Rob Bell’s next book is due to be released in March and already the critics are circling – not critics of the actual book… because it’s not out yet, but critics of Rob Bell.

His last book, Love Wins, caused a bit of a storm. I loved the book as I have loved each of his books. Each of his books has touched on spaces my thoughts have gone and stretched me in new directions. Have I agreed with everything? No, but I don’t need to. It’s still great work.

The criticism of heresy etc that gets levelled at him, in my view, is off base and frustrates me because I think his message is really simple and on song.

If I could boil it down I would say the basic message I’m continually hearing from him is that God is big, loving and gracious and that what God does and who God is extends beyond our comprehension and nice, neat boxes and therefore is riddled with mystery. We’re invited to jump headlong into that mystery and enjoy it.

That’s it. Simple. And it makes sense. I guess it’s the simple messages that are often the most threatening. Sadly it’s parts of the Christian community that seem most threatened by it where we seem to have made knowing all the ‘right’ things and agreeing on and believing all the ‘right’ doctrine an idol.