Now your first reaction to this perspective should probably be
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.” John 14:6
Good. I believe it. However, reading this verse more carefully (and in context) you will notice that this only means that Jesus is the only one who can save you. Though it’s easy for us to add on to this verse that you must be a Christian to obtain this salvation, it doesn’t explicitly say so. The thing we are to take from this verse is that Jesus is the only means of salvation.
A couple years back I started struggling with this issue as I was trying to witness to one of my friends. I started looking through the Bible to find everything the Bible says about hell and came to many of the same conclusions that Bell did. Unfortunately, Jesus wasn’t as clear on the subject as we’d like Him to be.
So I got my own copy of Love Wins and have now read it. Before I give my criticisms on it, I must say that it was truly enjoyable to read and even inspired me to want to be a better representative of God's kingdom. I think Bell has a true talent for sharing the gospel, in a clear and encouraging way.
However, even with my meager knowledge of the Bible and the Greek language, it was obvious to me that Bell had made many unfounded claims about certain passages that obscured their true meaning. Because of all of the fallacies and deception in the book, I've lost much of my respect for him. I cannot recommend for anyone to read this book because one could very easily deceived by the quotes taken out of context or by the fabricated meanings for several Greek words.

As far as the critics go, I think most of them miss the point. Hell is a real issue that Christians and nonchristians both struggle with. Rob Bell does not fear the really hard questions about it and neither should we, because God sure doesn’t. Also, the book does a great job at bringing heaven and hell into the present tense. His criticism of the modern church being more concerned about the future than the present was truly convicting.
As far as the inconsistencies, I hear passages quoted misleadingly to promote the opposite side of this issue just as much (if not more). It is time that we all become honest about our questions and our own inability to answer them. It also wouldn’t hurt us to take our questions to the One who’s big enough to handle them.
“Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God.” 1 Corinthians 8:1-3