Rachel Held Evans | Tag Landing

Our little systems...

I’m in sunny California this week speaking to the very bright students at Hope International University. I really loved this group, and hope to return again someday. Several students approached me after my chapel talk to ask for copies of some of the quotes I used. I figured everyone could benefit from these inspiring words, so here they are: “Our little systems have their day:They have their day and cease to be;They are but broken lights of thee And thou, O Lord, ar... read more

Journeys of a Religious Misfit, Part 2: Accidental Fences

See Journeys of a Religious Misfit, Part 1: Wayside Shrines. “When all my hopes in [the religious leaders] and in men were gone, so that I had nothing outwardly to help me, nor could I tell what to do, then, oh then, I heard a voice.” – George Fox Quakers are pretty much the opposite of Catholics. Or at least that’s what I thought when I first walked through the meetinghouse door to join the West Knoxville Society of Friends for First Day wor... read more

Journeys of a Religious Misfit, Part 1: Wayside Shrines

“When I’m asked about the situation—Of where it is I’ve been and where I’m bound—I’ve got no home....but I’ve got a destination.”Thad Cockrell, “A Country of My Own” My inner voice is a royal pain in the ass. It’s an obstreperous child impatient with questions and eager for attention. It shouts to me from the future (the next prayer, the next hour, the next blog post, the next book), thereby commanding my pr... read more

"I wanted others to share in my storm…"

We’re back into our normal schedule, and this Tuesday’s excerpt from Evolving in Monkey Town comes from Chapter 9, entitled “Survivor’s Guilt”: Some Christians are more offended by the idea of everyone going to heaven than by the idea of everyone going to hell. I learned this the hard way, as reports about my faith crisis spread around town and rumors that I’d become a universalist found their way back to me in a wave of concerned emails and phone calls. On... read more

Sex, Science, & Salvation, Part 1

Rachel & Tripp Talking 1 from tripp fuller on Vimeo. In the first installment of RATT (Rachel And Tripp Talking)—or, if you prefer, TART (Tripp And Rachel Talking)—my friend Tripp Fuller and I discuss the three “s”s and the future of evangelicalism. Well, I would argue that the debate surrounding the three “s”s comes down to a fourth “s”—Scripture. I believe that evangelicals are the verge of a BIG conversation about the nature an... read more

Why Not?

photo © 2009 Kevin Lallier | more info (via: Wylio) Today I’m delighted to introduce you to Michelle DeRusha, a woman whose writing talent truly inspires me. Born and raised in Massachusetts, Michelle moved to Nebraska ten years ago, where she discovered the Great Plains, Husker football, grasshoppers the size of Cornish hens, thunderstorms that herald the Second Coming…and God. She writes about finding and keeping faith in the everyday on her blog, Graceful. (Ke... read more

Embracing The Not-So-Holy Holy Week

(Note: This post was originally published March 29, 2010. I'm just as stressed out this year as I was last year!) The symbolism is beautiful. The tradition of folding a palm frond into the shape of a cross powerfully illustrates the kingdom message of Jesus, as a symbol of royalty becomes a symbol of sacrifice. This simple action reminds us that the victory of Jesus did not take the shape of forceful triumph, but of humility and that our citizenship in the Kingdom of God demands we do th... read more

Why I am a Christian...

It’s Tuesday! Time to discuss Evolving in Monkey Town. Today’s excerpt comes from Chapter 7, “When Believers Ask”: When I was a little girl, if someone asked me why I was a Christian, I said it was because Jesus lived in my heart. In high school, I said it was because I accepted the atonement of Jesus Christ on the cross for my sins. My sophomore year of college, during a short-lived Reformed phase, I said it was because of the irresistible grace of God. ... read more

Church: To Stay or To Go?

photo © 2008 Tambako The Jaguar | more info (via: Wylio) Today’s guest post comes from my friend Mason Slater. Mason is a husband to Melinda, a seminary student, a youth pastor, a blogger and a freelance writer in the Mecca of Christendom, Grand Rapids, Michigan. He blogs at New Ways Forward. (Add him to your Google Reader; he's one of my favorites!) *** So this past week Rachel has been blogging about how faith changes our relationships, which has been brillian... read more

Changing faith and changing relationships: Some things I learned the hard way

photo © 2010 Hartwig HKD | more info (via: Wylio) This week we’ve been talking about how changes in faith affect our relationships, and today I wanted to share a few lessons that I’ve learned as my own faith has evolved over the past ten years or so. Your comments after Monday’s post gave me a lot to think about, so I tried to incorporate some of your questions and ideas into these reflections, many of which were arrived at after trial and error, failure and grace... read more

Why do you find it so easy to believe?

This post was originially published back in January of 2010. In light of our recent conversations about how changes in faith affect relationships, I thought this would be an appropriate re-post. More to come tomorrow and Saturday! *** One of my favorite scenes from the TV show “Lost” occurs down in the hatch, between John Locke and Jack Shepherd. Arguing about whether or not to press the infamous button on faith alone, John demands, “Why do you find it so hard t... read more

For Parents of Doubting Children (a guest post from my dad!)

