Rachel Held Evans

God's love for us breaks every boundary. So should our love for each other.Mihee Kim-Kort is a wife, a mom, and a Presbyterian minister. And she's queer. As she became aware of her queer sexuality, Mihee wondered what that meant for her spirituality. But instead of pushing her away from God, her queerness has brought her closer to Jesus and taught her how to love better.In Outside the Lines, Mihee shows us how God, in Jesus, is oriented toward us in a queer and radical way. Through the life, work, and witness of Jesus, we see a God who loves us with a queer love. And our faith in that God becomes a queer spirituality--a spirituality that crashes through definitions and moves us outside of the categories of our making. Whenever we love ourselves and our neighbors with the boundary-breaking love of God, we live out this queer spirituality in the world.With a captivating mix of personal story and biblical analysis, Outside the Lines shows us how each of our bodies fits into the body of Christ. Outside the lines and without exceptions.

New York Times bestselling author Rachel Held Evans inspired a generation of questioning and evolving believers. This book offers a collection of her most impactful essays--in print for the first time.For a generation finding their footing in life after evangelicalism, Rachel Held Evans was one of the most trusted and beloved voices of our time. Stubborn in her hope, courageous in her questions, and devoted to inclusivity, her online writing was a sanctuary to the millions who read her words daily. Her death to a sudden illness in 2019 invoked a global outpouring of stories of her legacy and influence.Today, her words still speak, and now for the first time, fans old and new can experience her most viral and enduring essays in print. Braving the Truth is an anthology and keepsake collection letting readers borrow the bravery Rachel was best known for. Edited by New York Times bestselling author and Rachel's dear friend Sarah Bessey, and interspersed with reflections from Matthew Paul Turner, Shauna Niequist, Lisa Sharon Harper, Glennon Doyle, and more, this special volume tackles topics such as: "An Evolving Faith: " On doubt, asking questions, and liberation from certainty"That Unholy American Trinity: " On patriarchy, white supremacy, and religious nationalism"Casseroles and Kingdom of the Hungry: " On the church"All right, then, I'll go to hell: " On gender and sexuality"Still a Bible Nerd: " On Scripture, biblical literalism, and a better wayand more"If you want to understand the Church today, you need to understand Rachel Held Evans," so writes Sarah Bessey. Thoughtful yet down-to-earth, immediate and timeless, this essay collection is a gift from the past to bring into the future--a treasury to revitalize, validate, embolden, and return to again and again.

New York Times Bestseller“A touching series of essays in which Evans, with Chu’s invisible pen, explores how one might find a path forward in Christianity beyond conservative evangelicalism” -Eliza Griswold, The New Yorker“Evans died at 37, but a beautiful new book captures her brave outlook. . . . I could not help but notice the poetry in Evans’s prose. . . . What readers will find in these pages was someone deeply human: funny, irreverent, curious, wise, forgiving, nonjudgmental.” -Maggie Smith, The Washington PostA collection of original writings by Rachel Held Evans, whose reflections on faith and life continue to encourage, challenge, and influence. Rachel Held Evans is widely recognized for her theologically astute, profoundly honest, and beautifully personal books, which have guided, instructed, edified, and shaped Christians as they seek to live out a just and loving faith.At the time of her tragic death in 2019, Rachel was working on a new book about wholeheartedness. With the help of her close friend and author Jeff Chu, that work-in-progress has been woven together with some of her other unpublished writings into a rich collection of essays that ask candid questions about the stories we’ve been told—and the stories we tell—about our faith, our selves, and our world.This book is for the doubter and the dreamer, the seeker and the sojourner, those who long for a sense of spiritual wholeness as well as those who have been hurt by the Church but can’t seem to let go of the story of Jesus. Through theological reflection and personal recollection, Rachel wrestles with God’s grace and love, looks unsparingly at what the Church is and does, and explores universal human questions about becoming and belonging. An unforgettable, moving, and intimate book.

