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Hear Rob Bell support same-sex marriage, say Evangelicals need to 'repent'
mLive ^ | 13 March 2013 | Matt Vande Bunte

Posted on 03/19/2013 6:18:28 AM PDT by Gamecock

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – When Rob Bell signed copies of his latest book March 10 at Schuler Books & Music, two Flint women who came out to see him said the Mars Hill Bible Church founder's teaching had opened their minds about God and made them question whether their same-sex relationship would damn them to hell.

Bell, who followed his visit to Grand Rapids with other public promotions of "What We Talk About When We Talk About God," told an audience Sunday, March 17, in San Francisco that he supports same-sex marriage. You can hear it at about the 42:30-mark of this podcast.

“I am for marriage. I am for fidelity. I am for love, whether it’s a man and a woman, a woman and a woman, a man and a man,” Bell said. “And I think the ship has sailed. This is the world we are living in and we need to affirm people wherever they are.”

Bell talks about a variety of topics in the 55-minute Q&A including his upbringing, his college band, the Rev. Ed Dobson, his time as pastor of Mars Hill, quantum physics (to which his latest book devotes several pages) and how “Baptists are people who love God and don’t really like fun.”

Bell also talks around the 38-minute mark about what he sees as the death of Evangelical Christianity in the sense of it being “a very narrow, politically intertwined, culturally ghettoized Evangelical subculture.” He says Evangelicals have “turned away lots of people” from the church by talking about God in ways that “don't actually shape people into more loving, compassionate people,” adding that Evangelicals “have supported policies and ways of viewing the world that are actually destructive, and we've done it in the name of God and we need to repent."

Bell urges people to embrace a difference sense of the term, “Evangelical.”

“The beautiful thing would be if ‘Evangelical’ came to mean buoyant, joyful, honest announcement about all of us receiving the grace of God and then together giving back to the make the world the kind of place God always dreamed it could be,” Bell said. “Let’s reclaim it, all of us.”

The conversation at Grace Cathedral, an Episcopal church, finishes with Bell talking more about the television show he’s working on with "Lost" producer Carlton Cuse in California:

“In our culture the two things that get discussion started the quickest at Thanksgiving are religion and politics, or get you sent to the kids’ table,” he said. “And in politics we have every sort of discussion possible under the sun, Rachel Maddow to Fox News to everything in between. And in spiritual faith and religion we have next to nothing, and if you say ‘Touched by an Angel’ I will laugh in your face.

“We are working to create a space, a funny, subversive, welcoming, interesting space somewhere between my Noomas (short films) and sermons and interviews like this, throw in a TED talk, (David) Letterman (show), Ellen (DeGeneres show) and a little bit of ‘Lost’ and put it in a blender. He and I are really, really excited because we think we could create a space that doesn’t exist.”


TOPICS: Current Events; Evangelical Christian
KEYWORDS: evangelicals; homosexualagenda; religiousleft; sin; ybpdln
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To: Gamecock

Those who need to repent are those who do not obey God!


21 posted on 03/19/2013 7:01:06 AM PDT by Biggirl ("Jesus talked to us as individuals"-Jim Vicevich/Thanks JimV!)
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To: Gamecock

Bell thinks Christians need to repent of faith, holiness, godliness and the “sin” of believing in biblical standards. He is an enemy of the cross of Christ and an ally of Satan.


22 posted on 03/19/2013 7:01:41 AM PDT by Above My Pay Grade
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To: dragonblustar
Isn’t Rob Bell the guy who doesn’t think there’s a hell?

Same guy.

[Rob Bell] told The New Yorker that the publication of his book resulted in a 3,000-person decrease in membership at Mars Hill Bible Church, which he founded in 1999. "The book put pressure on the people around Bell, who found themselves having to defend statements they might never have heard, let alone approved," The New Yorker writes.
-- from the thread Rob Bell Tells How 'Love Wins' Led to Mars Hill Departure

23 posted on 03/19/2013 7:13:35 AM PDT by Alex Murphy ("If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all" - Isaiah 7:9)
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To: Gamecock

To make it clear:

Christ saves all who sincerely call on his name for forgiveness of their sins whether they be heterosexual or homosexual but salvation should come with repentance from sin not “pride marches”.

By your fruit shall you be known. Those who claim Christ as their savior yet do not repent nor allow the Holy Spirit to conform them into the image of Christ will be proven a lie.

I believe it does a mockery to the God-ordained establishment of marriage for two of the same sex to marry but that, alone, does not send you to Hell. Failure to trust Christ for your salvation is what does that.


