No matter what "side of the coin" Ryan chooses, I believe the world will be better because of it. A man of great compassion who will soon discover that the journey never really ends.
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"Not so long ago I was pastoring a church, and here I am, surrounded by all these atheists singing for shock value about how terrible God is," he said. "It doesn't feel like these are my people. Then again, most of this year, it's been hard to say who exactly my people are."
[,,,]
This new version of Pastor Bell focused less on individual salvation than social justice. It wasn't long before he was speaking out against Bank of America for what he considered predatory lending practices. Or demonstrating during the Occupy takeover of the lawns at City Hall. Or advocating for gay rights and marriage equality.
All along, his doubts grew. The more he prayed, the more prayer felt useless. The more he tried to reconcile the Bible with science, the more it seemed he was putting together a puzzle with parts that didn't fit. The more he thought about the unceasing suffering in the world, the more he doubted God's existence.
[,,,]
Without a church, living alone, Bell felt dazed.
Recalled Randall Frederick, a close friend and theology student at Fuller Seminary: "He'd just lost so much faith, he did not know what to believe in."
On a rain-swept afternoon at a Pasadena restaurant, Bell and Frederick met for lunch. They joked about a popular book by an evangelical author who had vowed to live biblically for 12 months. An idea came. Maybe, to give his life focus again, Bell should take his doubts to their full conclusion, at least for a while.
Ex-Seventh-day Adventist pastor takes a yearlong timeout from God - LA Times
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