The late, beloved Rachel Held Evans answers many children's first question about God in this gorgeous picture book, fully realized by her friend Matthew Paul Turner, the bestselling author of When God Made You. Children who are introduced to God, through attending church or having loved ones who speak often about God, often have a lot of questions, including this ever-popular one: What is God like? The late Rachel Held Evans loved the Bible and loved showing God's love through the words and pictures found in that ancient text. Through these pictures from the Bible, children see that God is like a shepherd, God is like a star, God is like a gardener, God is like the wind, and more. God is a comforter and support. And whenever a child is unsure, What is God Like? encourages young hearts to 'think about what makes you feel safe, what makes you feel loved, and what makes you feel brave. That's what God is like.' PRODUCT FEATURE: Jacketed hardcover, full colour illustrations throughout. HOW THIS BOOK CAME ABOUT: In May 2019, the world was shocked by the sudden loss of 37-year-old Rachel Held Evans, a New York Times bestselling author, prominent blogger, and popular preacher and speaker. Her obituary was covered in The New York Times, The Atlantic,and The New Yorker, by CNN, and NPR, and across many other media outlets, creating an outpouring of grief over social media. Rachel left behind her husband, Dan, and two young children, ages 3 and 1. Since becoming a mother, Rachel was captivated by how she would share her faith in God--one that openly expressed so much doubt and questions--with her children. She had drafted What is God Like? in the weeks before she fell into a coma. Convergent author Matthew Paul Turner was a close friend of Rachel's, and was invited by her family to help flesh out her conversation about God, for children, in this book. INFLUENTIAL LAUNCH: Rachel's circle of friends includes a wide range of thinkers and influencers like Sarah Bessey, Nadia Bolz-Weber, Jen Hatmaker, Ann Voskamp, Glennon Doyle, Kate Bowler, Mike McHargue, Kristen Howerton, Rob Bell, and many others. For her previous books, Rachel was featured in The Washington Post, The Guardian, Christianity Today, Slate, Huff Post, and the CNN Belief Blog, and on NPR, BBC, Today, and The View. WIDE ECUMENICAL APPEAL: Rachel appeals to many from different religious perspectives and this book represents a broad position on God that doesn't conform to one theological channel. SOCIAL MEDIA: Rachel's legacy continues online on Facebook (123K followers) with active posting and engagement, Twitter (167K followers), and her website where her blogs are archived. Matthew has a Twitter following of 81.3K followers and an Instagram following of 16.2K. PUBLICITY: Dan Evans has represented Rachel and her interests since she passed, including at the Evolving Faith Conference, on Today.com, and on The New York Times podcast The Daily. Both Dan and Matthew will be available for book publicity.

Kan Bibelen gi oss fasiten på livets mange spørsmål? Hva mener vi med å si at Bibelen er inspirert? Som ungdom strevde Rachel Held Evans med slike tanker. Hun kunne ikke lenger godta de enkle svarene hun hadde møtt i oppveksten. I boken Inspirert forteller hun hvordan en ny bibelforståelse vokste fram, slik at Bibelen igjen ble aktuell og inspirerende for henne. I dialog med kjente bibelforskere reflekterer hun over en rekke bibelfortellinger og kler dem med sitt varierte språk og vekslende dramaturgi. Hun går ikke utenom historier som er vanskelige å forstå, enten det er krigshistorier, Jobs lidelse eller Jesu mirakler. Begeistringen for Bibelen gjennomsyrer hele boken: Når du slutter å prøve å presse Bibelen til å være noe den ikke er - statisk, uomtvistelig, skråsikker, absolutt - så er du også fri til å gi deg hen til det den er: levende, forbløffende, overraskende, og ja, kanskje til og med magisk. Forord av Merete Thomassen.

Bestseller del New York Times - Un libro que es tanto una sincera oda al pasado como una mirada esperanzada hacia el futuro de lo que significa ser parte de la Iglesia -Como miles de sus compa eras y compa eros millennials, Rachel Held Evans ya no quer a ir a la iglesia. La hipocres a, la pol tica, los gigantescos presupuestos de construcci n, los esc ndalos: la cultura de la iglesia le parec a alejada de Jes s. Sin embargo, a pesar de su cinismo y recelos, algo la atra a de nuevo a la iglesia. As es como emprendi un viaje para comprender y encontrar su lugar en ella. Centrada en siete sacramentos, la b squeda de Evans lleva a los lectores a trav s de un a o lit rgico con historias sobre el bautismo, la comuni n, la confirmaci n, la confesi n, el matrimonio, la vocaci n y la muerte, que son divertidas, desgarradoras y muy honestas. Un libro de memorias sobre arregl rselas y tomar riesgos, sobre el desorden de la comunidad y el poder de la gracia, Buscar el Domingo se trata de superar el cinismo para encontrar esperanza y, en alg n punto intermedio, a la Iglesia.

