Tell me why the world is weird

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Link Roundup of Posts Honoring Rachel Held Evans

Artwork of Rachel Held Evans with a halo like a saint. Image source.

Over the past week and a half, we have been grieving for Rachel Held Evans. Many of us have written posts to honor her and talk about the impact she had on the church and on our lives. I'm gathering as many of those posts as I can here. If you wrote a post for her, send me your link.

The Legacy of Rachel Held Evans (Wild Witch Woman)
Why Rachel Held Evans Still Reads Like a Prophet (James F. McGrath)

Another site that's also collecting tons of posts for her: Because of R.H.E. This is organized by TJ Luoma, and I'd like to thank him for doing it. I copied some of these links from his site and I want to give him credit for doing the work of finding them.

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If you wish to write a personal card or letter to Rachel's family, please send it to:

The Evans Family
c/o Chaffee Management
5020 Burke Trail
Nolensville, TN
37135 USA

We will get those letters and cards to them at the right time. #PrayForRHE #BecauseOfRHE
— Sarah Bessey (@sarahbessey) 2019年5月6日

For all who loved @rachelheldevans, let's give generously. Her children are 1 and 3. Her husband is now a single father. Let's remove the financial stress of what is already an absolutely devastating loss. Let's help Dan focus on raising these two kids. https://t.co/t8yPVWYHv5
— Kristen Howerton (@kristenhowerton) 2019年5月4日

If the link in the above tweet doesn't work, click here to go to the gofundme.

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If you have posted a blog post/ youtube video/ whatever to honor Rachel, leave a comment with the link and I will add it to this post.

Monday, May 13, 2019

She was the first (Thank you, Rachel)

Photo of Rachel Held Evans. Image source.

I first started reading Rachel Held Evans's blog sometime around 2010. I remember thinking, "Wait, so, is she a Christian or not?" She confused and fascinated me, because I was a good evangelical and I had never heard anyone talk the way she did. And I couldn't stop reading.

I said, "She's asking the questions we all wanted to ask but didn't know how."

Before this, I knew how to categorize people. Real Christians, fake Christians, and non-Christians. The real Christians all had to adhere to a certain set of beliefs, because those were the things the bible clearly said. The fake Christians, I could tell because they would say things like "I believe God wants me to be happy" and I knew the correct Christian answers to why that wasn't true, why that was a wishy-washy liberal morally-relativistic feel-good [all of these are bad words, to an evangelical] distortion of Christianity. And non-Christians, well obviously I can identify them because they tell me they believe something else that's not Christianity.

But Rachel I couldn't put into any of these categories. She knew how to talk like an evangelical. She knew the bible. She knew all the correct apologetics answers. But she said things that "real Christians" weren't allowed to say. She questioned the "correct answers." She knew all the reasons that, apparently, God has to send most people to hell, and women have to submit to men, and gay people should just try harder to be straight, but she said "wait, isn't that terrible?" (But she said it in much better words than that.) Because she had a heart. She had compassion. So she studied more, studied the bible, ancient Roman culture, the history of American evangelicals' hermeneutic. She wrote about it on her blog, in a way that was accessible for a broad audience. She reviewed books. She interviewed experts. And she showed us it's just not true that "the bible is clear."

She was the first. She was the first one I ever heard suggest that "the bible is clear" is not true. Before this, I thought that good Christians believe all the correct things the bible clearly says, and bad Christians reject some of those things because they don't trust God enough, or have some shady motives like "putting your emotions above God's word." She was the first to show me there are other ways to be a Christian.

I particularly remember this post she published in 2013: Is abolition "biblical"? It was about the striking similarities between biblical arguments over slavery 150 years ago and over LGBTQ rights now. The pro-slavery side accused abolitionists of abandoning God's word and being carried away by their unreliable emotions... which sounds very familiar to those of us who have argued with Christians about LGBTQ rights.

And her "Ask A..." series, where she would bring in a guest from some specific group (ask an atheist, ask a gay Christian, etc) and they would answer questions. Just allowing someone who's different from me to have the space to explain, in their own words, who they are and what they value... and just listening. That was all new to me. Before, when I was a good evangelical, everything was stereotypes and strawmen. We knew that non-Christians all "have a God-shaped hole in their heart." We knew that Christianity was unique among all religions because those other religions are about how to earn one's way to heaven, but in Christianity Jesus already did the work and we just have to "have a personal relationship" with him. How did I know those things, back when I was a good evangelical? Why, because other Christians told me, of course! Did we ever actually ask a real live non-Christian what they actually believed? Nope! (Or rather, to the extent that we did, it was only so we could better tailor our evangelism efforts. We didn't listen because we cared; we listened because we wanted to convince them to change.)

All I knew about people outside the "real Christian" category was whatever biased, dehumanizing stereotypes the "real Christians" told me. And I never even realized how wrong that was. Rachel was the first person to show me that loving people means actually listening to them.

(And I don't believe in judging who is a "real Christian" or a "fake Christian" anymore.)

In 2012, I was thinking about starting my own blog. Because I wanted to ask questions too, like Rachel. I wanted to be honest about some of the messed-up stories we find in the bible. I wanted the freedom to say I don't agree with the "correct" Christian answers. (But at the same time, I saw how Rachel responded to criticism on her blog, and I thought, "no, I can't start a blog, because I could never be as kind as she is.") Well, as you might have noticed, I DID start a blog, and now here we are.

And I've come so far and changed so much since then. I'd like to thank Rachel for her impact on my life all those years ago. Because she was the first to show me it's okay to not believe all the "correct Christian answers."

