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Which Famed Christian Pastor Just Issued This Shocking Gay Marriage Endorsement?

Mar. 19, 2013 7:56am Billy Hallowell

Controversial faith leader Rob Bell spoke over the weekend at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, Calif., where the former pastor openly endorsed gay marriage. When asked about the controversial issue by The Very Rev. Dr. Jane Shaw, who was moderating the event, he offered up a clear and concise response – one that will serve as a surprise to many conservative evangelicals.

“Yes, I am for marriage. I am for fidelity. I am for love,” he said, going on to get more specific. “Whether it’s a man and a woman, a woman and a woman, a man and a man — and I think the ship has sailed and I think the church needs to just — this is the world we’re living in and we need to affirm people wherever they are.”

You can listen to his endorsement at the 42:30 mark in this podcast.

Rob Bell signs copies of his new book “What We Talk About When We Talk About God” for Rebecca Ward, Sunday, March 10, 2013 at Schuler Books and Music on 28th street in Grand Rapids, Mich. Credit: AP

Bell also addressed the political association that is generally attached to American Christians. Rather than embracing the notion that most believers are conservative in nature, he said that dynamic no longer holds true.

“I think we are witnessing the death of a particular subculture that doesn’t work. I think there is a very narrow, politically intertwined, culturally ghettoized, Evangelical subculture that was told ‘we’re gonna change the thing’ and they haven’t,” Bell said. “And they actually have turned away lots of people. And i think that when you’re in a part of a subculture that is dying, you make a lot more noise because it’s very painful. You sort of die or you adapt.”

The pastor and author went on to say that some of the methods that Christians have used to discuss God have not been inclusive and have done little to bring people into the fold. He even called some policies that Christians have embraced “destructive” and he called for believers to “repent.”

Credit: YouTube

News of Bell’s gay marriage endorsement was reported on Greg Carey’s HuffPo blog. Carey is a professor of New Testament studies at Lancaster Theological Seminary. In writing about Bell’s shocking claim, he said, “To my knowledge, Bell’s interview marks the first time that he has openly supported marriage equality and perhaps the first time he has definitively separated himself from politically conservative evangelicalism.”

This won’t be the first time that the pastor makes headlines, though. In March 2011, TheBlaze first covered Bell’s questioning of hell. In September of that same year, Bell announced that he was stepping down from his pastoral position at Mars Hill Church in Grandville, Mich.

The announcement about Bell’s gay marriage views comes as Hillary Clinton made a similar public proclamation on Monday. In January, Steve Chalke, senior pastor at Oasis Church in the UK, also endorsed same-sex marriage, sending shock-waves through the evangelical community.

(H/T: Greg Carey’s HuffPo Blog)

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Comments (547)

dwoolvett
Posted on March 19, 2013 at 10:23am
I am not sure how gay marriage affects the lives of others. My understanding is Christ loves all of us, am I wrong. I have found that most christians have no idea what it is to be a christian, most of these comments are hatefull and thoughtless. When I read or listen to people who claim to be christians, but are very far from being christ like, I am thankful that I came to the realization that the christain faith is nothing more than a bunch of people who beleive in mythology. And now I will be banned from posting on this site. How christain of you.

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- Ghandi was a Republican
  Posted on March 19, 2013 at 10:31am
  Why are you here in the first place? You seem to be self-banning yourself. Nobody has a problem with people minding their own business. Attacking heterosexual Institutions is inappropriate and an alinsky tactic to divide. To pit heterosexuals and homosexuals against each other under false pretenses.
  Nobody is taking anything away from the gay community. In fact it is an attack on the heterosexcual ‘community’ and a pitiful ruse to claim that homosexuals are victims. It really is pitiful.
  
  Report this comment
- ComradeJ
  Posted on March 19, 2013 at 11:04am
  @DWOOLVET
  Let’s get this straight.
  
  - You know Christianity better than Christians? Very well, what does God the Father and God the Son say about the topic in the God’s Word – Bible?
  
  - Let’s take it a step further, why did Christ die for you and me? Why did he die for homosexuals? So that we may continue to rot in the sin? Why did Christ kept saying ‘sin no more’?
  
