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The Love Wins Companion: A Study Guide for Those Who Want to Go Deeper
For anyone who wants to delve deeper into Rob Bell’s bestselling Love Wins , the expansive and accessible Love Wins Companion offers scholarly support and critiques, resources for individuals, groups, and classes, and brand new material by Rob Bell himself. As Love Wins continues to become a touchstone for thousands of readers worldwide, controversy surrounds the book’s arguments. Author Brian D. McClaren wrote that with Love Wins “thousands of readers will find freedom and hope and a new way of understanding the biblical story," yet USA Today observed that “Bell has stuck a pitchfork in how Christians talk about damnation." Here, in The Love Wins Companion , Rob Bell offers commentary on the positive and negative attention his groundbreaking book is receiving, delivering a crucial supplement to one of the most talked-about books in recent memory.
198 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2011
45 people are currently reading
353 people want to read
About the author
Rob Bell
74 books1,646 followersRob Bell is a bestselling author, international teacher, and highly sought after public speaker. His books include The New York Times bestsellers What Is the Bible?, What We Talk About When We Talk About God, Love Wins, as well as The Zimzum of Love, Velvet Elvis, Sex God, Jesus Wants to Save Christians, and Drops Like Stars.
At age 28, Bell founded Mars Hill Bible Church in Michigan, and under his leadership it was one of the fastest-growing churches in America. In 2011, he was profiled in Time Magazine as one of their 100 most influential people. Rob was featured on Oprah's 2014 Life You Want Tour and will be speaking at venues around the world in 2015 on the Everything is Spiritual Tour. He and his wife Kristen have three children and live in Los Angeles.
At age 28, Bell founded Mars Hill Bible Church in Michigan, and under his leadership it was one of the fastest-growing churches in America. In 2011, he was profiled in Time Magazine as one of their 100 most influential people. Rob was featured on Oprah's 2014 Life You Want Tour and will be speaking at venues around the world in 2015 on the Everything is Spiritual Tour. He and his wife Kristen have three children and live in Los Angeles.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
February 20, 2012
I was so very excited when Love Wins first came out, so needless to say, when I saw this companion I was equally excited for the chance to go deeper into the ideas presented in Rob Bell's previous book. My theology may differ in some ways from the author, but it's always very refreshing, for me, to find other Christians equally willing to express views different from the "mainstream" or "orthodox," who focus on the idea of God and His love as foundational to understanding the Christian faith, and I'm always glad to suggest and recommend those Christians, like Rob Bell, who pose questions the rest of us need to be asking.
Even though there are many who would disagree, we are told that one of the main motivations for this book is to "lay out what the Bible actually says, what Jesus said, and then, conversely, what Jesus didn't say" (page xiv). Like in Love Wins, this book looks at the actual language used in the Bible when talking about hell (hades, sheol, gehenna), eternity, etc, and reading this book, as well as Love Wins, offers questions and thoughts to ponder, even if one ultimately rejects them. As Rob Bell tells us, the important thing "isn't discovering the "right belief," but to "engage in the material in the books, really attempt to read them," (pages xviii-xix) to really ponder the ideas.
Not only does this book give a deeper insight into the material previously addressed in Love Wins, through various contributors, but there are many different sets of questions for discussion and deeper thought, so that if one were to decide to participate in reading this and discussing it in a group there would be tools and means available for that, and at the end of the book is a collection of quotes from various Christian thinkers - Origen, C.S. Lewis, Augustine, etc - reflecting on the idea of hell and "last things."
Whether one ultimately agrees with what the book suggests, it is worth thinking, as Rob Bell puts it, that "Perhaps God is offering a bigger love than many of us have ever imagined." (page xxii)
Even though there are many who would disagree, we are told that one of the main motivations for this book is to "lay out what the Bible actually says, what Jesus said, and then, conversely, what Jesus didn't say" (page xiv). Like in Love Wins, this book looks at the actual language used in the Bible when talking about hell (hades, sheol, gehenna), eternity, etc, and reading this book, as well as Love Wins, offers questions and thoughts to ponder, even if one ultimately rejects them. As Rob Bell tells us, the important thing "isn't discovering the "right belief," but to "engage in the material in the books, really attempt to read them," (pages xviii-xix) to really ponder the ideas.