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Related:
#BecauseOfRHE (Tweet Roundup)
Link Roundup of Posts Honoring Rachel Held Evans
Modifying My Faith Because of Doubt

Thursday, May 9, 2019

Blogaround

1. The Final Scene of Avengers: Endgame Is More Than Worthy (posted May 1) [content note: spoilers for "Avengers: Endgame"] About Captain America.

2. Hell is a slander against God, and against the victims of evil (posted April 2) "But note what doesn’t happen in this story. Jesus does not pursue the money-changers out into the streets and start beating them until every drop of blood drawn by their usury is repaid by another drawn by his whip."

3. This Woman Couldn’t Tell Her Parents Why She Nearly Died Because of Their Faith (posted May 5)

4. Marvel Movies ranked by if there are trains in them (posted May 6) "Iron Man 2- -100/10. No trains, negative 100 points for a cameo by train-hater Elon Musk"

5. Porn Causes Depression … But Only When People Believe It’s Sinful (posted May 7) "I remember the moment I came closest to breaking up with my now-husband. It was when I found out that he watched porn. I remember sitting there, in shock. I literally could not think of anything worse."

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

#BecauseOfRHE (Tweet Roundup)

Rachel Held Evans, the Hugely Popular Christian Writer Who Challenged the Evangelical Establishment, Is Dead at 37

I can't believe it. Rachel was so important to so many of us. On hearing this awful news, we took to Twitter to mourn and honor her.

I've gathered a bunch of tweets here, to show how much of an impact she had, how many lives she changed. Ex-evangelicals, progressive Christians, queer Christians, female pastors, and so on. So many people tweeting about how much she meant to us.

I will sow the seed I have received. Thank you @rachelheldevans. I’m still a Christian thanks to you. Your legacy includes the thousands of young girls who know God doesn’t hate them.
— Alex Further Faster (@AlexandriaBeig4) 2019年5月4日

Rachel Held Evans touched so many lives and paved a way for women in ministry in a way that will go down in history. She opened up my eyes to the idea that I could be in leadership too and further that God could handle any doubt or struggles I had about him
— triple shot (@shivonnejanae) 2019年5月4日

I had the privilege of talking with Rachel in 2016 after seeing her speak at University of Notre Dame. She called me a woman of valor. I think about it often. Rachel changed my life and the lives of so many—praying for her and her family. https://t.co/e9eCAaNvoX
— Hannah Evans (@hannahschaef) 2019年5月4日

#RHE challenged Evangelicalism. The sexism, racism, and patriarchy. She was what the church needs. 💔
— Kate Tapley Doesn’t Seem 5’9” On the Internet (@tapley_kate) 2019年5月4日

#BecauseofRHE I had permission to explore LGBTQ+ affirming theology & eventually come out as bisexual. She was one of the first affirming Christians I encountered in my research, & her loud support is directly tied to who I am today.
— Carissa Nicole Winn🌔 (@Carissa12Nicole) 2019年5月4日

I never met Rachel but I know how many people are here because she refused to be silenced by those in the church who desire power and control above all.

Thankful for her light and her voice. Sending all my love to her family and friends. ♥️
— Tori Williams Douglass (@ToriGlass) 2019年5月4日

Rachel opened the door that allowed so many of us to leave spiritually abusive places, and she still loved us no matter where we ended up. I didn't even know leaving church was an option until I started reading her blog years ago. https://t.co/UJuySuJqA7
— Ms. Charlotte (@charlotteirene8) 2019年5月4日

Rachel was the first affirming Christian I ever encountered, and is one of the reasons I eventually became affirming. Even in the face of criticism and cruelty she did not stop defending us. https://t.co/bsALbaz43N
— Ms. Charlotte (@charlotteirene8) 2019年5月4日

omg yes. Rachel's book A Year of Biblical Womanhood was banned from some Christian bookstore chains because she used the word "vagina". That's when I realized Christian bookstores were full of shit. https://t.co/V41XfefJgr
— Ms. Charlotte (@charlotteirene8) 2019年5月5日

#becauseofRHE The door she opened for me by saying it's okay to be angry at the church and it's okay to leave, led to a thousand other open doors and new pathways that created who I am now: a queer Christian woman who no longer fears the white cisheteropatriarchy. 💜
— Ms. Charlotte (@charlotteirene8) 2019年5月5日

What a loss to decent people everywhere. She was smart. She was fearless. She was the embodiment of the love of Christ. I am heartbroken for all of us whom she impacted and especially for her family.
— Keepin’ it real with Uncle Ed (@edrowell) 2019年5月4日

It’s not fair. I am so heartbroken for Rachel Held Evans and her family. She helped my faith more than any other public figure :(
— K. Elizabeth (@mercyandmagic) 2019年5月4日

I’ve been crying on and off all day in front of people at church, trying to describe what an impact RHE has had in the lives of so many. (They are so gentle & kind.) I keep going back to the fact that evangelicalism kills people... and Rachel? She was a healer. A spiritual medic.
— bisexu-mel (@pneumajustice) 2019年5月4日

She truly saved lives and souls. We need to carry her spark forward. 😔
— p❌ul (@jedip13) 2019年5月4日

I was just listening to our podcast together when the update came out. Prayers for her family. Rest for her body. Blessed are we who lived at the same time as such a woman as she. #PrayforRHE
— Kevin Miguel García. (@theKevinGarcia_) 2019年5月4日

#becauseofRHE I stopped writing from my open, bleeding heart wounds. She told me to write from my scars, after healing. I’ve tried keeping to that.

