rachel held evans evolving in monkey town

As she chatted with people after her talk or interacted with people on her blog and on social media, I could see clearly that she was a pastor. Rachel’s reach was far and wide, and when she talked to anyone in person, she had that same easy, light disposition. And afterward, she continued to be a deeply loyal advocate for me - of my work, my writing, my struggling and my journey.īut she wasn't just an advocate for me. There, Rachel was so present with me, as if we had known each other forever. I had been invited - miraculously, it seemed - to participate as one of the speakers. Rachel maintained this posture of openness not only in her writing but also in person, something I discovered in September 2015 when we met as she convened at the first Why Christian conference. I look forward to sharing my own ideas, and I look forward to hearing from you. So instead, I would like this little spot on the Web to serve as a sort of traveler’s forum, a place for exchanging adventure stories, survival tips, and those priceless hole-in-the-wall recommendations that make a journey memorable. Spiritual pride is always a temptation for the believer, and I sincerely hope it is avoided on this blog. Her first post exudes the same humility and compassion I have so admired in her, a desire for learning and journeying that continues throughout the blog: With a background in literature and a professional vocation in journalism, Rachel began to blog as a way to work out her faith and life. I clicked the inaugural post and read her first words - tearfully, because they were so familiar. As I perused her website this week after her death May 4, 2019, at age 37, I saw that her archives go back to 2007. The year was 2010, when I was struggling to make sense of theological, social and political discrepancies and the church’s seemingly increasing irrelevance. Like so many Christians, I first encountered Rachel through her blog. These are the words at the end of the introduction of Rachel Held Evans’ first book, “Evolving in Monkey Town” (later reissued as “Faith Unraveled”).

It’s the story of how I evolved in an unlikely environment, a little place called Monkey Town. It’s not a pretty story, or even a finished story. It’s not about the answers I found but about the questions I asked, questions I suspect you might be asking too. It’s about moving from certainty, through doubt, to faith.

Rachel held evans evolving in monkey town