Not only does this book give a deeper insight into the material previously addressed in Love Wins, through various contributors, but there are many different sets of questions for discussion and deeper thought, so that if one were to decide to participate in reading this and discussing it in a group there would be tools and means available for that, and at the end of the book is a collection of quotes from various Christian thinkers - Origen, C.S. Lewis, Augustine, etc - reflecting on the idea of hell and "last things."
Whether one ultimately agrees with what the book suggests, it is worth thinking, as Rob Bell puts it, that "Perhaps God is offering a bigger love than many of us have ever imagined." (page xxii)
June 25, 2019
I almost never give 5-star reviews, and certainly rarely to new literature. But Rib Bell’s clarity, precision, and strength in his representation of the good news is as profoundly superb as it is desperately needed. This book is simply brilliant.
April 20, 2022
An excellent companion to the Love Wins book by Rob Bell!
April 9, 2012
I found this book extremely helpful in interacting with Love Wins, and I hope to work through this with a group in my church very soon. I think it opens up doors to great conversations.
I first read Love Wins in the midst of the controversy that surrounded the book. As a bit of a Bell fan, I found myself looking for the heresy rather than reading the book for its content. This Lent I re-read Love Wins with the companion. The companion allowed me to process the theological implications of Bell's thinking. Reading the perspective of respected theologians like N. T. Wright, Frederick Buechner, Oswald Chambers, and Pope Benedict XVI, alongside some of my favorite authors like Donald Miller and Anne Lamott was a great help. It gave a perspective that what Bell writes is not anything new, but rather is a vein of the orthodox tradition that has sometimes been ignored.
I have not used the questions yet, but they look like they would be helpful discussion starters with those who have read Love Wins. I recommend this book to all who want to hear Bell better, and want to clarify their own thinking regarding what happens when we die, and why that matters toward how we live today.
I first read Love Wins in the midst of the controversy that surrounded the book. As a bit of a Bell fan, I found myself looking for the heresy rather than reading the book for its content. This Lent I re-read Love Wins with the companion. The companion allowed me to process the theological implications of Bell's thinking. Reading the perspective of respected theologians like N. T. Wright, Frederick Buechner, Oswald Chambers, and Pope Benedict XVI, alongside some of my favorite authors like Donald Miller and Anne Lamott was a great help. It gave a perspective that what Bell writes is not anything new, but rather is a vein of the orthodox tradition that has sometimes been ignored.
I have not used the questions yet, but they look like they would be helpful discussion starters with those who have read Love Wins. I recommend this book to all who want to hear Bell better, and want to clarify their own thinking regarding what happens when we die, and why that matters toward how we live today.
March 8, 2012
I was pretty underwhelmed with this. I suppose I was expecting more than it offered. My main complaint with Rob Bell's Love Wins was that it lacked a bibliography, so my assumption was that this study guide would provide that. It didn't. However, it did provide a lot more Scriptural references than the original volume did, which I appreciated, but it did not give us much in terms of pointing toward other resources beyond the excerpts in the chapters.
Rob Bell doesn't really have much to do with this Companion. It's mostly short introductions by Bell followed by short reflections by David Vanderveen, some study questions, and then an essay exploring the various issues from different angles. Some of the essays are good, but others are merely chapters taken from other books such as Blue Like Jazz, Traveling Mercies, and How (Not) to Speak of God. The essays by Richard Mouw and Cathleen Falsani were good.
My response to the Love Wins Companion is neither enthusiasm nor contempt. My response is merely a shrug with the acknowledgement that a year from now I probably won't remember having read it at all.
Rob Bell doesn't really have much to do with this Companion. It's mostly short introductions by Bell followed by short reflections by David Vanderveen, some study questions, and then an essay exploring the various issues from different angles. Some of the essays are good, but others are merely chapters taken from other books such as Blue Like Jazz, Traveling Mercies, and How (Not) to Speak of God. The essays by Richard Mouw and Cathleen Falsani were good.