Woman of Valor.
— Kevin Miguel García. (@theKevinGarcia_) 2019年5月5日

Rachel Held Evans’ writings reached me while I was a student at Moody Bible Institute and desperately needed someone to throw me a life preserver to help get me out of fundamentalist evangelicalism. She offered that to me. Rest in peace, Rachel. #prayforRHE pic.twitter.com/8VRuG4EeKw
— Emily Joy (@emilyjoypoetry) 2019年5月4日

I was JUST talking about this series in the car earlier, it was one of my favorites she did and helped me learn what it really looked like to practice just LISTENING to people, something I very unsurprisingly didn’t learn at home or church or bible college https://t.co/Xz5pkDBRpj
— Emily Joy (@emilyjoypoetry) 2019年5月5日

#becauseofRHE I first started exploring Side A theology, which has led to me being in a wonderful, loving, gay relationship. I'm able to be myself and live my best life because of her opening my eyes.
— Michelle (@saltyswallow) 2019年5月4日

Devastated to hear of the passing of my friend, Rachel Held Evans. Rachel was such a mentor to me when I was just a baby feminist blogger. I'm out of words right now.
— Dianna E. Anderson 🏳️‍🌈 (@diannaeanderson) 2019年5月4日

Rachel Held Evans gave me permission to be angry with the Church and eventually brought me back to the Church after years of believing I could never come back.

I’m so thankful for her life & ministry.
— Bailey Jo Welch-Pomerantz (@BaileyJoWelch) 2019年5月4日

Rachel Held Evans was one of my first introductions to feminism and progressive Christianity.

She was a major influence on my journey out of fundamentalist Christianity and to a healthier, happier place. It's heartbreaking to hear that she's gone. #RIPRHE
— Superenby! (@MorganL666) 2019年5月4日

Without RHE, it's very possible I would still be a miserable, repressed bi enby trying to be a Good Christian Woman TM.
— Superenby! (@MorganL666) 2019年5月4日

Every time I was invited to something Rachel was a part of, I knew I'd be okay if she was in the room. She radiated kindness. She stood up for people when they were treated badly. I don't think I'll ever forget what a great laugh she had. I can't believe she's gone.
— Austen Hartke (@AustenLionheart) 2019年5月4日

I’m thinking about the *countless* women who are now pastors or are seeking to become pastors because of Rachel.
— Mason Mennenga (@masonmennenga) 2019年5月4日

I remember being a freshman in college, petrified I was literally the only Christian in the world having serious doubts about my faith and then I stumbled across Searching for Sunday.
— Mason Mennenga (@masonmennenga) 2019年5月4日

The miracle of Rachel Held Evans is — not was — that she, in 37 years, wrote and spoke and fought and loved and used every drop of her vapor to liberate people. 37 years of work by which generations of people will be freed.

But still, this is a tragedy. First we mourn.
— Grayson Hester (@grayson_hester) 2019年5月4日

I don’t know how to process @rachelheldevans death...I am utterly devastated for her husband and two babies. And oh how we will miss her voice, her words...Rachel showed me how to love Jesus even when I didn’t think I could love the church.
— Lindsay Smith (@lvsmithauthor) 2019年5月4日

She was such a beautiful soul. It’s all so unfair. We love you, Rachel. We’ll miss you fiercely. Woman of valour, good and faithful servant. Sending all my love and prayers, strength and peace to Dan and her babies. I’m so so sorry.
— Lindsay Smith (@lvsmithauthor) 2019年5月4日

At a time when many were looking for reasons to leave, RHE was carving out paths so people could find their way to the church, creating belonging for those who never experienced it. She will be greatly missed, but those paths, now well-worn, remain.https://t.co/wVcFV23YTW
— Joy Beth Smith (@JBsTwoCents) 2019年5月4日

I’m trying to comprehend why the death of someone I never met is hurting this much.

When I first started following her on here I had never read a single book of hers. And I read Searching For Sunday and felt like I’d been reading the words of my long lost twin.

1/
— Emily Torres (@coffeemomrepeat) 2019年5月5日

I can't put into words how devastated and shocked I am to hear that one of the brightest lights in this world, Rachel Held Evans, has died. I have been so obstinately hopeful since she got sick and this is completely shattering. I love you so much, Rachel, and I am so sorry.
— Matthew Vines (@VinesMatthew) 2019年5月4日

A few years back, I was in Nashville the same week Rachel was speaking at a school there, so I came with this sign in tow because I love her so much and wanted to take every opportunity to let her know. I just wish I had so many more. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/TbzWuvGji7
— Matthew Vines (@VinesMatthew) 2019年5月5日

I'd like to start a thread for LGBTQ people to share how Rachel Held Evans touched our lives. Her impact on our community was enormous and deserves to be recorded. Please share your stories about this amazing woman of God. #BecauseOfRHE
— Matthew Vines (@VinesMatthew) 2019年5月5日

This was the one. This was the one that took me from on the fence to affirming, never to look back. Little did I know how that would set me on the road to affirm myself, let alone other people.

