I was originally on a waiting list, set to get the book in mid-Sept. 'Not sure why I got it in three months instead of six. Probably because you have three days to come get it after being notified, and lotsa people didn't get there on time.
I had read many bloggers commenting on the book before I read it, pro & con. I also heard lots of audios and watched vids, with and without Rob Bell in them.
One thing I found interesting was how folks critiqued small sections or sentences (which was something like "taking a verse here or there out of the Bible"). These critiques were usually valid. That is, they addressed what Rob wrote. But they sometimes missed Rob's larger context (which isn't to say he shouldn't be critiqued).
But as I said earlier, what I wanted to find out was: What is Rob bell all about? (so to speak). So, in taking the whole book for what (all) Rob was trying to say, I enjoyed and benefited from reading it. Rob's overall emphasis in the book is on here-and-now! And while I disagreed with his universalist sentiments (on exegetical grounds), its a good book. Non-believers especially, who are "turned off" by images of God being some kind of "torturer" would like it too.
Thanks!
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