Rob Bell

At the other Mars Hill church, new co-pastors hope to build a faithful future

By Bob Smietana — December 16, 2021

(RNS) — Ashlee Eiland, who is Black, and Troy Hatfield, who is white, are a rare combination — co-pastors at an evangelical church, who are from different ethnic backgrounds and not married to each other.

They made a mark on the religious scene this decade; some rose, others fell

By Yonat Shimron — January 2, 2020

(RNS) — This list of 12 — drawn from stories RNS has covered between 2010 and 2019 — offers a one-time retrospective of the personalities (and not a few of the issues) that dominated the religious scene this past decade.

Notable Christians who’ve had a change of heart on LGBT issues

By Madeleine Buckley — July 12, 2017

(RNS) These 10 people have publicly broken with Christian hard-line positions against same-sex marriage.

Rob Bell once questioned hell: Here’s why he is now taking aim at the Bible

By Jonathan Merritt — June 13, 2017

'What is the Bible?' is Rob Bell at his Rob Bell-iest: punchy, conversational and riddled with provocative questions.

Rob Bell takes back the Bible

By Jana Riess — May 12, 2017

(RNS) Rob Bell says the Bible has been hijacked by fundamentalists, and it's time to take it back.

Christian rock star comes out as gay. Here’s the letter he wrote to the world

By Jonathan Merritt — May 31, 2016

(RNS) 'I never wanted to be gay,' Trey Pearson said. 'I was scared of what God would think and what all of these people I loved would think about me.'

Rob Bell’s ‘Everything Is Spiritual’ tour explores the evolution of the universe

By Jesse James DeConto — July 28, 2015

DURHAM, N.C. (RNS) Rob Bell maps Christian faith onto modern evolutionary science, quoting New Age healing champion Deepak Chopra, Sufi mystic Rumi and Catholic theologian Pierre Teilhard de Chardin -- an amalgamation sure to rile some in the evangelical crowd that made him famous.

What ever happened to Rob Bell, the pastor who questioned the gates of hell?

By Sarah Pulliam Bailey — December 2, 2014

(RNS) Exchanging his evangelical bona fides for the blessing of Oprah may yet prove -- for some -- to be Rob Bell's most unforgivable sin. Which is not to say that he cares very much what anyone says these days.

Why Mark Driscoll’s fall and Mars Hill’s breakup issues a warning for megastar pastors

By Sarah Pulliam Bailey — November 5, 2014

(RNS) Pastors with megabrands are raising new issues for fast-growing churches.

‘Heaven Is for Real’ — and for everyone in new film

By Cathy Lynn Grossman — April 18, 2014

"Heaven Is for Real" rings all the bells of popular attitudes in social surveys, but conservative Christians are dismayed.

The 10 best things I was ever told about ‘Christian sex’

By Melissa Otterbein — January 28, 2013

I've heard the most appalling -- and the most beautiful -- messages about sex in the church. Too often, the church is silent and bashful about sex, and when the church has spoken out about sex, many messages I heard have either been shaming or repressive. Here's the 10 best thing I've ever heard about "Christian sex."

Filmmaker asks whether hell is real, and who goes there

By Lauren Markoe — October 16, 2012

(RNS) The questions posed by the new film "Hellbound?'' -- does hell exist and if so, who goes there? -- are no longer so anxiety-producing for filmmaker Kevin Miller. His faith journey has taken him to embrace a gentler view of hell that isn't a place of eternal torment, and holds that all souls will be saved. By Lauren Markoe.

Mars Hill Bible Church names Rob Bell’s successor

By Heidi Fenton / The Grand Rapids Press — August 23, 2012

(RNS) Mars Hill Bible Church has appointed a new teaching pastor, months after founding pastor and well-known author Rob Bell departed for California. Church leaders announced Kent Dobson had accepted the lead position. By Heidi Fenton.

Film traces Southern preacher’s trip to hell and back

By Kay Campbell — June 5, 2012

ATHENS, Ala. (RNS) A new film, "Hell and Mr. Fudge,'' follows the story of Edward Fudge as he began an intensive study of the Bible and the doctrine of hell. What he found made him question one of the bedrock doctrines of Bible-based Christianity -- and nearly got him run out of town. By Kay Campbell.

Page 1 of 1

Cookie	Duration	Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional	11 months	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy	11 months	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.