Thank you. pic.twitter.com/YDlWgwZ8Z9
— Matthias Asiedu-Yeboa 🌠 💜💙💛🖤💖 (@mattps139) 2019年5月4日

I came out to her in a FB message 7 years ago, I had never told anyone before. She told me “you are loved — by God, by me” and I believed her. Years later I met her in person and she remembered, told me she’d thought about and prayed for me. She’s part of my coming out story.
— Seth Taylor Nelson (@sethtnelson) 2019年5月6日

She was the first evangelical person who gave me permission to be a queer person of faith without fear of being dismissed or ignored.
— Sylvann Fox (@foxxybrit1) 2019年5月5日

She was the first mainstream *straight* evangelical I encountered who actually went to bat for the LGBTQ community. She gave me hope. Her work allowed me to breathe and rest, knowing that she was fighting for me and our community and, likely, others were working with her.
— hagen (@laura_hagen) 2019年5月5日

i’m just one of many, many people who can trace the early days of their freedom from evangelical thinking & fundamental theology to @rachelheldevans. she gave us so much.
— Hannah Boning (@hannahboning) 2019年5月4日

rachel created a space where i looked around and saw other visible queers, other folks who understand how i could be gay and still love the church.
— Hannah Boning (@hannahboning) 2019年5月4日

She was brave and made unpopular decisions, she was willing to put herself in the line of fire when she decided that something wasn't right. She did what most of us hope to do, I think - she used what they taught us right back at them. She was one of ours.
— Chocolate Chunk Gay Cookie (@sparkle_heretic) 2019年5月5日

I don't believe in god or an afterlife anymore. I don't know how. But I will say that she deserves a heaven that was as loving and inclusive as the community she believed was possible here, a place as full of kindness as what she envisioned. Sending love to everyone #BecauseOfRHE
— Chocolate Chunk Gay Cookie (@sparkle_heretic) 2019年5月5日

I made it to where I am today #becauseofRHE. She was the first person to support my writing, and a post I wrote for her is still how many people find me. Her books helped me keep my faith.

Eshet Chayil, Rachel.
— Samantha Field (@samanthapfield) 2019年5月5日

I'm still a Christian because of this paragraph, from the opening pages of Searching for Sunday. It still makes me tremble, still offers me a tear-drenched hope for my faith. #BecauseOfRHE pic.twitter.com/TeLo7LVV0W
— Samantha Field (@samanthapfield) 2019年5月5日

This was who Rachel was. I have carried this tweet in my heart for six years-- she constantly inspired and encouraged me to keep fighting for women and queer people in the church. #BecauseofRHE pic.twitter.com/s9FqbPdjIT
— Samantha Field (@samanthapfield) 2019年5月7日

She's one of the extremely few people who's ever told me she was praying for me and I believed her. #BecauseofRHE
— Samantha Field (@samanthapfield) 2019年5月7日

Though I never had the honor of meeting her, my faith was also saved #BecauseOfRHE. Her kindness, her wisdom, her gentleness, and her fierce strength for truth and love gave me somewhere to start rebuilding my deconstructed faith and spirituality. Eternally grateful ♥️
— Jonah Ven 李明恩 (@jonah_ven) 2019年5月5日

We can take up her mantle.
We can carry her torch.
We can amplify her love.
We can keep doing beautiful and powerful things like she did.

But there will never be another RHE. That is the hard truth. No one can or will replace her. #SaintRachel #BecauseofRHE
— Cindy Wang Brandt (@cindy_w_brandt) 2019年5月5日

She was this, yes. ✊ https://t.co/BoioS4MUPr
— Cindy Wang Brandt (@cindy_w_brandt) 2019年5月5日

i’ve been struggling to form the right words in response to @rachelheldevans passing. as is true for so many others, her writing was the most instrumental in my journey out of fundamentalism and decades of spiritual abuse. she introduced me to doubt, and it freed me.
— THE KING OF GARBAGE THIEVES (@dontbemads) 2019年5月5日

rachel’s book, faith unraveled, forever changed me. emboldened me. challenged me. saw me. held me. comforted me. walked with me as my entire life fell apart. words fucking fail to convey everything i’m feeling.
— THE KING OF GARBAGE THIEVES (@dontbemads) 2019年5月5日

"They cannot take this from you."

That's EXACTLY the space RHE made for me, too. Her stories told me that nobody could deny me my faith if I was true to where it led me. I'm largely who I am today because I had and still have that to cling to.#BecauseOfRHE https://t.co/6DsgiCk5W0
— Jesse Thomas Reese (@JTReese89) 2019年5月5日

I keep scrolling thru women, queer folk, POC, all saying “I am here because of her. I’m here because of her” & I can’t believe there are so many of us - the sheer volume of people she loved and supported and helped build careers for and passed the mic to. There are so many of us.
— Laura Jean Truman (@LauraJeanTruman) 2019年5月4日

I didn't know RHE, but I'm still here #BecauseOfRHE - because finding the queer Christian community on Twitter gave me the courage to be #FaithfullyLGBT. All the people who have encouraged me were encouraged by her.

I'm growing roots in a garden she planted but would never see. https://t.co/NURFyTCKNo
— Mx. Katie Hall (@KatieGHall) 2019年5月5日

Honestly, how the fuck are we supposed to have a world without more of @rachelheldevans’ words?
— Jamie Lee Finch (@jamieleefinch) 2019年5月4日

Reading through all of the #BecauseofRHE tweets today I’m struck with the awareness that the greatest thing Rachel may have given all of us was each other.
— Jamie Lee Finch (@jamieleefinch) 2019年5月4日

“If you want to do violence in this world, you will always find the weapons. If you want to heal, you will always find the balm.”

