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.”
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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