Debate over hell heats up on MSNBC. Host Martin Bashir gave controversial pastor Rob Bell a little hell on Earth when he interviewed him about his book Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived. ABC’s George Stephanopoulos was quite a bit friendlier during an earlier interview on Good Morning America.

IMHO: I’m certainly no theologian and have only read an excerpt from his book but I know enough to know that it’s not for me to judge
Rob Bell. It’s also not for me to judge the eternal fate non-Christians or
anyone else. As for me and what I believe, I believe in a God whose capacity to
love and heal is beyond human comprehension. I believe in a God of
ultimate mercy.
It’s been my personal experience that a faith that focuses on concepts
of hellfire, punishment and damnation does not bring out the best in me
— or, I think, other people. On the other hand, really believing in
God’s love and forgiveness unlocks human potential to do great things
for His glory. Is Rob Bell a heretic?
Considering that Jesus was considered a dangerous one by the religiously
righteous of His time (using their own narrow views of religious correctness to fan public anger against Him), I’d be cautious about throwing that word around
too loosely. In the end, it’s God’s view, not mine, that counts.  

Are Glenn Beck and Fox News splitting up?
Rumor has it that a ratings slide, advertiser boycotts, relatively
strong ratings for fill-in host Judge Anthony Napolitano and general
unease at the network about the show’s increasingly conspiratorial tone
could add up to the TV end for the Beckster when his contract expires in
December. On the other hand, he’s still number one (by far) in his time slot.
IMHO: I don’t catch Beck very often (though I check his Blaze website frequently). His connect-the-dots
theories are a bit much and he sometimes takes himself way too seriously. But I don’t think he’s a “hater” (as he’s
routinely accused of being) and he does sometimes raise questions that
merit answers. The extent to which some powerful forces on the left have
gone to demonize him and push him off the air does make me wonder if
he’s, at least occasionally, onto something.

Unrest on Sesame Street. 
The cast rallied against defunding Public Broadcasting. Sorry, Big
Bird. The government’s broke and it’s about time you fly on your own.

Gilbert Gottfried apologizes for Japan tsunami tweets.
The comedian, who just lost his gig as the voice of the Aflac duck, says
he didn’t mean to offend anyone by making tasteless jokes about the
tragedy. Hopefully, he’s learned that part of having a good sense of humor is knowing when something ISN’T FUNNY. 

Tom Hanks to star in pirate drama. He’ll play real-life hero Richard Phillips, the sea captain who in 2009 surrendered himself to Somali pirates to save the life of his crew. Like Apollo 13, in which Hanks played astronaut Jim Lovell, this true tale of heroism virtually writes itself.

CMT to make movies. Could Country Music Television be a new venue for traditional-values movies?

No blog tomorrow or Friday. See you Monday.