Are you rapture ready?As a teenager in the buckle of the Bible Belt, Zack Hunt was convinced the rapture would happen at any moment. Being ready meant never missing church, never sinning, and always listening to Christian radio.But when the rapture didn't happen, Hunt's tightly wound faith began to fray. If he had been wrong about the rapture, what else about his faith might not hold water?Part memoir, part tour of the apocalypse, and part call to action, Unraptured traces how the church's focus on escaping to heaven has it mired in decay. Teetering on the brink of irrelevancy in a world rocked by refugee crises, climate change, war and rumors of war, the church cannot afford to focus on the end times instead of following Jesus in the here and now. Unraptured uses these signs of the times to help readers reorient their understanding of the gospel around loving and caring for the least of these.

Are you rapture ready?As a teenager in the buckle of the Bible Belt, Zack Hunt was convinced the rapture would happen at any moment. Being ready meant never missing church, never sinning, and always listening to Christian radio.But when the rapture didn't happen, Hunt's tightly wound faith began to fray. If he had been wrong about the rapture, what else about his faith might not hold water?Part memoir, part tour of the apocalypse, and part call to action, Unraptured traces how the church's focus on escaping to heaven has it mired in decay. Teetering on the brink of irrelevancy in a world rocked by refugee crises, climate change, war and rumors of war, the church cannot afford to focus on the end times instead of following Jesus in the here and now. Unraptured uses these signs of the times to help readers reorient their understanding of the gospel around loving and caring for the least of these.

A progressive Christian parenting book with a social-justice orientationHow do we build a better world? One key way, says Cindy Wang Brandt, is by learning to raise our children with justice, mercy, and kindness.In Parenting Forward Brandt equips Christian parents to model a way of following Jesus that has an outward focus, putting priority on loving others, avoiding judgment, and helping those in need. She shows how parents must work on dismantling their own racial, cultural, gender, economic, and religious biases in order to avoid passing them on to their children. "By becoming aware of the complex ways we participate in systems of inequal-ity or hierarchy," she says, "we begin to resist systemic injustice ourselves, empower our children, and change our communities."

Same-sex marriage may be legal in America, but its still far from the accepted norm, especially in Christian circles. So where can LBGTQ Christians who desire a lifelong, covenantal relationship look for dating and marriage advice when Christian relationship guides have not only simply ignored but actively excluded same-sex couples?David and Constantino Khalaf struggled to find relational role models and guidance throughout dating, their engagement, and the early months of their marriage. To fill this void, they began writing Modern Kinship, a blog exploring the unique challenges queer couples face on the road from singleness to marital bliss. Part personal reflection, part commentary, and full of practical advice, Modern Kinship explores the biblical concept of kinship from a twenty-first-century perspective. This important resource tackles subjects such as dating outside of smartphone apps, overcoming church and family issues, meeting your partners parents, deciding when and how to have children, and finding your mission as a couple. Modern Kinship encourages queer Christian couples to build God-centered partnerships of trust and mutuality.

