Still Learning...

If nothing else, Rob Bell's teachings are causing me to dig deeper into the Scriptures to find out more about what I believe and why--that is always a good thing, right?
 Here is another article:
http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/civil-religion/sharon-autenrieth/article_1eed374e-45e7-11e0-9ec5-00127992bc8b.html

In this article, there is a description of Bell and his new book. It does seem the publisher designed it to fuel the controversy. However, I know from experience that once you sign that contract, your publisher can do anything they wish to promote your book. It is your writing but it is really THEIR book. This is one of the main reasons I did not accept a contract with my book even though financially, it would have been much better but money is not always worth the trade...
Anyway, I am really saying that to say Rob Bell is not personally using controversy to promote his book even if his publisher *might be*:

Fans flock to his Facebook page, his NOOMA videos have been viewed by millions, and his Sunday sermons are attended by 10,000 parishioners - with a downloadable podcast reaching 50,000 more. An electrifying, unconventional pastor whom Time magazine calls ‘a singular rock star in the church world', Rob Bell is the most vibrant, central religious leader of the millennial generation. Now, in Love Wins: Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived, Bell addresses one of the most controversial issues of faith - the afterlife - arguing that a loving God would never sentence human souls to eternal suffering. With searing insight, Bell puts hell on trial, and his message is decidedly optimistic - eternal life doesn't start when we die; it starts right now. And ultimately, Love Wins.  HarperOne