridge Press LLC (August 2, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0982706332
• ISBN-13: 978-0982706336
• Product Dimensions: 0.4 x 5.2 x 7.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #571,839 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I teach theology at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, and I enjoy writing books on important theological topics that can be read by any interested person. Many scholars write for other scholars. While it's important to write books that don't oversimplify and are credible with other scholars, my ministry is to write books for the church.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

230 of 275 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Predictable Evangelical Response May 6, 2011

By Desert Father

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Christ Alone: An Evangelical Response to Rob Bell's Love Wins. by Michael E Wittmer

As the title of this book implies, the focus audience of this book is for a much narrower audience then the audience of Rob Bell's book Love Wins. I suspect that most of the sales of this book will be to evangelicals who are "safe in the fold" and have already made up their minds about Rob Bell and his message, and are simply looking for a fluid and convincing voice to verbalize their mindset. And Mr. Wittmer does not disappoint his intended readers. He is an excellent communicator, and comes across as one who genuinely respects Mr. Bell. Unlike others who have reviewed Bell, or interviewed him, or even had a knee jerk reaction to the book even before reading it...such as Piper's famous tweet: "Rob Bell is history!", or Rob Bell's detractors who praised Martin Bashir for "ripping apart" Bell during an interview and "theologically bitch-slapping him". I have to take Mr. Wittmer at his word that he really respects Rob Bell and even likes him.

Christ Alone follows a systematic approach to discussing Love Wins...this would only be expected from a professor of Systematic Theology. The arguments, from my perspective, are quite predictable since I have been born and raised in Evangelical traditions and dogmas.

Early on, Mr. Wittmer says that Bell asks questions in Chapter 1 of Love Wins that few Evangelicals are struggling with. I can't help but wonder if he also believes that few Evangelicals are struggling with the issues raised throughout Love Wins? And that would make sense to me. If, like most evangelical pastors and theologians one is exposed only to those who think like they do, it would be no wonder to think that Evangelicals are not seriously asking these questions......but just looking for a valid defense against someone they have already decided to disagree with. But what about the thousands...maybe even millions of people who are leaving the Evangelical fold because the Evangelical dogma is failing to answer the burning questions of the heart? Certainly these people ARE asking these question. And Mr. Wittmer seems to come up short in answering many of these questions. The standard answer often seems to be that "it is the mystery of the fall...it is a mystery that we cannot understand".

Mr. Wittmer faults people who use moral reasoning when asking "How can a God of unchangeable, infinite love torture someone for eternity?" And then he goes on to poorly reason how a God of love must punish unrepentant sinners or else He wouldn't be truly loving. Certainly, he knows that Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, encourages us to use our moral reasoning faculties when he says: "Which father among you will give your son a stone when he asks for a piece of bread?"...and "Look at the birds of the air...your Father cares for them, don't you think He will care for you?" So, here Jesus encourages our moral, logical reasoning when it comes to thinking correctly about God.

Mr. Wittmer brushes off Bell's definition of the Greek word Aion...based on what...his own authority? He would do well to research what even secular experts in the Greek have to say...and they are much more in line with Bell's definition of the word.

Mr. Wittmer does address Bell's theological view of the cross...something that others have failed to do. I suspect that without using the theological terms he is basically discussing Penal Substitutionary Atonement versus the Christus Victor view of atonement. This, he does quite well defending the traditional view of Christ's death as being PSA. However, in so doing, he seems to eliminate any truth that the Christus Victor view of the cross might contain.

When it comes to early chuch history, Mr. Wittmer, certainly puts his own interpretation on what the early church fathers believed about hell and ultimate reconciliation, without giving any substantial documentation.

All in all, this is a very well written book that will be well received by Evangelicals. However, it still leaves much of the baggage that is attached to the modern Evangelical view of hell and judgment.

While reading the book, I couldn't help but wish that I could actually hear Bell and Wittmer discuss this topic in a real live conversation. Knowing the gracious nature of both men I suspect that such a discussion would be very profitable.

The other thought that came to me stems from my long exposure to lawyers. I suspect that if an intelligent person from virtually any theological point of view...whether Preterist, Catholic, Orthodox...or whatever flavor of Christianity....were to write a "Response to Love Wins" it would be very convincing from their perspective.

I recently read this: "You know, the more I read different theological view points and arguments, I am increasingly seeing the beauty of the Bible....it is profitable for under-girding just about any theological point of view one chooses to espouse...and furthermore, it can be very useful in undermining all the theological points of view that I may happen to disagree with. What a wonderful book!"

