I first discovered the blog of Rachel Held Evans last year through her agent’s blog. The title of her debut book, Evolving in Monkey Town, caught my attention. It takes courage to admit here in the south that you have doubts where the Christian faith is concerned. Where voting Democratic makes others question your eternal salvation it can mean stares, gossip and “well bless her heart” behind your back. (For those not from the south a ‘bless her heart’ isn’t always an encouraging phrase.)
While I may not always personally agree with some of her posts they do always make me think and I have learned a great deal.
Having been raised in a conservative Christian home & the southern town famous for the Scopes Monkey Trial, Rachel begins to wonder how a woman born into Islam could be executed & spend eternity in hell all because she wasn’t born into a “Christian” nation. This thought sent her to questioning God & ultimately realizing that doubting God & doubting what we believe about God are very different. Let’s face it most of what we believe about God comes from other people.
Rachel’s memoir of her season of doubt doesn’t condemn conservative believers but rather shows her inward struggle with seemingly contradictory scriptures among other aspects of the faith. I appreciate her approach. It’s been my experience you never get anywhere if you put anyone on the defensive about their faith. Or any of their beliefs for that matter.
Evolving in Monkey Town is a refreshing read during a time when my generation is realizing that in the end it comes down to loving God & loving others. Rachel helps us realize it’s okay to ask questions & to not have the answers.
Thank you to Zondervan Publishing and Rachel Held Evans for providing me with a copy of Evolving in Monkey Town to review. As with all my reviews this is my honest opinion.
