Richard Meow, President of Fuller Seminary agrees with Rob Bell’s view of Hell. This statement is from his blog:
I told the USA TODAY reporter that Rob Bell’s newly released Love Wins is a fine book and that I basically agree with his theology. I knew that the book was being widely criticized for having crossed the theological bridge from evangelical orthodoxy into universalism. Not true, I told the reporter. Rob Bell is calling us away from a stingy orthodoxy to a generous orthodoxy.
The Domino Effect has take place at Fuller Theological Seminary which was founded in 1947 by Charles Fuller. When founded inerrancy of Scripture was the doctrinal position of the school.
Their first doctrinal statement read:
“The books which form the canon of the Old and New Testaments as originally given are plenarily inspired and free from all error in the whole and in the part. These books constitute the written Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice.” I think you agree with me, that this is a Biblical statement.
Every faculty member was to sign without mental reservation or voluntarily leave. In 1962, one board member denied inerrancy and nothing was done. Later two faculty members denied inerrancy and nothing was done. The first dimino fell.
In 1972, Fuller adopted a new doctrinal statement:
“Scripture is an essential part and trustworthy record of this divine disclosure. All the books of the Old and New Testaments, given by divine inspiration, are the written Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice.” One all important statement is omitted from the first statement: “free from all error in the whole and in the part.” Thus you have denial of inerrancy.
Five years later (1977) Fuller’s professor Paul King Jewett in his Man as Male and Female said Paul’s teaching about the subordination of woman to male leadership in Ephesians 5 is an error and in contradiction to Galatians 3:28. In other words, now at Fuller, according to Jewett’s view, the Scripture is infallible only in the area of faith or salvation.
Look at the downward spiral which took place at Fuller.
1. Fuller went from believing the infallibility of all Scripture (in their first doctrinal statement).
2. Fuller then move to believing the infallibility of the Scripture only in faith and practice (seen in second doctrinal statement).
3. Finally, Fuller move to believing the infallibility of Scripture only in the area of salvation (Jewett’s view). Or the Scripture is only inerrant when speaks of salvation.
Now the president of Fuller has taken a position on Hell that has been rejected by most conservative evangelicals. Remember also John Piper’s famous Tweet: Farewell Rob Bell. Instead of bidding farewell Fuller has embraced Rob Bell.