24 posted on 03/19/2013 7:19:51 AM PDT by OrangeHoof (Our economy won't heal until one particular black man is unemployed.)
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To: aberaussie

From Left to Right: Bill Hybels, Robert Schuller, Perry Noble, Ed Young Jr, Rick Warren,


25 posted on 03/19/2013 7:20:55 AM PDT by Gamecock ( If we distort the gospel, that distortion will influence and affect everything else that we believe)
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To: Gamecock

Schuller was pro-homo?


26 posted on 03/19/2013 7:30:15 AM PDT by SgtHooper (The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it's still on the list.)
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To: SgtHooper
No idea. As far as I can tell he never spoke against any sin..

But the point is Schuller was a mega-church pastor.

As stated in post #2: The YBPDLNPL is generally published infrequently, but based on the exploits of the megachurch pastors posts can spike for a period of time. If you would like on or off of this list please FReepmail me.

27 posted on 03/19/2013 7:33:23 AM PDT by Gamecock ( If we distort the gospel, that distortion will influence and affect everything else that we believe)
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To: Gamecock

“But the point is Schuller was a mega-church pastor.”

The size of the congregation or the sanctuary is not the issue.

What is being taught IN the sanctuary TO that congregation is the issue.

There are a number of Biblically sound churches which are very large.

The congregations of some mega-churches are there to learn sound doctrine, those of other mega-churches are there to have their ears tickled.


28 posted on 03/19/2013 7:53:10 AM PDT by BwanaNdege ("To learn who rules over you simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize"- Voltaire)
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To: dragonblustar
Is this church, the Mars Hill Bible Church, affiliated with the mega church in Seattle? ( Mark Driscoll Pastor )

To the best of my knowledge, no.

29 posted on 03/19/2013 7:55:58 AM PDT by Lee N. Field ("You keep using that verse, but I do not think it means what you think it means." --I. Montoya)
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To: Alex Murphy; dragonblustar
Isn’t Rob Bell the guy who doesn’t think there’s a hell? --dragonblustar

Same guy. --alex

Worth pointing to this wonderful Rob Bell parody again: Robbed Hell.

Do we really believe that the path to eternal life is narrow? So narrow that not even atheist hippy pop stars will make it in?

30 posted on 03/19/2013 8:03:54 AM PDT by Lee N. Field ("You keep using that verse, but I do not think it means what you think it means." --I. Montoya)
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To: Gamecock
"I think the ship has sailed . . . "

Just like the divorce ship sailed . . .

Just like the abortion ship sailed . . .

Just like the contraception ship sailed . . .

Just like the premarital chastity ship sailed

Just like the refusing to ordain women ship sailed . . .

Just like the refusing to ordain queers ship sailed . . .

Why does he need a church when he and his crowd are always down at the pier waving goodbye to what used to be sin?

I believe Good Ole' Rob is onto something, though, he's finally found the appropriate name for all the, “don’t call us Protestants” folks.

They're, "Bon Voyage Christians" sending sin sailing so stupified, sleeping, sheep slowly sink.

So, were these churches being led by the Holy Spirit and Scripture Alone when they taught that these things were sin, or were they being led into error by a familiar spirit and incorrect interpretation of the Scripture then, and are now teaching the Truth? Or, are they wrong now and being led by the familiar Spirit of the Age and twisted interpretations of Scripture?

Or do they just apply some SuperSlick Christian Liberty Grease and recite their reflexive, "That's what the Scripture says, but that's not what it means" chant so they can pretend,

Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ, yesterday, and today; and the same for ever."

doesn't mean what it clearly states because "the same for ever" is a figure of speech?

31 posted on 03/19/2013 8:20:08 AM PDT by Rashputin (Jesus Christ doesn't evacuate His troops, He leads them to victory.)
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To: Gamecock

Rob Bell is more specifically of the EMERGENT “church” movement, not simply an ex-pastor of a very large church.

There are all kinds of mega-churches (I should know, I live in a city, Charlotte, NC, full of them) conservative and liberal, (small “o”)orthodox and unorthodox (even Roman Catholic) and Bell with Brian McLaren and a handful of others are the most famous “emergents.”

Basically, emergents are evangelicals—or those raised as evangelicals—who became corrupted by liberalism...moving into the evangelical-left, and finally ceasing to be “evangelical” bible-believing Christians, in any meaningful way, at all.

Rob Bell left his emergent mega-church Mars Hill of Grand Rapids, MI, a couple years ago, after authoring a book denying the existance of Hell. So much controversy was generated by that book, that he was pretty much forced to leave...


