For sociologist Emile Durkheim, the “sacred” constitutes all those things “set apart and forbidden.” Within Evangelical Christianity, and to a lesser degree Protestantism in general, the sacred has arguably centered on the individual believer and her/his personal relationship with God and scripture. Recently, however, a growing movement within Evangelical Christianity has emphasized the sacred nature of relationships and community, culminating in the mantra “God is love.” This shift has set community above the personal in the hierarchy of sacred Evangelical things, and is reminiscent of earlier progressive forms of Evangelicalism, such as Social Gospel Christianity. Rob Bell, an Evangelical author, pastor, and Oprah Network star, possibly best exemplifies this change and its ramifications, which extend from a postcolonial critique of mission work and evangelism to a move to more inclusive and even Universalist soteriology. Such efforts that have left Bell labeled as a heretic in some Evangelical circles.

中文翻译：

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转变神圣：罗伯·贝尔和后保守的福音派转向

对于社会学家埃米尔·涂尔干 (Emile Durkheim) 而言，“神圣”构成了所有那些“被隔离和禁止”的事物。在福音派基督教中，以及在较小程度上的新教中，神圣可以说是集中在个人信徒以及她/他与上帝和圣经的个人关系上。然而，最近福音派基督教内部的一场日益增长的运动强调了人际关系和社区的神圣本质，最终形成了“上帝就是爱”的口头禅。这种转变使社区在神圣福音派事物的等级制度中凌驾于个人之上，并且让人联想到早期的福音派进步形式，例如社会福音基督教。福音派作家、牧师和奥普拉网络明星罗伯·贝尔可能是这种变化及其后果的最好例证，这从对宣教工作和传福音的后殖民批判扩展到更具包容性甚至普世主义的救赎论。这种努力使贝尔在一些福音派圈子中被贴上了异端的标签。