Last year Rob Bell made waves with his book Love Wins which he describes as “a book about heaven, hell, and the fate of every person who has ever lived.” The waves became a tsunami when John Piper tweeted “Farewell, Rob Bell” and dismissed him as a heretic. Agree or disagree with his point of view, Bell knows how to stir conversation. And there is one thing about Love Wins we cannot dismiss- how we think about the future shapes how we live in the present.

I’ve had the benefit of interviewing Bell a number of times and have always found him thoughtful, gracious, and genuine in his pursuit of Christ. He was kind enough to talk to me once again–this time about his decision to leave his…

…I was on a train heading into downtown Chicago to visit a friend when my wife called. She was in the hospital. Something was wrong with the baby and they were prepping her for surgery. It was seven weeks before her due date, but they hoped everything would be alright. I got off the train and jumped on the next one back to Wheaton.

That night our son was born. We named him Isaac. It seemed appropriate because his birth came as a surprise just as Abraham and Sarah were joyfully surprised by the birth of their son in Genesis 21. So they named him laughter…Isaac.

Our Isaac was only four pounds, but strong and breathing well. But our joy was soon mixed with worry as his…

What do the Disney and Playboy corporations have in common other than peddling fantasies, pencil-moustached founders, and rodent mascots? They seem to occupy very different worlds. One is the global leader in family entertainment. The other is the most recognized distributor of adult entertainment. But these two companies share an interesting bit of history. In fact, it’s possible that the Disney Corporation would not be what it is today without Playboy. Let me explain.

In the late 1960s Walt Disney covertly purchased 47 square miles of swampland in central Florida. His intent was to build an “experimental prototype community of tomorrow” or E.P.C.O.T. In a short film presented to Florida legislators about the project, Walt laid out plans for an actual city with 50,000 residents, hotels, offices, factories,…