~@rachelheldevans
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) 2019年5月4日

She gave us permission. Period. #BecauseOfRHE
— Missy, Master of the Slippery Slope (@aslipperyslope2) 2019年5月5日

I can't quite put words to what she meant to me. What it means to have someone go before you and share their journey with you and say, "I've been there too". So many are still holding onto their faith because of Rachel.
— Missy, Master of the Slippery Slope (@aslipperyslope2) 2019年5月5日

She fought for the marginalized and kept her faith no matter who insisted that she wasn't actually a Christian. These pages below are filled with underlines and markings and words I wrote. pic.twitter.com/REwaS2fZiC
— Missy, Master of the Slippery Slope (@aslipperyslope2) 2019年5月5日

She also gave me permission to walk away. She didn't shame me, question me, and she wasn't concerned for my soul. She trusted my journey, my hurt, my disbelief & she understood
— Missy, Master of the Slippery Slope (@aslipperyslope2) 2019年5月5日

Thank you, Rachel, for helping me find my way when I thought no one else was in the wilderness with me. #PrayForRHE
— New Year Same Kels (@kelseanne) 2019年5月5日

I will continue holding safe and sacred space for any and every person who has been made to feel unloved, unaccepted or othered by the brutal machine that is Evangelical Christianity. #BecauseOfRHE https://t.co/c1MB67ndrY
— New Year Same Kels (@kelseanne) 2019年5月5日

I am so, so, so sad about Rachel. A generation of evangelical women owe their freedom to her. I just can’t believe it.
— Not Voting for White Guys 2020 (@CarisAdel) 2019年5月4日

I wouldn’t be in school if it wasn’t for her knowledge and example. I know I wouldn’t. I can’t even describe how important it was to see someone be an example of freedom in such a trapped environment.
— Not Voting for White Guys 2020 (@CarisAdel) 2019年5月4日

I keep thinking about how she was the first person that made me feel like I didn’t have to ask permission to have a voice, and that a woman’s voice was just as worthwhile. god. To empower a person is such an incredible gift. #BecauseOfRHE
— Not Voting for White Guys 2020 (@CarisAdel) 2019年5月5日

#BecauseOfRHE I began learning how to think about faith more expansively, which, among other things led to me embracing myself as a queer woman. I am so grateful for her life and work.
— Rachel Cohen (@pwstranger) 2019年5月5日

Rachel was one of the people who taught me I could deconstruct my faith without losing Jesus. #BecauseOfRHE
— Laura Johnson (@chefdearla) 2019年5月4日

"the gospel doesn’t need a coalition devoted to keeping the wrong people out. It needs a family of sinners, saved by grace, committed to tearing down the walls, throwing open the doors, & shouting, Welcome! There’s bread & wine. Come eat” in Searching For Sunday #becauseofRHE
— Kerry Sumpter Smith (@kssmithtx) 2019年5月5日

Rachel stood up for all the queer kids who struggled, and I will never forget that. Fuck is a sacred word.
— Let’s Not Pathologize a Good Mood (@ALightFrenzy) 2019年5月4日

Thinking of all the ways Rachel's legacy will outlive her. Not just in her own words, which I know I'll come to again and again, but in the words of so many people she championed. It was through her that I first started reading the words of so many other women and LGBT Christians
— Christina (@chrelisem) 2019年5月4日

I’m all shook up over the passing of @rachelheldevans. She was a powerful compassionate voice. A lightning rod that energized others and bore attacks from hostiles. She incarnated the spirit of what xianity could be at its best. Well done, good and faithful.
— Matt W Cook (@matt_the_cook) 2019年5月5日

She brought the best of Christianity to the surface, and she did it constantly, and she did it lovingly, and she did it even when it felt like being torn apart. She was the most brave and the most compassionate. And she made me want to be the same way. #BecauseOfRHE
— ghost, to me (@GhostEsq) 2019年5月5日

#BecauseofRHE I was able to see that you can practice faith w/o trading in your 🧠 or ♥️. That it’s okay to leave a spiritual community for a healthier one. And now, some of the most important relationships in my life began in the communities I’ve found. We love you, Rachel.
— Austin (@TheGatesOfWin) 2019年5月5日

Rachel Held Evans cultivated spaces where women, ppl of color & Black women shared their pain & led us all in healing. #BecauseOfRHE https://t.co/n8N46yPeGY
— Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove (@wilsonhartgrove) 2019年5月5日

So saddened by the news of the death of @rachelheldevans . Rachel literally changed my life. She was like a lighthouse to so many. Will be praying for her husband Dan and her kids who will never get to know their amazing mum personally. #becauseofrhe
— Jennie (@JennieDodds) 2019年5月5日

#BecauseOfRHE , so many of us learned for the first time that it was okay to have doubts, okay to ask questions, and okay to not accept easy answers.
— QuiverfullTweets (@QuiverfullTwee1) 2019年5月5日

#BecauseOfRHE , so many of us learned that it is okay to leave behind a church that no longer has space for us, and it is okay to grieve that loss.
And because of her, so many of us learned that we could find new life and meaning on the other side of that loss.
— QuiverfullTweets (@QuiverfullTwee1) 2019年5月5日

#BecauseOfRHE hurting people felt comforted and seen, and people in power felt threatened. Honestly, I grew up in church, and she was the first person I ever saw who was a "comfort to the afflicted and an affliction to the comfortable."
— QuiverfullTweets (@QuiverfullTwee1) 2019年5月5日

I have come to regard with some suspicion those who claim that the Bible never troubles them. I can only assume this means they haven’t actually read it.
-Rachel Held Evans#BecauseofRHE #PrayForRHE
— Shane Claiborne (@ShaneClaiborne) 2019年5月5日

#becauseofRHE I am the out, liberated, progressive author I am today. my inception story began with her. there is no way to thank someone for that first permission.
— Garbage Oprah (@hannahpaasch) 2019年5月4日

In 2013 #BecauseOfRHE I began publicly trying out my theological voice. She highlighted me in "Ask a Reformed Pastor..." I was so nervous. I didn't even know my voice fully, yet.

But that was Rach, seeing what we might not have always been able to see.https://t.co/lGkaMOfIXD
— Reverend Jes Kast (@RevJesKast) 2019年5月5日

It’s wild that a person I’ve never met could have pastored me so effectively for years without ever knowing it.

I owe my life as it is in part to her courage and compassion.