32 posted on 03/19/2013 8:44:34 AM PDT by AnalogReigns (because the real world is not digital...)
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To: Gamecock

None of the guys you show in your photo (Bill Hybels, Robert Schuller, Perry Noble, Ed Young Jr, Rick Warren) are part of the Emergent church movement, they just all happen to be (or have been) popular pastors of very large churches.

As I stated above, the Emergent movement is a different animal.


33 posted on 03/19/2013 8:48:33 AM PDT by AnalogReigns (because the real world is not digital...)
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To: AEMILIUS PAULUS
Yes, any sexual relationship outside of Marriage is abhorrent to God. This includes oral, anal, with the dead, with children, and whatever perverted men will invent. God is not mocked, he knows exactly what is going on and the penalties thereof. And without His forgiveness, there is no hope of heaven; no hope of avoiding a horrific fate.

Modern men, think they are so clever to use modern justifications thinking that God won't notice and that there will be no consequences, either now or to society in the future. But the consequences are assured and the payment will be exacted, exactly as He has decreed.

34 posted on 03/19/2013 8:54:49 AM PDT by sr4402
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To: dragonblustar

Rob Bell founded Mars Hill Church of Grand Rapids, MI.

Mark Driscoll, about the same time, the early ‘90s, founded Mars Hill Bible Church of Seattle, WA.

At first Driscoll was courted by some of the cool, new “Emergent” leaders, then Driscoll kept studying the bible...and became uncomfortable with the Emergent movement and has disavowed it. He also matured in his preaching and doctrinal knowledge, and now holds solidly orthodox Calvinist-baptist beliefs.

People like John Piper discipled him.

Driscoll’s style is still very casual—and his church is youth oriented...but he’s solid, in my opinion (even though I don’t agree on his baptist views...).

Since both churches are called “Mars Hill” and Driscoll LOOKS like he could be a cool emergent...(and he once was affiliated with the emergent types) people confuse Driscoll as an emergent, but, he is not.


35 posted on 03/19/2013 8:57:13 AM PDT by AnalogReigns (because the real world is not digital...)
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To: Gamecock
“I am for marriage. I am for fidelity. I am for love, whether it’s a man and a woman, a woman and a woman, a man and a man,” Bell said. “And I think the ship has sailed. This is the world we are living in and we need to affirm people wherever they are.”

Fascinating. He thinks we need to "affirm" people even when they're wallowing in sin? Is that what he finds in his Bible?

Really?

Odd.

It's not what I find in my Bible. I find repeated references to repentance of sin and conversion of heart to following God

But ... is my interpretation of Scripture any more or less valid than his? How are we to decide which (if either) of two contradictory interpretations of Scripture is valid?

36 posted on 03/19/2013 8:59:01 AM PDT by ArrogantBustard (Western Civilization is Aborting, Buggering, and Contracepting itself out of existence.)
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To: dragonblustar
Here's Driscoll on homosexuality. Casual clothes and style, yes, orthodox biblical teaching...also, yes.

Very much unlike Rob Bell.

Here's also Mark Driscoll on the Emergent movement (several years ago, before it became very radical)...where he clearly disavows it.

37 posted on 03/19/2013 9:07:47 AM PDT by AnalogReigns (because the real world is not digital...)
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To: AnalogReigns

I have been to see Rob at church several times. Actually he is a good speaker and delivers a good message but his style turns me off so most of the time I was in the parking lot directing traffic. Church is a place to socialize. Rob really fed on the name he made for himself.....he forgot his job is to make a name for god. I live in Jenison MI 3 miles away from Mars Hill.


38 posted on 03/19/2013 9:13:11 AM PDT by Michigan Bowhunter (2014.....bring it on!!!!!)
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To: Gamecock

Ironically, I think that the late comedian Sam Kinison was more honest than most of these schmucks. He was raised to be an Pentacostal preacher, which was the family business, but eventually he could not stand the money grubbing cynical hypocrisy common in the trade.

It is ironic that those of serious faith who wish to preach seldom make headlines, or a lot of money, because they refuse to sell out, compromise their beliefs and morality, or adopt trendy ideas to sell their performance.


39 posted on 03/19/2013 9:33:12 AM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy (Best WoT news at rantburg.com)
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To: Gamecock

“From Left to Right: Bill Hybels, Robert Schuller, Perry Noble, Ed Young Jr, Rick Warren”, APOSTATES ALL!


40 posted on 03/19/2013 10:22:53 AM PDT by US Navy Vet (Go Packers! Go Rockies! Go Boston Bruins! See, I'm "Diverse"!)
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