Kristin Rudolph (@Kristin_Rudolph)
We shouldn’t be surprised as more and more prominent post-Evangelicals announce their support for same-sex marriage. Rob Bell has been in the news most recently, and he joins the company of other former pastors like Brian McLaren, who are breaking from traditional Christian teachings and following cultural trends.
As America moves beyond Christianity and formerly nominal Christians disassociate from denominations and labels entirely (becoming ‘Nones’), these culturally attuned post-Evangelicals are seeking ways to be relevant to the increasingly hostile culture. As Bell said in a recent interview with Odyssey Networks, “lots of us are realizing the old way of seeing things doesn’t work. It causes so much pain and heartache. And God’s inviting us to see things in new ways. And we need to say yes and then we need to step into the future together.”
Bell and others undoubtedly acting on a desire to reach the unreached and keep those drifting have framed a cultural trend as “God’s leading.” Simply “welcoming” without “affirming” homosexual practice is not enough for most young unbelievers. According to Ed Stetzer of LifeWay Research, “83 percent of the ‘always unchurched’ and 52 percent of the ‘friendly unchurched’ indicated that they would react negatively to a church that does not ‘welcome and affirm’ homosexuals as members. As a whole, it was 67% of the younger unchurched who said it would negatively impact their decision.”
In his interview with Odyssey Networks, Bell referenced growing cultural acceptance of homosexuality as a factor motivating his shifted view, but emphasized a supposed act of God. “What we’re seeing right now in this day, I believe God pulling us ahead into greater and greater affirmation and acceptance of our gay brothers and sisters and pastors and friends and neighbors and co-workers,” Bell said.
That may be what Bell believes, but if that’s true, it seems God is playing catch-up with the culture. For the last several years, positive media portrayals of homosexuality, effective rhetorical strategies, and numerous other factors have led to near complete cultural acceptance of SSM – especially among the under 30 crowd. As the stigma of homosexuality fades, more people “come out,” and now, it seems “everyone knows someone who is gay.” According to some estimates, around 5% of the population identifies as homosexual.
One of the most common reasons given for the growing cultural affirmation of homosexuality is personal relationships and interactions with gay people. As more people “come out,” it seems “everyone has a gay friend or family member.” Indeed, Bell stated “[W]e live in a world where we have friends, neighbors, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, people we’ve journeyed with for years who are gay.” In a short video endorsing Bell’s recent statements, Brian McLaren said learning people close to him identified as gay led him to believe “the traditional explanations for homosexuality were inaccurate and unfair … More and more pastors because of their contact with gay people and the honesty of the pastoral setting … are going to do what Rob has done, what I have done.”
With the narrative that all Evangelicals hate gay people, won’t welcome them into church, and believe they are ruining America, it’s little wonder some are putting distance between themselves and the common perception of Evangelicals. This picture is mostly false, as surely some pastors and churches speak callously, but the most common response I hear from conservative Christians is a genuine desire to minister to those who identify as gay. These Christians believe that homosexual practice is sinful, but they are hardly venomous, hateful, and “throwing stones,” as Bell claimed.
But our culture has redefined love as unquestioning acceptance and affirmation, and sexuality is viewed as an essential part of our identity. To ask for change in that area of one’s life is seen as an attack on his dignity. Acquiescence to the cultural embrace of SSM simply follows acceptance of the watered down, mainstream definition of love at odds with scripture’s admonishment (Romans 12:2) to resist conforming to this world and submit all of ourselves to God’s will.
Comment by Matthias on March 23, 2013 at 11:21 am
Great article, Kristin. Thanks for posting.
Comment by noelanderson on March 23, 2013 at 11:24 am
Bell and McLaren have much to learn from the formerly-mainline, liberal, protestant denominations: namely; lowering the bar on biblical standards for sexuality seems to bear no good fruit. By their reasoning, the liberal mainlines (who adopted this rhetoric 10-20 years ago) should be the largest, fastest-growing churches among young people. The opposite is the case. Something doesn’t add up.
Comment by skotiad on March 23, 2013 at 5:18 pm
Why don’t they just rewrite Genesis 3 and make a case for the Fall being the best thing that ever happened?
Note to noelanderson: You are quite correct true that “inclusiveness” does not help churches grow, as the past 3 decades have made that rather obvious. Bell, McLaren, and their ilk (great word, isn’t it?) like to package their non-Christian statements as being to the churches’ advantages, but I think we all know that church growth isntt the point at all, the point is to make Bell, McLaren, and Co feel hip and cool.
Does it ever occur to these people that caving in to the culture is cowardly? The real saints are those who swim against the current.
Comment by sue on January 13, 2014 at 8:41 pm
How very, very true!!!!
Comment by fairfaxian on March 24, 2013 at 7:49 am
Color me shocked….SHOCKED! That a universalist and a Marcionist would also pervert the Bible’s teachings on homosexuality is so surprising.
Boy, if just knowing people who are actively practicing homosexuals is enough to cause them to abandon the Bible’s teachings on sexual morality, I hope that they don’t meet any thieves.
Comment by msgrx on March 24, 2013 at 6:00 pm
“In his interview with Odyssey Networks, Bell referenced growing cultural acceptance of homosexuality as a factor motivating his shifted view, but emphasized a supposed act of God. “What we’re seeing right now in this day, I believe God pulling us ahead into greater and greater affirmation and acceptance of our gay brothers and sisters and pastors and friends and neighbors and co-workers,” Bell said.”
So does Bell give any suggestion as to why God waited nearly two thousand years to get round to giving gay marriage the green light? Why didn’t Jesus say anything about it, for example?
Comment by Sara L. Anderson on March 25, 2013 at 7:35 am
In the 1960s the United Methodist Bishops decided to “let the world set the agenda” for the church. Methodism’s membership decline and lack of vitality are proof of how well that worked. If Bell and McLaren think they are doing something fresh and new, they need to be reminded there is nothing new under the sun. They might also want to be thinking about millstone jewelry.
Comment by baltimoreguy99 on April 1, 2013 at 7:01 am
Scripture never requires celibacy of anyone or any group of people. When we consign untold millions of people to either be celibate or marry outside their sexual orientation we are not even following the Golden Rule. If you are straight how would you like to have the options of celibacy or marrying someone of your own sex? Even a cursory reading of Genesis shows that God intends marriage only with someone who is “meet”, suitable or appropriate for us. For gays that rules out the opposite sex.
Comment by Ben on April 7, 2014 at 2:25 pm
how about you look up these verses
Leviticus 18:22 – Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it [is] abomination.
Mark 10:6 – 10:9 – But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
Romans 1:26 – 27- For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
Leviticus 20:13 – If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood [shall be] upon them.
just to point out a few. If your saying one little passage that can be taken out of context proves that Gad thinks homosexuality is perfectly fine then sorry but you need to read ur bible again.