  How dare you to prostitute God’s love, by claiming it is OK for a sinner, who accepts God’s offer of mercy and love, to continue to stay in sins? The sins that God judged to be so bad that Christ His Son had to die an agonizing death to save you and me from them.
  
  Is that your understanding of what love is? Spitting in the face of the One who died for you and me? Have you no shame?
  
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- iampraying4u
  Posted on March 19, 2013 at 4:13pm
  Love the sinner hate the sin
  
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Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on March 19, 2013 at 10:20am
You can call it whatever you want, but you can’t call it marriage. Is that too much to ask? No it is not.
The reason the alinksy loons are so desperate to use ‘marriage’ is to take control of an Institution and all that goes with it. To take them into the courts and hand it all to the central planners (alinsky radicals).
This is called ‘making progress’. A disgusting term to sound ‘feel good’ when it is really State control and central planning (ie. Progressivism)

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WyoReaperDad
Posted on March 19, 2013 at 10:14am
I listen to Glenn’s radio show in the mornings and I hear him talk an awful lot about libertarianism. With an article like this, I can see he has a long way to go. Libertarians are not aetheists, but we allow people to live their lives so long as it does not infringe upon the rights of another. Gay people being married does not infringe upon anyone else’s rights. And, for all you Bible huggers out there, please tell me the exact time in your life when you decided to be heterosexual. You can’t answer that question, so get off your high horses and leave gay people alone.

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- Ghandi was a Republican
  Posted on March 19, 2013 at 10:25am
  Really? It’s a ruse to infringe on EVERYONE’S rights. If you were a Libertarian you would see this.
  Where does marriage go if it is no longer between a man and a woman, but rather anyone and everyone? I will tell you where it goes- to the Government. It ceases to exist and so does a whole lot of history and social norms. Gays have all the rights and protections as the rest of us and MORE. Heterosexuals have less rights in fact. WHO will give us these rights back? The courts? The central planners? Can’t you see what’s going on here? It has nothing to do with ‘marriage’. It has to do with Big Government and what rights they control.
  
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- ComradeJ
  Posted on March 19, 2013 at 11:37am
  “please tell me the exact time in your life when you decided to be heterosexual”
  
  The same time I “decided” to be a human.
  
  Homosexuality is a mental disorder, it is not genetic, no one is born with it. It needs to be treated as such. (at least by people who have no morals, like apparently some self proclaimed libertarians). The only reason why APA does not classify it as such is because of the gay activists ramming through their agenda in 1973, like Obama rammed through his deathcare.
  
  Now tell us WyoReaperDad, do you condone:
  - 53% sexual abuse rate by homosexual foster “parents” (http://www.familyresearchinst.org/2008/12/homosexual-child-molestations-by-foster-parents-illinois-1997-2002/)
  or
  Detrimental child development in the homosexual “families”, such as but not limited to:
  - 4 times as likely to be on gov welfare
  - more likely to suffer from depression
  - more likely to have “attachment” problems related to the ability to depend on others
  - Report more ongoing “negative impact” from their family of origin
  - lower educational
  - been arrested more often
  (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0049089X12000610)
  
  Get educated, stop spouting liberal doctrines.
  
  Report this comment
- Nevertakecandyfromsocialists
  Posted on March 19, 2013 at 4:28pm
  Frankly, respectfully, I think the Libertarians need to wake up. I too was in agreement with civil unions until I really began to think about it and ended up swinging farther right. Since then it has become obvious to me that same sex marriage is a only topic for those homosexuals at the top of the food chain, who decide what political domino to knock down next. They will gladly accept your offer of a civil union and then turn right around and use it as a stepping stone to push for same sex marriage. Aren’t they doing this now in Illinois? In the end they want the rest of society to legitimize their lifestyle as 100 % normal and never to speak out against it. You open that door a crack and it is going to get kicked in your face. If you value your own first amendment rights or freedom of conscience you will not cede an inch of ground. I can sight real life examples of indoctrination of school children to accept their lifestyle (against the wishes of the parents), college students who were kicked out for politely and rightly standing up for their religious beliefs, and employees who have lost their jobs simply for expressing that homosexuality is against their religion. This is not hypothetical, it is already happening. In other countries they have already censored clergyman for speaking out against the practice. Remember, homosexuals are a protected class, the slightest offense could get you sued or charged with a hate crime. See the forest quit looking at the trees
  
