Laura Zielke
Menu
  • 🧭 Compass
  • 📖 Bible Study
  • ✒️ Blog
  • 📕&🎬 Reviews
  • ❣️ Favorites
  • ⬇️ Downloads
  • 📲 Contact
Menu
Book Review: Inspired by Rachel Held Evans

Rachel Held Evans: More than Inspired

Posted on May 4, 2019June 17, 2019 by Laura Zielke

When I learned of Rachel Held Evans’ untimely passing this afternoon, my heart broke. It broke for her husband. It broke for her toddler and baby. And it broke for the world.

Our world is hurting, and an increasing number of Christians are awaking to the fact that their most sacred compilation of documents (a.k.a. the Bible) has been misappropriated for centuries to justify antisemitism, slavery, genocide, abuse, and more.

Rachel Held Evans

Unwilling to abandon the faith, many search for answers from those who have gone before them. Those who have not only deconstructed their faith, but also re-constructed it on a more firm foundation than bibliolatry.

Rachel Held Evans was a woman on a mission. She decided to share her faith journey publicly via her blog, then books, then speaking engagements. Her wish for any discussion that would ensue was simple:

“May it be lively. May it be civil.  And may it honor the One who prayed that our unity would reflect the sweet harmony of the Trinity…because the world indeed is watching.”  

Rachel Held Evans

As Rachel re-evaluated her conservative religious beliefs in light of modern biblical scholarship, she was transparent with her doubts and courageous in finding ways to follow Jesus wholeheartedly amidst criticism from all sides.

Rachel's voice still matters, and the impact of her words will inform faith discussions for generations. Click To Tweet
Click to buy Inspired by Rachel Held Evans
Click to purchase

Rachel Held Evans was a gifted writer whose faith journey mirrored my own, though she was more brave than I. She skillfully, articulately, and publicly detailed her struggles with the fundamentalist approach to Scripture on her blog, in her books, and everywhere she was invited to speak.

Being a woman Bible scholar in such a divisive world, she endured incredible cyber-bullying from hyper-evangelicals who—even while she was laying in the hospital in a medically induced coma—arrogantly tweeted their condemnation of her views and “prayers” for her salvation. Unreal.

If you’re struggling to hold on to your faith or curious about why people rely on ancient writings to inform their 21st century decisions, I’d like to recommend that you read Rachel’s most recent NYT Best Seller, Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again. It’s well-written, easy to understand, and filled with insights that will inform your understanding of the Bible.

You might disagree with her perspective; however, I challenge you to read it anyway. If you only read books written by authors who affirm what you already believe, you could be missing out on important conversations which can deepen and inform your faith. I highly recommend it.


Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The above Rachel Held Evans quote was excerpted from Heaven, Hell, and Rob Bell on her blog.

Facebook Comments
Facebooktwitterlinkedininstagramflickrfoursquaremail

You might also be interested in:

🔎 SEARCH SITE 🔍

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors

🗂️ CATEGORIES 🗂️

  • Book & Movie Reviews
  • Journey to Authenticity
  • Favorite Resources
  • Journey Notes (Random)
  • Journey through the Bible
  • Devotionals & Downloads
  • Journey into Ministry
  • Scholarly Articles (locked)

📚 Currently Reading 📚

Currently Reading

Recently Reviewed

📝 RECENT POSTS 📝

  • Book Review: “The 1619 Project: Born on the Water” by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renée Smith
  • Book Review: “Sweet Potato or Pumpkin Pie” by William T. Lewis, Sr.
  • Book Review: The Power of Thank You by Joyce Meyer
  • “All Things Lovely” by Jenn Johnson
  • You Are the Brand by Mike Kim
  • Joan Garry’s Guide to Nonprofit Leadership, 2nd Edition
  • Bible Review: Holy Land Illustrated Bible
  • Actions > Words.

✨ INSTAGRAM ✨ 

Posted @withregram • @nativelandnet #YouAreOnNativeLand Powerful image. Posted @withregram • @susandavid_phd We all have those days (or weeks) when everything just feels wrong. So true. I love the Lab because the members are amazing humans who are changing the world! Posted @withregram • @harriet_lerner “Abortion is a sensitive issue for a lot of people. There are strong feelings about what others should and shouldn't do, what's "reasonable" or too far in terms of laws. But we're not talking about feelings. This is about sending doctors to prison, about the government forcing people to submit to pregnancy and childbirth against their will.” Image says, “ Forgo the Empire. Build yourself a blanket fort. Confidence. A life.” Posted @withregram • @melaninmajority Celebrate your freedom & privileges each & every day. Happy Juneteenth! ♥️💚🖤💪🏾 In honor of Juneteenth, I'd like to recommend a new book to those who are interested in the history of the United States and also offer an entry point for understanding why critical race theory is important to healing our country.⁣

❣️ FAVORITE TOPICS ❣️

Acts arrest Authenticity Barnabas betrayal Bible book review brave Call to Ministry coloring crucifixion denial devotional Doing hard things early church Evangelism Gethsemane Hellenists hermeneutics Holy Spirit Holy Week idolatry Jesus Leadership Luke Mark miracle Passion Paul Pentecost Personality Pesher Peter prayer prophecy Racism Resurrection Salvation Sanhedrin Second Temple Spiritual Disciplines spiritual growth Stephen women Women in Leadership

🐧 PENGUINS 🐧

Facebook 815Fans
Twitter 519Followers
Instagram 823Followers
Post 221Post

LEGAL STUFF

Privacy Policy
Disclaimer

LEGAL STUFF

Privacy Policy
Disclaimer

WHAT I’M READING

Currently Reading

Recently Reviewed

Recent Posts

  • Book Review: “The 1619 Project: Born on the Water” by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renée Smith June 19, 2022
  • Book Review: “Sweet Potato or Pumpkin Pie” by William T. Lewis, Sr. May 21, 2022
  • Book Review: The Power of Thank You by Joyce Meyer March 26, 2022
  • “All Things Lovely” by Jenn Johnson December 9, 2021
  • You Are the Brand by Mike Kim July 13, 2021
© 2016-2019 A2Z Marketing. All rights reserved. Questions? Comments? Write to laura@a2z-marketing.com