No, those things do not go together, but the title got your attention. There are a few Christian “happenings” that are of note, but that I do not have time to make in depth comments on.

The first issue is Rob Bell’s new book Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived. I won’t take a stand until I have actually read the book, and with my seminary workload, I do not see that happening before the summer. As of now, both his detractors and supporters have begun to weigh in, so there is plenty of commentary out there for those who are interested. Right now, I say, be good Bereans. Don’t accept what he says because he is semi-famous, but don’t reject it based on second hand information. Based on the reviews I have read, I will approach Bell’s book with caution. The strongest support I have read compares Bell’s theology of hell with that of C. S. Lewis. However, Lewis’ theology often comes out in his stories, and, in such cases, writers often take liberties, or speak vaguely, in one area in order to support the narrative and greater theme of their work. There is a great difference in writing a theological treatise and a novel.

The second issue is Pole Dancing for Jesus. Having recently wrote a paper on the role of dancing in the Wesleyan Church, and assisted another seminary student with a similar paper, I had to ask myself, What about this? Is it exercise? Sure. Is is appropriate considering the origin and connotations? I don’t think so. Maybe if the class was only for married women . . .

Lastly, even though earthquakes are a sign of the end times (Matthew 24:7), I glad I have not heard anyone making extreme claims about the earthquakes in Japan, and subsequent problems, as was done with the  earthquake in Haiti. Donations for earthquake relief in Japan can be made through JEMA (Japan Evangelical Missionary Association).