If ever anyone sought justice, loved mercy, and walked humbly, it was Rachel Held Evans. #BecauseofRHE
— Nathanial Green (@nathanialtgreen) 2019年5月4日

#becauseofRHE I know that my fierce personality isn’t something to repent of, because God made me, a woman, fierce.
— Ansley Elizabeth (@ansleyylizabeth) 2019年5月4日

I’ve never understood what “cloud of witnesses” really meant until today. #BecauseOfRHE
— dre (@agramofdre) 2019年5月4日

So many women on my feed sharing how @rachelheldevans was the catalyst for a freedom they didn’t know was possible because of the wounds of patriarchy within the church. Our stories are all so similar and #becauseofRHE we are sharing them boldly and living into our callings.
— Allison G Sweatman (@AllisonRGS) 2019年5月4日

"What is a legacy? It's planting seeds in a garden you never get to see."

It's Rachel writing words that would eventually make their way into the hearts of folks like you & me.

It's Rachel's children learning indirectly of the ezer warrior from their family tree.#BecauseOfRHE
— Robbie Hurlocker (@alphaknight) 2019年5月5日

Everywhere she went, she planted seeds.

She watered dying faiths with hope & tried to meet their needs.

The garden grew around her & she wasn't choked by weeds.

Her tree's life was cut short; but look at the loving fruit of her affirming deeds.#BecauseOfRHE #PrayForRHE
— Robbie Hurlocker (@alphaknight) 2019年5月5日

One woman once confused Christ for a gardener.

So might we be forgiven for seeing the metaphor of a gardener in this christlike woman?

May her words, spirit and legacy echo longer than her too short days.#RIPRHE #BecauseOfRHE #PrayForRHE
— Robbie Hurlocker (@alphaknight) 2019年5月5日

At a time when young Christians are leaving church in droves, Rachel beckoned them back. So many are still Christians, still church-goers, still Bible-lovers bc of her. She made them believe it was worth it, helped them see they had a place. For that, she is a hero of the faith.
— Roxanne Stone (@roxyleestone) 2019年5月4日

Rachel Held Evans was steadfast in her support and inclusion of LGBTQ people in the church, and a beacon of hope for LGBTQ people of faith.

We are deeply saddened to learn of her loss and send our condolences to all who knew her. https://t.co/2AEV2ztU7V
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) 2019年5月4日

Rachel Held Evans never fell for the scarcity myth.

I’m only now seeing the scope of those she’s helped platform—and thank God she did.

There is room. There is always room at the table.
— Jenna Barnett (@jennacbarnett) 2019年5月5日

The expansive, welcoming, doubt-embracing, love-filled theology that fills the pages of Inspired made me proud to be a Christian, and despite all the harm that’s come from my faith colliding with queerness, #becauseofRHE, I am glad I said yes to Jesus all those years ago.
— Maggie Griffin 🌈 (@maggsical) 2019年5月5日

In a culture full of gatekeepers, @rachelheldevans used her influence to amplify the platforms/perspectives of POC, LGBTQ folx, other women, folks with disabilities, & the neurodivergent. She shared resources & opportunities alongside her wisdom.

Blessed & a blessing is #RHE 💛 https://t.co/db7KDqO1EL
— Alicia Crosby (@aliciatcrosby) 2019年5月4日

Something I really appreciate about Rachel Held Evans was that she seemed to genuinely grieve what had become of evangelicalism and wanted to help people find a more humane, faithful way of being Christian. Many people do one or the other but she really did both.
— John Thornton Jr. (@johnthorntonjr) 2019年5月4日

Rachel believed in a god who could love me before I did. #becauseofRHE
— calv (@CalebAlwardt) 2019年5月5日

Rachel Held Evans was the bravery and boldness evangelical millennials needed. She taught us it's okay to question & doubt, that it's honorable to challenge & walk away.

She taught us that leaving isn't abandoning, & that we, as Christians, have every claim to Xianity as they do
— Michael H. Craddock (@mh_craddock) 2019年5月4日

I don't know if I can overstate how important she was to those of us who loved the church and were rejected by the church.

I'm heartbroken for the loss of #RHE
— Michael H. Craddock (@mh_craddock) 2019年5月4日

She taught me how to hold my faith upside down and shake it till grace fell out.

I'll do the same again today, not just for myself but for all in need.#BecauseOfRHE
— Rev. Emmy Kegler (@emmykegler) 2019年5月5日

Here's the portrait of @rachelheldevans for the Holy Troublemakers & Unconventional Saints book, finished last night w/love & tears by @GillGamble. The etching of her halo reads "Eshet Chayil, Woman of Valor." May we be the people she believed in. #SaintRachel #BecauseOfRHE pic.twitter.com/fAk5T0xDbq
— HolyTroublemakers (@HolyTroubleBook) 2019年5月7日

Today is a sad day for our Church and for everyone who found the path home to our loving, liberating, life-giving God because of Rachel Held Evans. She was a fearless seeker of truth and servant of Jesus, and her witness will inspire and heal generations to come. #BecauseofRHE
— PB Michael Curry (@PB_Curry) 2019年5月5日

“What’s offensive about the Gospel isn’t who it keeps out. It’s not who it keeps away from the table, it’s who it invites in." - Rachel Held Evans

No words...God and Rachel created more room for love. pic.twitter.com/V8zB80lGSE
— TheWorkOfThePeople (@twotp) 2019年5月8日

My sister @rachelheldevans complex-hard to categorize, difficult to put in a an ideological box, impossible to typecast. But she was defined by love; love as exemplified by Jesus. As someone who knew her well, maybe the best, I can confirm that was her truest identity.
— Amanda Held Opelt (@AmandaHeldOpelt) 2019年5月9日