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txannie
Posted on March 19, 2013 at 10:14am
Sodom and Gamora (sp?) accepted the ‘lifestyle’ to the point of turning down the virgin daughters of Lot offered in exchange for the male angels come to warn Lot of the coming destruction when the men of the city demanded the male angels be sent out the them so they might ‘know’ them…and look what happened. Is this how America will end when Americans ‘accept’ these behaviors as normal? Just asking….

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RaydocX
Posted on March 19, 2013 at 10:13am
The rant on the Left is that the GOP is mean… racist… sexist.
Got news for you, fellow conservatives, when we turn our backs on potential fellow fiscal conservatives because their attraction template is different from ours, we are proving the liberals’ point.

Hanging out with a gay man or woman won’t make you gay. They aren’t going to hit on you. They aren’t going to molest your kids. They aren’t going to ‘turn’ your spouse.

God IS love… to argue otherwise is at a small level to endorse the hatred and unGodly behavior of the Westboro cult. Arguing that homosexuality is an abomination is certainly your right, but it’s without any basis in fact, and it will hurt your pursuit of a small government…

in point of fact, a truly Conservative (Small) government does not have the resources to chase social behaviors or control the population… STATE laws should regulate marriage, the Constitution making zero statement regarding marriage. ANY GOP candidate should answer questions that way, as well as simply pointing out that everyone deserves to be happy and to be loved.

Anyone truly opposing that position here… Go to the ‘godhatesamerica’ website and sign up to carry a sign at the next soldier’s funeral… it’s a free country, after all, but such deplorable blind hatred is going to do you more harm than the people at whom you direct your ignorant bile.

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- TheGrtDcptn
  Posted on March 19, 2013 at 11:43am
  …one word for you…
  
  CLUELESS…!!
  
  Report this comment
GuruMeditation
Posted on March 19, 2013 at 10:10am
Flake!

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tbeachhead
Posted on March 19, 2013 at 10:08am
Here’s the inclusive part of the gospel: While we were yet sinners, He died for us.

Here’s the exclusive part: Outside [the city] are the dogs [pejorative for homosexual] and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

It’s great to understand inclusiveness. We ignore the opposite at our own, personal peril…and it goes worst of all for him who dares wear the mantel of pastor, and deliberately and willfully leads others outside the city.

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- Ollie123
  Posted on March 19, 2013 at 10:19am
  God will not be mocked, He is the same yesterday, toady and tomorrow, we can practice all this foolishness until the day our measly less than a 100 years of life expectancy expires. It is amazing how some people fight so hard against God’s principles, but in the end, it is appointed unto men once to die than after that the judgment!. The only thing you will bring to the grave with you, is what have you done in the Name of Jesus? All the rest of this is vanity, vanity, I wonder what words Ted Kennedy would share with us today if he could return from the grave and give a 10 minuet speech? I thirst!
  
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- snooop1e
  Posted on March 20, 2013 at 9:26pm
  @TBEACHHEAD – Other than believing in Jesus what must Rob Bell DO to be SAVED?
  
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wraith67
Posted on March 19, 2013 at 10:08am
Bell is queer. Surprised he hasn’t come out yet.

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Ollie123
Posted on March 19, 2013 at 10:05am
What the hell is going on anyways? I’ve never been bombarded with so much same sex marriage propaganda in my life. If I was God, I think I would put them all on Gilligan Island and after they had their fun in the sun, became old and died leaving no offspring we would be done with this issue once and for all. Makes me want to trow up, I don’t run up and down the streets and in the halls of congress, yelling, screaming and demanding, that hey I’m a guy and I like girls!. You already have way more rights then should be recognized by any moral society, enough already with the in your face!!