If the Bible isn't a science book or an instruction manual, what is it? What do people mean when they say the Bible is inspired? When New York Times bestselling author Rachel Held Evans found herself asking these questions, she embarked on a journey to better understand what the Bible is and how it's meant to be read. What she discovered changed her--and it can change you, too.Evans knows firsthand how a relationship with the Bible can be as real and as complicated as a relationship with a family member or close friend. In Inspired, Evans explores contradictions and questions from her own experiences with the Bible, including:If the Bible was supposed to explain the mysteries of life, why does it leave the reader with so many questions?What does it mean to be chosen by God?To what degree did the Holy Spirit guide the preservation of these narratives, and is there something sacred to be uncovered beneath all these human fingerprints?If the Bible has given voice to the oppressed, why is it also used as justification by their oppressors? Drawing on the best in biblical scholarship and using her well-honed literary expertise, Evans examines some of our favorite Bible stories and possible interpretations, retelling them through memoir, original poetry, short stories, and even a short screenplay.Undaunted by the Bible's most difficult passages and unafraid to ask the hard questions, Evans wrestles through the process of doubting, imagining, and debating the mysteries surrounding Scripture. Discover alongside Evans that the Bible is not a static text, but a living, breathing, captivating, and confounding book that can equip us and inspire us to join God's loving and redemptive work in the world.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERFind hope and grace when you are feeling cynical about the church and faith.Are you struggling to connect with your church community? Do you find yourself questioning the core beliefs that you once held dear? Searching for Sunday, from New York Times bestselling author Rachel Held Evans is a heartfelt ode to the past and a hopeful gaze into the future of what it means to be a part of the modern church.Like millions of her millennial peers, Rachel Held Evans didn't want to go to church anymore. The hypocrisy, the politics, the gargantuan building budgets, the scandals--to her, it was beginning to feel like church culture was too far removed from Jesus. Yet, despite her cynicism and misgivings, something kept drawing Evans back to church.Evans found herself wanting to better understand the church and find her place within it, so she set out on a new adventure. Within the pages of Searching for Sunday, Evans catalogs her journey as she loves, leaves, and finds the church once again. Evans tells the story of her faith through the lens of seven sacraments of the Catholic church--baptism, confession, holy orders, communion, confirmation, the anointing of the sick, and marriage--to teach us the essential truths about what she's learned along the way, including:Faith isn't just meant to be believed, it's meant to be lived and shared in communityChristianity isn't a kingdom for the worthy--it's a kingdom for the hungry, the broken, and the imperfectThe countless and beautiful ways that God shows up in the ordinary parts of our daily lives Searching for Sunday will help you unpack the messiness of community, teaching us that by overcoming our cynicism, we can all find hope, grace, love, and, somewhere in between, church.

From New York Times bestselling author Rachel Held Evans: a must-read for anyone on the journey of doubt, deconstruction, and ultimately faith reborn.Eighty years after the Scopes Monkey Trial made a spectacle of Christian fundamentalism and brought national attention to her hometown, Rachel Held Evans faced a trial of her own when she began to have doubts about her faith.In Faith Unraveled, Rachel recounts growing up in a culture obsessed with apologetics, struggling as her own faith unraveled one unexpected question at a time.In order for her faith to survive, Rachel realizes, it must adapt to change and evolve. Using as an illustration her own spiritual journey from certainty to doubt to faith, Evans challenges you to disentangle your faith from false fundamentals and to trust in a God who is big enough to handle your tough questions.In a changing cultural environment where new ideas seem to threaten the safety and security of the faith, Faith Unraveled is a profoundly moving, fearlessly honest, and relentlessly hopeful story of survival.This book was previously titled Evolving in Monkey Town.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERHave you ever wondered what God truly expects of women? Is there really a prescription for biblical womanhood? Does the Bible's idea of womanhood have a place in modern Christianity? New York Times bestselling author Rachel Held Evans embarks on a year-long study of what it means to live by the standards of biblical womanhood. Strong-willed and independent, Evans couldn't sew a button on a blouse before she embarked on a radical life experiment--a year of biblical womanhood. Intrigued by the traditionalist resurgence that led many of her friends to abandon their careers to assume traditional gender roles in the home, Evans decided to try it for herself, vowing to take all of the Bible's instructions for women as literally as possible for a full year.Along the way, Evans explores the rich heritage of scriptural heroines, models of grace, and all-around women of valor that we come to know in the Bible. She consults with women who practice these ancient biblical mandates in their own lives--from an Orthodox Jewish woman who changed the way Evans reads the Bible to an Amish community that taught her the true meaning of modesty.In A Year of Biblical Womanhood, Evans shares her courageous and often humorous journey of:exploring what a "woman's place" is according to the Scripturesapplying the Bible's teachings to day-to-day life, sometimes to literal extremesfocusing on virtues like domesticity, obedience, beauty, submission, and gracedeveloping a "Biblical Woman's Ten Commandments" to serve as a guide for daily living Join Evans as she dives deep into the lives of the women we meet in Scripture and redefines what it means to live biblically.