This week we are talking about how changes in faith affect our relationships. As I’ve spoken with college students around the country, I’ve found that many are struggling with parents who react defensively to their questions, doubts, and new ideas. Oh how I wish these parents could talk to my dad! Peter Held is the senior fellow for Christian Worldview at Bryan College and a professor of Christian Thought and Biblical Studies. He’s also an amazing father, wh... read more

When faith changes, so do relationships

“How have friends and family responded to your book?" “What should I say to my close friends who just don’t understand the questions I’m asking?” “Is it possible to talk to my parents about theology and politics without making them angry?” “I feel like a stranger in my own church; should I leave?” These are the questions I’m asked more than any others—on Facebook, in email, and as I travel around the country speaking abo... read more

Jesus, The Impossible Mentor

photo © 2006 midiman | more info (via: Wylio) Today’s guest post comes from Ray Hollenbach, a longtime participant in our online community and great supporter and friend. Ray is on staff at a Vineyard church in Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Kim, and the last of their three children. After twenty years in the business world and a dozen more as a pastor, he’s convinced that both the church and the marketplace need more Jesus and less religion. He blogs at Studen... read more

Codifying God

from Madeleine L’Engle in Walking on Water: To be truly Christian means to see Christ everywhere, to know him as all in all. I don’t mean to water down my Christianity into a vague kind of universalism, with Buddha and Mohammed all being more or less equal to Jesus—not at all! But neither do I want to tell God (or my friends) where he can and cannot be seen! We human beings far too often tend to codify God, to feel that we know where he is and wher... read more

Heaven, Hell, and Rob Bell

LOVE WINS. from Rob Bell on Vimeo. “Some Christians are more offended by the idea of everyone going to heaven than by the idea of everyone going to hell.” - Evolving in Monkey Town, Chapter 9 If you’ve read Evolving in Monkey Town you know that some of my most serious doubts about Christianity were triggered by questions related to religious pluralism and the destiny of the un-evangelized. After witnessing the public execution of a Muslim woman from Afghanistan ... read more

Pastors Respond

So yesterday’s post struck nerve—not because it was exceptionally good or profound, but because it seems to have started a conversation that people desperately want to have, especially pastors. My inbox was flooded with heartbreaking stories from clergy members who said they tried to be honest with their congregations, only to face dire financial, emotional, and relational consequences. Many said that they long for the kind of congregation I describe, but they’ve never found ... read more

Dear Pastors - Tell Us the Truth

photo © 2010 Vinoth Chandar | more info (via: Wylio) This post was inspired by a few things: First, the brilliantly titled Epic Fail Pastors Conference, born from the question “What if we offered a space that is gutsy, hopeful, courageously vulnerable for pastors to let go of the burden to be a Super Pastor?” Second, a candid talk from David Felton at Big Tent Christianity about how pastors are often afraid to share what they are learning about the Bible and Chr... read more

Open Mic: What triggers your doubts?

photo © 2008 Paul | more info (via: Wylio) Over the next few weeks I’ll be participating in a couple of forums about faith and doubt—one at Big Tent Christianity and one at Bryan College. I’d love to share your story as well as mine, so today’s going to be a sort of open mic focused around one question: What triggers doubt in your life? Maybe it’s the sense that faith conflicts with science. Maybe it’s troubling Bible passage... read more

Seeking Harmony, not Hierarchy

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. - Mahatma Gandhi I like the Wesleyan quadrilateral—mostly because it is attributed to Wesley and not Calvin, but also because it strikes me as a helpful representation of the various ways in which we arrive at theological conclusions…or any conclusions for that matter. In fact, I’ve recently come to realize that when I’m struggling with doubts about my faith it’s... read more

The day I found out Martin Luther Hated Jews

photo © 2006 Robert Wirrmann | more info(via: Wylio) So on Saturday I learned that the great Reformer, Martin Luther, was an anti-Semite. And I mean a real, burn-down-their-houses-and-cut-off-their limbs anti-Semite. He called for violence, dismemberment, arson, expulsion, and death, and provided material that would later be used by Nazis to stir up anti-Jewish sentiment among the German people. In a book entitled On Jews and Their Lies, Luther wrote: “My ... read more

Of course doubt is a trend! (It’s just bigger than you think)

There have been some rumblings across the blogosphere recently about whether religious doubt has become a trend. With folks like me, Jason Boyett, Nick Fielder, and Drew Marshall speaking openly about our doubts, it’s easy to see how some might wonder if doubt has become just another element of “hipster Christianity,” a cool word to throw around like “authentic” or “winsome.” It may surprise you to learn that I agree that doubt is a ... read more

When Atheists and Baptists Agree

I believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and that the earth is roughly 4.5 billion years old. This position routinely puts me at odds with two groups of people—atheists and Baptists... [Read the rest on my article on the Washington Post’s religion blog]] Do you ever find yourself drawing fire from both sides of an argument after staking some middle ground?... read more

Why Can’t You Just Have More Faith?

Why can’t you just have more faith? It’s a question often posed to me by well-meaning friends and acquaintances when they learn that occasionally I wake up in the morning unsure if there is a God. With exacerbation in their voice, they urge me to stop reading so much, stop thinking so much, and stop asking so many uncomfortable questions. My doubt, they conclude, reflects a concerted act of rebellion against God that I can start or stop at will. My doubt, they say, woul... read more

Family, Friends, and Doubt: Part 1

Every week I hear from readers who have been touched in some way by Evolving in Monkey Town. One of the most common dilemmas these readers say they face is trying to navigate their doubts, questions, and new ideas in the context of their current faith communities. Several of you suggested last week we address this on the blog, so I thought I’d introduce the topic by including an excerpt from an email I recently received from Dave. Writes Dave: …For the last three... read more

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