I still remember the first National Youth Workers Convention when I heard Rob Bell speak for the first time. It was captivating. I’m pretty sure this was in his pre-NOOMA days, but he had this way of drawing you in that was really intriguing to me. And he’s frickin’ brilliant.

I read some of his books, enjoyed his thoughts on theological issues, and eventually really appreciated the work he did on the NOOMA videos. I still use them for our college group and Adult Education at the church I serve now. They present just enough content that people really get into the discussion, but don’t get bored and don’t feel overwhelmed by much technical theological jargon.

Then he wrote this little book called “Love Wins” (my thoughts here). John Piper said “Farewell.” Rob Bell made the April 25, 2011 cover of TIME Magazine. And of course…lots of conservatives thought he was a heretic.

Well, Rob’s at it again. With a new book that just came out, “What We Talk About When We Talk About God,” he’s been on a book tour, and made a statement that essentially outed himself as a supporter of gay marriage last week at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. In responding to some questions, Rob said:

“I am for marriage. I am for fidelity. I am for love, whether it’s a man and woman, a woman and a woman, a man and a man. I think the ship has sailed and I think the church needs — I think this is the world we are living in and we need to affirm people wherever they are.” [source]

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