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willbedone
Posted on March 19, 2013 at 10:03am
Let’s look on the bright side of this picture. Ever increasing violence, and lawlessness (against God’s laws), is a very good indicator that we are near the “The time of restoration of all things”.
Just like the ancient nation of Israel had a rough go of it in Egypt and a arduous journey on their way out, so we will have a short journey of trials and tribulations.

Shalom

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- Ollie123
  Posted on March 19, 2013 at 10:12am
  Read “The Harbinger”, by Jonathan Cahn, a must read, it is like a modern day message to America, I recommend it to everyone. Johnathan Cahn also spoke at the Presidents Inaugural Prayer breakfast before in inauguration that day on 01/21/2013 “you tube it” you will be blown away and understand that the 9 Harbingers, (prophecy) God gave Israel our now reappearing before our very eyes here in America. Please take the time to check it out, if only to bring peace to your soul, with the Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth!
  
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308btsp
Posted on March 19, 2013 at 10:01am
I will not judge, that is for God to decide. However, I do not have to agree with the gay lifestyle, or accept it as normal behavior.

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ChiefGeorge
Posted on March 19, 2013 at 9:53am
If Love is the standard we gage all things by, then one can say they Love their dog and marry it, or Love their sister and marry her…..God set the standard when he made man and woman and she was to be his companion, his mate, his lover and the mother of his children. All others are products of Satan who aims to destroy man who is made in the image of God.

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- encinom
  Posted on March 19, 2013 at 6:18pm
  YOur are a confused soul, religious standards have no place in the laws of a Secular nation. Your God also demanded the stoning of city rape victims, I guess you support that also, as well as honor killing, again a practice that your god demanded of his people.
  
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- snooop1e
  Posted on March 20, 2013 at 9:30pm
  @CHIEFGEORGE – Aside from Believing in Jesus Christ what must Rob Bell DO to be saved? Agree with you? Preach “right doctrine”? More and more you Evangelicals are sounding like Catholics and Rob Bell is looking like a modern day Martin Luther. Again I ask all of the Evangelicals/Protestants in this forum, aside from BELIEVING IN JESUS CHRIST what must Rob Bell DO to be SAVED?
  
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The_Fifth_Column
Posted on March 19, 2013 at 9:51am
Never heard of him.

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Flyin57
Posted on March 19, 2013 at 9:46am
“….a man and a dog, a woman and a dog, a man and a horse, a woman and a horse, a man and a tree, or whatever the hell else these idiots can think of.”

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john vincent
Posted on March 19, 2013 at 9:42am
———“I think we are witnessing the death of a particular subculture that doesn’t work.’———– said Bell.

This is wrong on so many levels; no sir, it matters not if a ‘lifestyle’ is popular and works or not, what matters is:

is it right????????’

Appearing on some lunatic Rev Jane show, he vents an opinion and gets his fifteen minutes of fame. A ‘Christian’ pastor now is on board with the new and improved societal evolution of thought; yes, ‘love’ conquers all. It matters not if a man loves a hyena, or if a woman loves a tomato—–love is all. Yeah ok, sell that idea to the simple minded homeless, and even they will laugh.

Well sir, this love you speak of is something else, and it appears you are an imposter, a wolf in sheep clothing as it were. Just out of curiosity sir, which is it: ‘I now pronounce you man and wife,’ or ‘I now pronounce you husband and wife.’ Just an ancillary issue, but do explain.

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lhills
Posted on March 19, 2013 at 9:42am
So it’s official. Billy and the Blaze staff are posting a pro-sodomy article every day now. None from the other side. Funny how Glenn used to warn about liberals trying to overload us on a topic so that we are desensitized and eventually accept it, and now his site is doing the same thing. Every day there is an article about some ” Christian” or “conservative” who now supports gay marriage. Of course, it always turns out that they were neither Christian nor conservative to begin with. Rob Bell is a perfect example. He is a universalist who believes there is no Hell, God is someone or something but he doesn’t know what, and that all people (even Hitler) go to heaven even if they never believe in God. Christians and conservatives need to be alert that there is an effort to convince us that our own people have abandoned us, and it’s happening right here on the Blaze. Take heart, the faithful will not be moved by the wickedness of our culture.

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- ComradeJ
  Posted on March 19, 2013 at 9:44am
  I was wondering about that. Just shows how deep the poison has gone in.
  
