Rob and Kristen Bell's "Zimzum of Love" Gets Criticism for Being Jesus and Bible Lite

Rob Bell who has revolutionized the way we think of heaven and hell with his previous book "Love Wins"  is set to open our eyes to how we approach marriage.  Rob together with his wife Kristen have just co-written their new book, "The Zimzum of Love."

"Zimzum" is a Hebrew term where God, in order to have a relationship with the world, contracts, creating space for the creation to exist. In marriage, zimzum is the dynamic energy field between two partners, in which each person contracts to allow the other to flourish. Mastering this field, this give and take of energy, is the secret to what makes marriage flourish. 

Rob and Kristin Bell are brutally honest about their own struggles, their ups and downs, as together they pass along what matters most for couples. In this wise book, they explore the secret of what makes a happy union-probing the mystery at the heart of the extraordinary emotional connection that binds two people. With his down-to-earth charm, a dose of whimsy, and memorable stories, Rob, writing with his wife Kristen, changes how we consider marriage, providing insight that can help all of us create satisfying and sacred unions of our own. 

However, the book has been faulted by evangelical critics on a number of points.  First, on "Love Wins," at least, Bell tries to argue for his view of hell from the Bible. In "Zimzum of Love," the Bible is only cited three times.  Instead of wrestling through the Biblical texts such as Genesis, Song of Songs, Ephesians 5 and so forth, Bell spends most of time mining the depths of "zimzum," a Jewish concept that is only over a hundred years old and one that was conceived by someone who was not even a believer in Jesus Christ.

Second, critics have also noted that the name "Jesus" only appears once in the book.  Though the book is based on the ethical teachings of Christianity, there is hardly a mention of sin.  in zimzum, there's no need for sin.  Thus there is no need for the Gospel.  And when you don't really have the Gospel, Jesus becomes redundant. 

Dave Harvey in writing for the Gospel Coalition says, "In this book the Bells have set the Bible bar so low that almost any religion could clear it and any spiritual leader applaud it. I'm certain many will."

"But reading this work brings to mind another kind of pastor. Let us give genuine thanks to God for the guys who eschew novelty and embrace authority. Who have the guts to stare at the complications of marriage without breaking sight of Scripture. Men who go to the source-Genesis, the Psalms, the Gospels, Ephesians 5, 1 Peter 3-to not only diagnose the problems but also to propose gospel solutions."

"I pray Rob Bell joins that tribe. Absent that, his next book will be total zimzum-a space where his words exist without God."

 

 

 

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