Tuesday, March 19, 2013

I'm for Love: Reflections on Rob Bell, Marriage Equality, and Evangelicalism



I’m for marriage. I’m for fidelity. I’m for love: whether it’s a man and a woman, a woman and a woman, or 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 are living in and we need to affirm people wherever they are (Rob Bell).

In a recent interview, the popular Evangelical figure, Rob Bell made his views on marriage equality pretty clear. It’s no secret that I’ve been outspoken in opposition to just about all things Evangelical and it’s also no secret that my stance on marriage equality from a theological perspective is one of love and grace, for the affirmed and the opposed. In other words, it’s the cross, not the left or the right.

I write today, not out of contention or affirmation of a position, but out of respect for bold, daring, and sound theological practice. Bell’s interview, not the least of which is his pro-marriage statement, makes me less apprehensive of my Evangelical roots and inspired to reclaim the term.

The Dialect of Praxis and my approach to faith have always had the intention of being conversational. I’m at the same beggar’s gate with the Baptists and the billionaires, I kneel before the cross of Jesus Christ along with Evangelicals, and I am redeemed by grace along with every sinner (read human being) on this planet. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is everything!

In turn, if I’m a lot Lutheran and a little bit Evangelical because I actually believe in the “communion of saints” and the “holy catholic (universal) Church,” so be it. I’m not here to fight anymore about which Christians have good theology and which ones don’t because God’s grace is sufficient for that too. Here’s to questions, here’s to conversation, here’s to humility, here’s to grace, and here’s to the openness of change within oneself. Hold to your convictions, wherever they may land, but be prepared for the mysteries of God to change the path you think you’re walking. “Love beats the demon” and “love wins.”
   

1 comment:

  1. Jimbo, don't take this the wrong way (love when people start with that huh) but were you going somewhere with this entry or was it merely a "thinking out loud?" I can see how it could be a "he's stating what he believes boldly, so so will I" but I was not entirely sure. Just saying.

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