Critiquing Bell

Reading a recent edition of Christianity Today, I came across a quote from Eugene Peterson (The Message), who endorses Rob Bell's, Love Wins. According to Peterson, "There's very little Christ, very little Jesus, in these people who are fighting Rob Bell." What? I have read more than a dozen reviews of Bell's book, and quite frankly I've not seen an un-Christian attitude. All I've read are great concerns about Bell's belief about hell. None of the reviews I've read were unkind but they were 'critical.' [Since I've not read everyone's views on Bell's book I would never deny that there are criticisms that are less than Christ-like.]

Has critique now become un-Christ like? Then we would have to condemn Jesus Himself. Remember his scathing denunciation of Jewish religious leaders in Matthew 23? Let's see, He called them hypocrites, sons of hell, fools, blind guides, and like white washed tombs, "full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness" [v. 27].

What about standing up for biblical teaching? Is that un-Christ like? In Matthew 15 Jesus and His disciples were criticized by the religious leaders for not washing their hands when they eat bread [v. 2]. He turns the criticism around: Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God commanded saying, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.' But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God"—Then he need not honor his father or mother.' Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition [vv. 3-6]. Jesus obviously stood strong for the Ten Commandments, once again calling the religious leaders hypocrites for placing their traditions over the Word of God.

I have not read a review of Bell from reputable scholars/writers that has had the word hypocrite in it. The reviews were softer than the words Jesus used in Matthew 15 or 23. If Peterson wants to endorse a less than orthodox view of hell he has the right to do so. However, he should not cast those who don't as less than Christian.