In the book Christ Alone Wittmer uses terms like "functional universalist" and "functional pluralist" to describe Bell. It is my suspicion that most Evangelicals...including pastors and theologians are "functional non-believers in the Hell of Jonathan Edwards" It is easy to speak of all this theoretically, but our lifestyles give us away. If we really believed in the "hell of Jonathan Edwards", how could we live like we do knowing that our neighbors and millions of people we know and don't know will suffer burning napalm for eternity? Wouldn't every waking minute be devoted to "pulling them back from the brink?" Wouldn't every spare dime above our bare bones needs for simple existence be given for the purpose of "saving the lost" before they are thrown into torment forever? I dare say that a pastor, or seminary professor will not be so quick to comfort a family member, who has lost a rebellious 14 year old daughter before she "accepted Jesus into her heart", with the words that a God of unchanging love is demonstrating His goodness to your deceased child right now by allowing her to be tormented in the flames of hell...and this demonstration of love will continue on forever.

And so, I think that this is a well written book, by a sincere and genuine theologian. I am just thankful that Jesus told us that he would send us "the Spirit of Truth to guide us into all of the truth" (John 16:13), and that he didn't say that he would send us "theologians to help you to find the truth". I am not sure I buy into the God of Bell or Wittmer...I will stick with Jesus. Read more ›

76 of 100 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard answers to difficult questions April 22, 2011

By Jay Matthews

Format:Paperback

If you're the type of person who likes questions but not answers, then this book is not for you. Michael Wittmer takes up Bell's questions and provides biblical answers. Besides providing an even-handed critique of Bell's book (if you're looking for Bell-bashing, look elsewhere), Wittmer focuses on answering the questions that can be answered, explaining what the Church believes and why, and even gives a defense of the doctrine of hell as a necessary aspect of a truly loving God. He is not really interested in proving Bell wrong, but rather demonstrating that the Bible and the Christian faith provide satisfying answers to the questions Bell raises. In fact, Wittmer interacts with Bell's text extensively, allowing Bell to set the agenda and showing a level of charity and understanding that has been noticeably absent from other responses.

Christ Alone moves quickly, is filled with creative and illuminating application, and, most of all, takes a definitive stand on an important and complex issue. While it tackles difficult theological concepts, the material is accessible to the average reader who simply wants to continue to explore the questions of hell, eternal suffering, and salvation in Christ Alone.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A CHALLENGING POPULAR THEOLOGICAL CRITIQUE OF ROB BELL'S "LOVE WINS" January 30, 2012

By Steven H. Propp TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Systematic theologian Michael Wittmer (author of books such as Heaven Is a Place on Earth: Why Everything You Do Matters to God, Don't Stop Believing: Why Living Like Jesus Is Not Enough, etc.) has written an interesting critique of young megachurch pastor Rob Bell's book Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived.

Wittmer (who says that "I like Rob Bell") states in the Introduction to this 2011 book that his two goals are (1) to help the reader understand the biblical and theological issues, and (2) to "persuade you to side with what the Scriptures and the church have historically said about these issues."

Admitting that the "age of accountability" argument is not expressly taught in the Bible, he argues that God could not unequivocally tell us that all infants go to Heaven "without giving well-meaning parents a logical but terrible reason to destroy their own children." (Pg. 7-8)

He strongly critiques Bell's suggestion of the chance for repentance after death ("How does Bell know that it's true?"; pg. 22), and concedes that while he can WISH that God would empty hell, "I can't say that I HOPE for that." (Pg. 23) He makes a strong case that Bell's treatment of all the biblical verses about "Gehenna" ignore other pertinent texts such as about the "lake of fire" (Pg. 25-26). Wittmer says that Bell is an "incipient universalist" (pg. 71), and that Love Wins proposes "textbook Pelagianism." (Pg.... 91)

Wittmer ultimately concedes that the number of individuals in Hell "may be high" , but argues that this gives the Christian motivation for evangelism. (Pg. 127) He ultimately advises that "We should not expect to solve this question." (Pg. 136)

Mark Galli's book God Wins: Heaven, Hell, and Why the Good News Is Better than Love Wins is another theological critique of Bell, for those who want to go deeper into the matter. Read more ›

38 of 57 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Critique, Gracious Tone May 4, 2011

By Trevin Wax

Format:Paperback

Mike Wittmer has done evangelicals a great service. He has penned an easy-to-read, thoughtful, and charitable response to Rob Bell's controversial book, Love Wins. Wittmer is a professor at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary and has written books like Don't Stop Believing: Why Living Like Jesus Is Not Enoughand Heaven Is a Place on Earth: Why Everything You Do Matters to God.

