Rob Bell, clearly dissatisfied with the degree, depth and feeling of the furore he created amongst his fellow evangelicals with his book Love Wins, has decided to have another go by voicing his support for gay marriage:

In response to a question regarding same-sex marriage, Bell 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.”

By Rob Bell’s measure, if Christians are to flow gracefully in the currents provided by the “world we are living in”, the early church would have avoided fanatically following Jesus to the exclusion of observing the required pieties towards Roman gods. They would have lived happy, long, affirming lives with no hint of the unpleasantness that usually accompanies martyrdom, persecution and torture.

Then, there would be no Christianity, no Western Civilisation and – no Rob Bell eager to affirm people wherever they are.