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Dury
Posted on March 19, 2013 at 9:41am
First it is homosexual marriage, next it is with your beagle, next it is with nine year olds(already the law in islam). But you can’t drink a 32 ounce cola, eat cheeseburger, or have a gun for protection. Marx, Lenin, and Mao are smiling in hell! Long live BIG BROTHER.

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PB2GOD
Posted on March 19, 2013 at 9:40am
Rob Bell has been misleading God’s people for a long time. This is just a duck saying “quack.” Pray for him and those that follow him.

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Stu D. Baker-Hawk
Posted on March 19, 2013 at 9:39am
Rob Bell sounds like a ‘smorgasbord’ Christian for sure (i.e., picks and chooses what he likes and turns his back on the rest). The problem with Mr. Bell, however, is that God Almighty ain’t a smorgasbord God – what He says is LAW and you best not ignore it.

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Biginshorts
Posted on March 19, 2013 at 9:39am
I just read The Gawker article about Bill Oreilly’s divorce.
That guy is one vindictive SOB!!! No wonder he has been so
unhinged recently. His ex-wife is driving him nuts.

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ComradeJ
Posted on March 19, 2013 at 9:39am
Ron might be “famed”, but not in a good way. Mr. Bell has gone post modernist long time ago. For all practical purposes he’s forgotten his first love.

Just how far has Rob gone astray? Watch a liberal MSNBC host [correctly] calling out Rob on twisting the Gospels.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg-qgmJ7nzA

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bigE6ft4
Posted on March 19, 2013 at 9:37am
I’m a School Sunday school teacher in a conservative midwestern church and I was introduced to Rob Bell’s teaching in 2005 through his Nooma video series. The series is creative, engaging and founded not only in scripture, but also addresses cultural influences from Christ’s time to help the “why” questions we find in the Bible.
As the series progressed, Bell became a superstar, through his videos, books and preaching style at Mars Hill, to young Christians searching for connection. But the videos also showed the change in him as the stardom took its affect. It was almost as if he started to believe his press clippings and he thought he was bigger than the Word.
Satan doesn’t want us to focus on our relationship with our Heavenly Father. Distraction, confusion and pride are just a few tools he uses to accomplish this and I’m afraid Mr. Bell fell prey to them.
Which is why we need to lift Mr. Bell up in prayer.

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TheBigMike
Posted on March 19, 2013 at 9:35am
The “big tent” and the “narrow path” cannot co-exist.

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sadlerts
Posted on March 19, 2013 at 9:33am
Man, this is old and tired. We who have followed Bell for years (knowing that he was a wolf after having written “Velvet Elvis”) know that he is a danger to the flock of Christ. He is NOT a Christian and he does NOT represent Christianity in the least. He is a universalist, and a sensual man out for monetary gain.

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GreggC
Posted on March 19, 2013 at 9:32am
This guy is not a “pastor” and has NO IDEA what God has to say on gay marriage! Next he will support pedophiles and bestiality because in his words “this is the world we’re living in and we need to affirm people wherever they are.”

I am so mad that people who call themselves pastors or preachers and know NOTHING about the Word of GOD!

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- snooop1e
  Posted on March 20, 2013 at 9:36pm
  @GREGGC – Aside from BELIEVING IN JESUS CHRIST what must Rob Bell (or any other Pastor do to be SAVED? Teach “right doctrine”? maintain “tradition”? Outside of FAITH ALONE in Jesus Christs once for all sacrifice on the cross what must Rob Bell do to have eternal life? Rob Bell confesses Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior, is that not sufficient to bring him salvation? If not, what else is necessary? If God is immutable and never changing and Rob Bell gained Eternal Life at the moment he confessed Jesus Christ as his Personal Lord and Savior and nothing he can ever do or say can change that (Once Saved Always Saved) then why are you sitting in judgement of another CHRISTIAN who is SAVED? By what authority do you determine that someone who confesses Jesus Christ as Personal Lord and Savior is not “worthy” to be called Christian? Why are you a sinner “worthy” of the title Christian but Rob Bell is not?
  
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