Why do those pastors keep attacking Rob Bell?

Pastors need to protect their sheep from anything that will pull them away from their shepherd, that is Jesus.  And sheep (us) are dumb, and keep wandering away from the flock, and their are A LOT of ideas floating around out their and A LOT of those ideas SOUND nice, but are not so nice.
It so happens that Rob Bell has some real issues at present that should NOT be absorbed in a believers life.
I quote from his book "Jesus Wants to Save Christians"
"For Paul, this goes all the way back to Genesis, to the creation of the world.  There is a new creation, one brought into being through the death of the old and the resurrection of the new, and everybody everywhere can be a part of it."  (Pg 106, Bell)
Unfortunately Paul does not agree with such a statement which you can see for yourself in Romans 8:28-30.  Paul does not use language of all-inclusive, rather inclusive language.
So how does this affect our faith, and our evangelism, and how can this be appealing to those who are lost?!
At the end of the chapter "Genital-Free Africans", on page 115 Bell says this as his closing statement:
"[Paul] 'welcomed all who came to see him.'
All.
That's who this Jesus is for.
Even soaking-wet genital-free Africans riding home in chariots."

But we cannot infer Christ' desires from Paul's desires.  We as the saved should welcome ALL who come to us for knowledge of our faith in Christ and why we have it, but that does not restrain or restrict God's judgement!  To believe that God has CHOSEN or elected the saved for all time allows room for God to be God, who is a God of grace and judgement.  To believe that all can be saved, should be saved, and will be saved is in fact degrading God, putting Him in a box, and limiting who He is!  So while we welcome all, we do so to find the elect that God has chosen before the foundations of the Earth.  So can we still welcome all, and God only choose many but not all?  Yes, to both.

Am I wasting my time?

I know this is question I come to almost every year without fail, but I can't escape the reality of it, am I wasting my life right now pursuing a degree I will never use?  To be a cop I do not need a degree, and really a degree won't go THAT far, to be a pastor I do not need a degree at all, and to be a carpenter (which I have a friend who works at one looking out for a job once one opens up) all I need is a high school diploma!

Am I wasting my time?

Could I rather be working day-side at UPS, going through Pastor school through Sojourn, maybe taking some classes at Seminary here and there just for equipping, not for a diploma?  Devoting much of my free time to serving, staying in shape, and enjoying God's good creation?  Getting out of debt by picking up a second job would also be nice!

I just feel like my life is characterized by being wasted, I spend most of my time doing something I can't see as functional in any way, and that doesn't sit well with me.  I can't sleep well anymore because everything I do THAT IS WORTH my time is really early in the morning and I have to jack up my sleeping schedule to do these things.  Such as serving the homeless, or attending leadership meetings, etc. 

I am depressed by the idea that I could be wasting months (8-12) trying to just push through to get the degree rather then investing in what I have a joy and passion in (and none of that includes the degree), and also the best way I can serve my church and God does not need a degree either (all those jobs, serving, getting out of debt, maintaining my personal health).

And how do I justify the time wasted for a degree I don't need when the job market gets worse and their is NO jobs at all, and those five years will haunt me for the rest of my life when I could've done so much more!

So am I wasting my time?  

Something for Rob Bell

As a pastor it is one's responsibility to explain oneself when the corporate church has either a misunderstanding of what you preach OR if what they say is adequately backed by scripture within proper hermeneutics, then to either recant or rethink what your teaching.  This is absolutely imperative, a pastor isn't a pastor if his care only extends within the confines of the local church and yet rejects his responsibility for the corporate church.
Questions to consider
Why does God love man so?  Why does He want to alleviate suffering?  Is it because that is what we want?  Or is it because we reflect the desires of God (in which case we get back to why does God desire thus?)?
-Include scripture, not words.
Which bears more weight on a believers salvation?  Christ' teachings or His sacrifice on the cross?  Where did the wrath that was poured out on Christ come from?  Where was that wrath headed before Christ coming?  What caused God to have wrath?  Is that wrath completely assuaged from those who reject His son whom He sent as the propitiation for sins?  If so how can this be?  Considering that we are rejecting, yet again Gods way and going about our way, which is what happened in the Garden of Eden, thus nothing then has changed or has been solved.
God is love but he is also just, jealous, holy, righteous, vengeful, etc.

TULIP and what it's brought to my evangelism

I came across the five points of Calvinism that were used against the logic of the Armenians on desiringgod.org (may be one g not two), before this point I was very cautious to exposing myself to these five points seeing that everyone around me is taken so adamantly by them.  As a precursor to this blogs content I want to state that these five points are NOT the gospel, nor do they fully summarize what God has communicated to man-kind.  Only one source does such a thing, that is the Bible.  I do on the other hand fully agree (with joy may I add) with all five points.
As I discussed these points with my fellow brother Jordan I found that their is a fear that believing such things covered in TULIP (the acronym for the five points) can possibly lead believers to not preach the gospel.  I on the other hand find that this is impossible if the believer truly grasps what all this means, such as limited atonement and election.  I see that not all are saved, but that some are saved, and that God has chosen those people before time began, setting apart for Himself a holy nation for His glory.  I COULD say here that I don't have to evangelize, or preach the gospel, because God's irresistible grace will bring a fallen person to Him, which will only happen if the person is among God's chosen to receive the full grace through Christ' death.
Instead what really has happened, and I believe will happen among many who believe in Christ, I have a thirst for the "hunt" now.  I want to go out and share the gospel to the nations so that those who are chosen will come to Christ, and thus Christ coming will be hastened!  In other words I have MORE confidence in Christ now knowing and understanding these things such as limited atonement and election to preach the gospel to the blind!
So what is the problem or risk in believing that ALL are saved and not some, it's not like I am really all that different from one who believes only that SOME will be saved and not all?  I still evangelize and love God.
The problem I see, not that may necessarily be, other then that this view is not supported by scripture and thus is a lie, is that Satan has a foothold in your faith.  Because if I believe that ALL are saved through Christ death then when I come across a person who adamantly refuses to believe despite my efforts and trusting in God, then Satan can use this event to shake my faith.  I may have questions like "why has God allowed this person to continue in blindness?"  Or I will have statements like, "well this person will come to Christ eventually and God will work it as such."  which is especially wrecking once that person dies a non-believer.  Can you imagine the dilemma of the believer?  How could God let this person slip into Hell?!  How can a loving God do this?!  I myself struggled with this very thing when my brother died 9 months ago at the age of 20, two months after I began to finally speak plainly the gospel towards him.  The last words from his mouth I can remember are, "I still can't rationalize believing in God, it isn't logical."  I spent the first three months in spiritual and physical paralysis because I wasn't so sure if he went to heaven, I knew God was good, but the thoughts of him in hell split my soul in two.  Now I see that God is free to choose and has, I don't know where my brother went, but that concern is trumped by the glorious light of Gods grace towards me!
Rather knowing that I am among the elect and chosen, I am even more fully satisfied and filled with awe of my Lord, because I had no part in being acceptable to being a chosen person among a chosen nation.  My gratitude drives me to my knees in obedience rather then indignation!
I must say though, if at any time in my maturing in Christ and the knowledge of the word I find that TULIP is un-biblical and against God then I will turn quickly from this view-point, but as far as I can discern, these points are supported by scripture, affirm scripture, encourage the body, build confidence in the faith, and enable the believer to boldly proclaim the gospel to the lost.