First thing I ever said to @rachelheldevans is “girl, you are smart as fuck”. It was the start of a 10 year friendship. I can’t believe she is gone. Doesn’t feel real because it doesn’t seem possible. pic.twitter.com/XIoAAx2w6g
— Nadia Bolz-Weber (SHAMELESS af) (@Sarcasticluther) 2019年5月4日

My church...

guess I’m crying on Sunday. #RememberingRHE #BecauseOfRHE pic.twitter.com/ihGkRbB7mq
— Kat Coffin (@KatinOxford) 2019年5月8日

⁦@rachelheldevans⁩ #RememberingRHE pic.twitter.com/jUpL32ZAzG
— Kristi Brokaw (@kristi_brokaw) 2019年5月7日

Christian author Rachel Held Evans died at 37.

Her fight for inclusiveness among conservative Christians inspired many fans who commemorated her by posting their story #BecauseofRHE. pic.twitter.com/QZTeTO8Z5f
— AJ+ (@ajplus) 2019年5月11日

Rachel gave these words to so many of us (eshet chayil means "woman of valour") as a gift and a commissioning and a challenge.

Also grief is so weird and hard and for some reason, finding a tattoo shop in Chattanooga helped. For today anyway.#RememberingRHE #BecauseofRHE pic.twitter.com/SfoFtNeeWO
— Sarah Bessey (@sarahbessey) 2019年5月31日

It was a testimony to Rachel's life to stand in a crowded (packed!) room and know this rowdy, deep, diverse, never-would-have-found-each-other-without-her community all showed up in Chattanooga, just so we could say goodbye together and to love her family. #RememberingRHE
— Sarah Bessey (@sarahbessey) 2019年6月1日

one of the many things I loved about Rachel is that she made space for those of us who are minorities or queer or neurodivergent or Catholic - all those who have been told we're not "real Christians" for one reason or another.
— the library haunter 🦉🎄❄ (@SketchesbyBoze) 2019年6月1日

Rest well, Rachel, with your feet facing the rising Sun. One day, when death itself is swallowed up in victory and everything wrong is made right, I hope to tell you all that your words and work meant to me. #BecauseofRHE #RememberingRHE
— Christina (@chrelisem) 2019年6月1日

I can’t imagine what her family and those close to her are dealing with. Sometimes it feels sort of weird or silly to mourn people I have never met but this one stings and I’m not ashamed to say that #BecauseOfRHE I still believe in the goodness of God.
— America’s Tweetheart🏳️‍🌈 (@Jazzawazz) 2019年6月1日

Just finished watching the funeral for #RememberingRHE

Watching people you’ve followed for years on twitter as they grieve a sister and testify to her life was a surreal yet powerful reminder that community is real.

Seeing her family in the front pew was heartbreaking.
— Unvirtuous Abbey (@UnvirtuousAbbey) 2019年6月1日

#RememberingRHE is such a stunning, breathtaking example of the beauty and power and *necessity* of social media.
— Jason, First Of His Name (@crazypastor) 2019年6月1日

It was such a hard weekend. The love Rachel had in this life. The impact she made.... nothing can replace her.

I’d like to think her spirit is lingering on in all of us, in our work, in our writing, in our love for those God loves.

Love you, woman of valor. #becauseofRHE
— Kevin Miguel García. (@theKevinGarcia_) 2019年6月2日

The first time I served communion was at Rachel’s invitation four years ago. Serving it again at her funeral yesterday was an honor I will treasure for a lifetime.

In life and death, that’s who she was—always bringing people to the table and assuring them that they belong.
— Matthew Vines (@VinesMatthew) 2019年6月2日

And from me:

#becauseofRHE Wow where to even begin? Rachel Held Evans has been so important & inspirational to me in my journey of becoming a Christian feminist.
When I 1st started reading her blog, I said "She's asking the questions we all wanted to ask but didn't know how."
<3 <3 <3
— Perfect Number (@pnumber628) 2019年5月4日

----------------------

2024 update:

May 4th will mark 5 years since Rachel died. That is the day her death certificate was signed, the day we started planning her funeral…

(A thread 🧵) pic.twitter.com/aTMUWMxuL6
— Amanda Held Opelt (@AmandaHeldOpelt) April 25, 2024

----------------------

Related:
She was the first (Thank you, Rachel)
Link Roundup of Posts Honoring Rachel Held Evans

Monday, May 6, 2019

If Thanos Tells You To Build An Ark, You Say No

Iron Man fights Thanos in "Avengers: Infinity War."

[content note: spoilers for "Avengers: Endgame" and "Avengers: Infinity War"]

In "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018) we follow the villain Thanos as he gathers all 6 infinity stones in order to gain the power to destroy half of the life in the universe. He explains that the universe doesn't have enough resources, and by eliminating half the population, the other half will be able to thrive. He doesn't see himself as a villain; he believes he is saving the universe. And in the end, he does collect all 6 stones, and snaps his fingers, causing half of the people in the universe to suddenly disappear.

Then, in "Avengers: Endgame", the Avengers work to undo Thanos's plan and bring everyone back. They use time travel to go back to various points in the past and collect the infinity stones themselves. Unfortunately, when they go back to 2014, the 2014 version of Thanos discovers their plan and travels through time himself, to 2023, to fight them.

2014!Thanos is angry because he just wanted to save everyone from the threat of overpopulation, and they should all be grateful! He says:

I thought by eliminating half of life, the other half would thrive. But you've shown me that's impossible. As long as there's those who remember what was, they'll always be those who are unable to accept what can be, and will resist. I'm thankful, because now I know what I must do. I will shred this universe down to its last atom...and then, with the Stones you have collected for me, create a new one. Teeming with life, that knows not what it has lost, but what it has been given. A grateful universe.

