In April 2019, Rachel Held Evans caught the flu. It was a particularly nasty sort and she needed hospitalization to help fight it.
Within a couple of weeks, she was dead.
Her family lives in Tennessee, a world away from where I live. But she was an author, like me, and her writing inspires my faith.
She was also 37 – not much older than me. She leaves behind a husband and an achingly-young family (two children under the age of five). I feel the need to remember her here, and to share a bit of her story.
Rachel Held Evans was not afraid to ask questions. She grew up as an evangelical Christian, went to Bible college and was “exceptionally prepared” to defend the faith. But her confident views began to shake as her probing, skeptical eye turned to Christianity and discovered unsettling things about what she had been taught. This led to a real faith crisis, and she took her readers on that journey. She studied, questioned, delved deep. She shared her doubts and came to terms with the idea of a messy Christianity, defined by grace and truth. She helped women, leaders of colour, and LGTBQ people gain a voice in church community.
Rachel had so much to say, so much that challenged the Christian community to the point of being uncomfortable. She certainly has made me feel uncomfortable at times, but I have also found comfort in her words. Her book Searching for Sunday has given me hope in a time when church has been difficult for me. I’m currently seeking out the other three books she wrote, because I believe I have an awful lot to learn about Jesus from her. She certainly knew the gospel’s command to love thy neighbour as yourself.
So I honour Rachel Held Evans today. I pray for her family, and I strongly recommend you look into her life’s work: be brave, get uncomfortable, and be changed.