This new book, Christ Alone: An Evangelical Response to Rob Bell's Love Wins, is a tour-de-force, brilliant in its critique and gracious in its tone. I've always admired Mike Wittmer's willingness to genuinely listen to the questions and concerns coming from people of differing theological persuasions. When the Emerging Church discussion was taking place, Wittmer readily admitted weaknesses and errors within evangelical theology that need to be corrected. But he never veered from his reliance on the authoritativeness of Scripture and the centrality of the gospel.

So now, Wittmer enters into the fierce debate over Love Wins in order to express his significant concerns about Rob Bell's theology. Readers of Wittmer's response will discover that the issues at stake are not just about hell and the afterlife. Theology is connected. He writes:

Theology, or our understanding of God, is more like a sweater than a smorgasbord. We can't logically walk up to the Bible buffet and load up on the teachings we like while skipping the ones we don't: give me an extra helping of love but hold the stuff about wrath. Instead, our beliefs about God and the Christian life are intertwined like the strands of yarn in a cable-knit sweater. When we tug on one, the others tend to come, too. (2)

Wittmer's goal in this book is to help the reader understand the biblical and theological issues at stake.... He also wants readers to embrace or reaffirm the traditional perspective on these matters. Unlike Bell, Wittmer is clear:

"The traditional, evangelical story about God and salvation is the only story in which God truly loves, and it's also the only story in which he self-sacrificially wins." (4)

Christ Alone is divided into ten chapters, each of which corresponds (roughly) to the main ideas of Love Wins. One of the ways that Wittmer makes his case is by asking the kind of questions about Bell's theology that Bell asks about evangelical thought. The difference between the two books is not just the theology expressed, but also the tone in which the discussion takes place. Bell openly mocks the traditional view, caricaturing evangelicals and making snide comments about those who hold to such belief. Wittmer, however, interacts with Bell's arguments in an evenhanded, charitable way that is certainly firm, but never mean-spirited.

The result is that Wittmer ably models how to engage in theological debate, even as he distinguishes error from truth in Bell's work. This book offers sound advice that goes beyond the debate over Love Wins and is applicable to anyone who wants to wisely study the Scriptures. Here are some examples:

"If you sense that as you answer your theological question your reach exceeds your grasp, there is a good chance you are talking about God." (12)
"Better to believe that God is all-powerful and all-loving and wrestle with evil than to weaken one aspect of God to make room for evil." (14)
"Our hopes are only as strong as the reasons we have for holding them." (23)
"Speak when the Bible speaks and remain quiet when the Bible is silent." (30)
Then, there are the moments where Wittmer turns the tables on Bell's argumentation. Whereas Bell worries that a traditional view of hell leads to a skewed vision of God, Wittmer worries that Bell's theology leads to cynicism about God's character. Here are questions to ponder:

"Why would a God who `loves' enough to empty hell want to frighten people now with numerous warnings that sound like hell lasts forever?" (22)
"If the appalling mutilation of Rwandan children was comparable to hell, then why would Jesus say that it is better for us to mutilate ourselves than to be cast into hell?" (51) Response: "Jesus' `shocking images of judgment' make sense only if Jesus was warning about a real and shocking judgment." (52)
Wittmer also points out troubling inconsistencies and logical flaws in Love Wins:

"According to Bell, when evangelicals say that God gives humans the freedom to reject him and then live with the consequences of those actions, the result is a `devastating' and `psychologically crushing' God who is impossible to love. But when Bell's God gives people freedom to reject him and then live with the consequences, `love wins'?" (73)
Wittmer's biggest problem with Love Wins is not Bell's views on heaven and hell. (In fact, in the chapter on heaven, Wittmer sympathizes with Bell's robust vision of a renewed earth, a subject that Wittmer has written extensively about.) No, the big problem is what Bell does with our view of God, sin, and grace.

Of God:

"Love Wins attempts to make our judgment about God rather than about us. Rob Bell effectively puts God on trial." (124)

"If there is no looming threat of wrath and hell, then there is little for God to do except be generally kind to everyone. That may be nice, but the Bible wouldn't say that this God is love." (146)

Of sin:

"If we say that a loving God would never send anyone to hell forever, we are already assuming that no one deserves to stay there." (57)

"[Bell] never indicates that God himself is rightly offended and wrathful toward our rebellion." (88)

Of grace:

"Jesus' death on the cross is an act of love only if it actually accomplishes something." (95)

"[Bell] never mentions that we might need special, redemptive grace, either to choose what is right or to be saved." (92)

Christ Alone is a terrific response to Love Wins. Mike Wittmer has carefully evaluated Bell's interpretation of Scripture and has written a response that is full of pastoral wisdom and biblical insight. Read more ›