And because I am a huge bible nerd and an ex-evangelical, what immediately popped into my mind, sitting in that movie theater, was this passage from Genesis 6:

The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

It's the EXACT SAME THING. In the story of Noah's ark, God decides that the population of the earth is just too evil, and needs to be completely wiped out so he can start over. In "Infinity War" and "Endgame", Thanos first eliminates half the population, then discovers that the remaining half is ungrateful and sees him as a villain for some reason, so he decides he needs to wipe out everyone and start over.

Thanos realizes that his plan to get rid of half the people won't work, because the other half will remember and grieve for their friends and family who were lost. He needs to create an entirely new population, who doesn't know anything about what happened before. And in the same way, God chooses Noah and his family to be the only survivors of the Flood. He chooses them because they believe what God is doing is right. They won't grieve for all the people God kills. They will be heartless, and grateful.

"Noah's ark" is about a genocidal God who's just like a movie supervillain. It's a story about genocide, and good Christians are supposed to agree that the genocide was good and right. Because all those people were evil anyway. Hmm, that's awfully convenient, since none of them are here to tell their side of the story. Awfully convenient how the story is told from God's and Noah's point of view... don't you think they may be a little biased?

But we treat "Noah's ark" as a cute little story for children. Look at all the animals! Two by two! How fun! Let's paint it in the church nursery! Such a nice story about obedience and trusting God.

That's disgusting. (How will I explain this to my children...?)

God in "Noah's ark" is Thanos from "Infinity War" and "Endgame." Only, in the bible story, there were no Avengers to take a stand and fight him. No one willing to do "whatever it takes" to stop him. No one who said "this is the fight of our lives" and "we owe this to everyone who's not in this room to try."

No, only Noah, who "did everything just as God commanded him" and built the damn ark.

-----------------------

Related:
Noah's Evangelism (a fanfic where one of Noah's sons questions God's "justice")
Thanos Tested
It Was Beautiful When Star-Lord Rejected the Gospel
Dr. Strange's Ways Are Higher Than Our Ways

Thursday, May 2, 2019

Blogaround

Tony Stark testing the Iron Man hand blasters in the 2008 Iron Man movie. Image source.

1. Elizabeth Warren rolls out plan to reward hospitals that make childbirth safer for African-American women (posted April 24) "Both Warren and the questioner pointed to the fact that those disproportionately high mortality rates transcended the economic status of the women in danger. The issue recently made headlines outside of medical and political spheres after tennis great Serena Williams went public with her own near-deadly experience in childbirth, saying both a doctor and nurse dismissed her concerns over potentially life-threatening blood clotting -- conditions that were subsequently confirmed with a CT scan."

2. How Thanos Fits Into Real-World Myths of Overpopulation and Scarcity (posted April 24) [content note: does not have spoilers for "Avengers: Endgame", but has spoilers for "Avengers: Infinity War"]

3. Women Did Everything Right. Then Work Got ‘Greedy.’ (posted April 26) "This is not about educated women opting out of work (they are the least likely to stop working after having children, even if they move to less demanding jobs). It’s about how the nature of work has changed in ways that push couples who have equal career potential to take on unequal roles."

4. Epic Christian Fails: The Cross and the Clitoris (posted April 23) LOL!

5. The disabled Christians reinterpreting the Bible (posted April 28) "When I was about 12 years old, I felt God didn't love me as much as other people because I am in a wheelchair and because I can't do lots of the things that other people can do. I felt this way because I did not see anyone with a wheelchair in the Bible, and nearly all the disabled people in the Bible get healed by Jesus - so they are not like me."

6. The Absent School Board Prayer I Never Noticed (posted April 29) "As a teen ensconced in the Christian Right, I had thought leaving prayer out of local government meetings of this sort was akin to making a statement—in other words, I had thought that it was something that would be noticed."

7. Avengers Endgame Spoiler Review (posted April 26) From the Super Carlin Brothers.

8. ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Had a Fat Joke Problem (posted April 29) [content note: spoilers for "Avengers: Endgame"] "All these jokes underline an idea that fat people are told again and again: fat people cannot be heroes."

9. Joseph's Fabulous Technicolor Dreamcoat (posted 2006) "I mean, he’s got this fabulous rainbow-colored coat, everyone comments on how cute he is, and he refuses to sleep with that Egyptian hottie. He’s totally gay."

10. The 2019 Reader Survey is currently open! If you haven't taken it yet, go do it ~ it's open until June 1.

Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Take the 2019 Reader Survey

A cat staring at a computer screen; the cat's front paws are on the keyboard. Image text: "I am soooooooo blogging about this." Image source.

Wowwwww can you believe it, this blog is 7 years old!

To all my readers, THANK YOUUUUU! I really appreciate you reading, leaving nice comments, sharing links, etc.

Anyway, I have made a reader survey again this year. Click here to take it: 2019 Reader Survey. [link no longer available] I really appreciate your feedback. (The survey will be open until June 1, 2019.)

Also, please do follow me on Twitter! @pnumber628

And my patreon is here~ ^_^

Thanks everyone!

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Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Link Roundup of Posts Honoring Rachel Held Evans

Monday, May 13, 2019

She was the first (Thank you, Rachel)

Thursday, May 9, 2019

Blogaround

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

#BecauseOfRHE (Tweet Roundup)

Monday, May 6, 2019

If Thanos Tells You To Build An Ark, You Say No

Thursday, May 2, 2019

Blogaround

Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Take the 2019 Reader Survey

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