Bell and the Meaning of Evangelical

Pastor, author, and Emergent celerbtiy Rob Bell was recently interviewed regarding the meaning of Evangelical. The published interview is telling of the theology of Bell. Regarding what he means by "Evangelical," Bell said:

I take issue with the word to a certain degree, so I make a distinction between a capital E and a small e. I was in the Caribbean in 2004, watching the election returns with a group of friends, and when Fox News, in a state of delirious joy, announced that evangelicals had helped sway the election, I realized this word has really been hijacked. I find the word troubling, because it has come in America to mean politically to the right, almost, at times, anti-intellectual. For many, the word has nothing to do with a spiritual context.

Bell makes the connection between Evangelicalism and the religious right. Bell and others in the Emergent Church are reacting against the religious right. They accuse Christians of being too political. To remedy this abuse, Emergents themselves become too political, only on the other end of the spectrum.

Bell may have a point that the word "Evangelical" is too often connected with politics and mostly the Republican party. But what is most important in his answer is the absense of the gospel. Yes Evangelicals may oftentimes align themselves, wrongly, with the Republican party all too often, but Evangelicals are also known for what they believe about the Bible, about Christ, the resurrection, and salvation. Bell says nothing regarding the issue, and as we will see, he rarely mentions the gospel.

But if Bell draws a distinction between Evangelicals and evangelicals, it seems that he aligns himself on the more evangelical side. But what does he mean by the term? Though Bell has criticized Michael Paulson, who interviewed Bell, of not posting much of the interview he did, but was very selective in what he published. So what does Bell mean by the word evangelical? Outside of the distinction between political loyalty, what else does the word evangelical, in his assessment, entail? Bell answers:

I embrace the term evangelical, if by that we mean a belief that we together can actually work for change in the world, caring for the environment, extending to the poor generosity and kindness, a hopeful outlook. That’s a beautiful sort of thing.

This is what he means by evangelical? I must say that I am disappointed . . . but not surprised. Here, it seems, is Bell 's understanding, not of just the word evangelical, but of the gospel. Enter the social gospel. Thanks to the postmodern bondage of the Emergent Church and its many leaders like Rob Bell, the Emergent Church has become nothing more than a postmodern version of Walter Rauschenbusch's Social Gospel where it is all social and no gospel.

By stripping the cross of God's justice, overemphasizing God's love at the cost of God's righteousness, and in their attempt to be embraced by the culture, Emergents are left with nothing but a social movement where the goal is to save the planet and help the poor. Environmentalism and serving the poor are great things and Christians should be committed to those causes, but to ignore or to even trample on the gospel is nothing short of apalling. Is this really the best Bell can do?

But Bell's last answer is perhaps most frightening. Bell was asked "I’m struck by the fact that I don’t hear a lot of explicitly religious language, or mentions of Jesus, from you." He answered:

I think we have enough religious people who are going around trying to convert people. My guard is up when somebody is trying to convert me to their thing. Are you talking to me because you actually are interested in this subject, because you care about me as a human, or am I one more possible conversion that will make you feel good about your religiosity? I don’t have any embarrassment about my religion, and it’s not that I’m too cool, but I would hope that the Jesus message would come through, hopefully through a full humanity.

And calling people to repent isn't caring about them as humans? The Great Commission is not for the purpose of putting spiritual notches on one's belt, but to bring glory to God. Paul makes this point in 1 Corinthians:

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void. -1 Corinthians 1:17

He goes on to add:

And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. -1 Corinthians 2:1-5

To Paul, calling on men to repent, fulfilling the Great Commission, planting churches, and reaching the lost world was not about feeling good about his religiosity, but about bring Christ glory by bringing what was lost to repentance; by making the fool wise and by changing the world, not through environmentalism but through reconciliation between fallen man and holy God.

In Luke 15, Jesus tells three parables that have one overarching theme: whenever one sinner repents, God, and the angels with him, rejoices. Repentance of the sinner is about the joy of God. Slaves of Christ seek the joy of their Master, not of themselves. To convert the lost for one's own personal pride runs contrary of the gospel. Sinners repent through the work of the Spirit, not through the wisdom of the wise, but through the foolishness of the cross. And it is all done for the glory of God.

What concerns me most about Bell, at the end of the day, isn't his approach to ministry, but his understanding of the gospel. It is one thing to be considered one of the coolest pastors that young people flock too, it is another thing to abuse such opportunities. Rob Bell undercuts the gospel in favor of a more user-friendly, inclusive, false-gospel. Bell may have the approval of the world, but he does not enjoy the approval of God.

So what is an Evangelical/evangelical? Not politics. Not the social gospel. Not a conversation. But the gospel: Jesus Christ, Him crucified and resurrected. A pure Church is known by that message. Everything else is a distraction that robs God of His glory and is unacceptable in His eyes.

Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, -1 Corinthians 15:1-4

For More:
Boston Globe - Bell aims to restore true meaning of ‘evangelical’
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Rob Bell Twitter - Ever done an interview and then read it and realized they left out most of what you said? Maddening.
Rob Bell Twitter - A bit of history: the word evangelical comes from the Roman Empire propaganda machine- it was an announcement proclaiming Caesar is Lord...
Out of Ur - Rob Bell Defines "Evangelical"
Jared Wilson - A Rant: Rob Bell and An Evangel-less Evangelicalism
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