My response to the Love Wins Companion is neither enthusiasm nor contempt. My response is merely a shrug with the acknowledgement that a year from now I probably won't remember having read it at all.
February 6, 2016
I don't really understand the controversy. I absolutely do not see him advocating for universalism or some kind of watered down gospel. As a devotional, it's an inspiring piece that gives you more hope for what God can do in the world. If you are reading it to get some kind of philosophical or theological treatise, you are reading the wrong book.
Basically, Bell is saying that as Christians, we need to be focused on what God is doing now, not after we die. He emphasizes the fact that God never gives up pursuing us, and that he gives us millions of chances to embrace forgiveness. The basic idea I got from it is that we shouldn't first focus on things that cannot be known (What the terms heaven, hell, and eternity can mean) but accept the love that is offered to us now in our earthly lives.
Basically, Bell is saying that as Christians, we need to be focused on what God is doing now, not after we die. He emphasizes the fact that God never gives up pursuing us, and that he gives us millions of chances to embrace forgiveness. The basic idea I got from it is that we shouldn't first focus on things that cannot be known (What the terms heaven, hell, and eternity can mean) but accept the love that is offered to us now in our earthly lives.
September 18, 2013
I love that this is 3X longer than the actual book. Aspects are very helpful for cultivating conversation. I am especially hopeful for anyone who may have read Love Wins, wants more, and discovered this companion. This will be extremely helpful to them as they, maybe for the first time, work through some big questions. This is a wonderful discussion guide. I recommend it, if not for everyone, at least for a the leader of a Love Wins book group... especially if they don't feel as confident leading discussions.
August 29, 2020
I finished reading this on the day I was later to see the writer do a talk on 'the holy' in Doncaster.
It asks a lot of questions that a lot of people would ask, and was very conversational, but still in the way you would associate someone saying this as part of a sermon.
It's accessible in it's language without dumbing down everything and it does not patronise or condescend.
It has a more inclusive view of Christianity that has appeared controversial for some, but those who cannot see that his heart is in the right place may need to question theirs.
It asks a lot of questions that a lot of people would ask, and was very conversational, but still in the way you would associate someone saying this as part of a sermon.
It's accessible in it's language without dumbing down everything and it does not patronise or condescend.
It has a more inclusive view of Christianity that has appeared controversial for some, but those who cannot see that his heart is in the right place may need to question theirs.
August 11, 2014
While this provided helpful questions to engage a discussion group, I found some of the "helpful" essays decidedly unhelpful. The one which deeply troubled me was the over-the-top bigoted and racist depiction of a god-like character, Uncle Ben.
August 17, 2016
Lots of extra essays by Rob bell and other authors like Oswald Chambers, NT Wright, Peter Rollins, Pope Benedict XVI, Donald Miller, etc. Also has study questions that you can do on your own or in a group.
January 8, 2012
Great read! Lots of short stories from lots of different people.
June 10, 2012
Not the best discussion questions :(
August 8, 2014
Great book to read after reading "Love Wins" by Rob Bell. It definitely goes into more detail, and has some great discussion points if you want to use it for a bible study. Definitely recommend !
June 15, 2013
I love this book because it introduced me to Frederik Buechner and Cathleen Falsani.
July 16, 2013
Agreeable, mostly, but forgettable.
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April 7, 2014I would love, love, love to form a small group to work our way through this book and companion.
April 29, 2014
…because I couldn't get enough of Love Wins. Bell doesn't actually write everything in this, though.
July 6, 2018
An outstanding interrogation of aspects of faith that many contemporary Christians regard as “gospel” - but actually aren’t. I especially appreciate the chapter on hell.,
July 10, 2018
Read it. Digest it. You won't be sorry you did.
December 13, 2018
I loved this book. It was thought provoking, easy to read and full of good news and some hard truths. Highly recommend it!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews