Rachel Held Evans - Blog Posts

Rachel Held Evans - Blog Posts http://www.rachelheldevans.com/feed.rss en Rachel Held Evans 2006 120 http://www.rachelheldevans.comhttp://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/templates/rhe/images/EIMT-feedburnericon.jpgRachel Held EvansRachelHeldEvanshttp://feedburner.google.comSubscribe with My Yahoo!Subscribe with NewsGatorSubscribe with My AOLSubscribe with BloglinesSubscribe with NetvibesSubscribe with GoogleSubscribe with PageflakesSubscribe with Live.com Hooked on Social Networking Sites? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~3/pn4sbVxOHWI/340 <p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/images/socialmedia.jpg" alt="narcissim" width="309" height="298" /></p> <p> </p> <p>Today I’m recovering from a particularly busy holiday weekend, so I thought I’d start the week off by posing a few questions about the social networking phenomenon, inspired by the chart above.</p> <p><strong>1.    What do you see as the advantages/disadvantages of social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook? <br /></strong></p> <p><strong>2.    What role do these sites play in your day-to-day life?</strong> </p> <p>Although I’ve written in the past about my disdain for those annoying <a href="article-1216405146" target="_blank">Facebook quizzes</a>, I’ve found social media to be incredibly advantageous overall.  </p> <p>On a personal level, I’ve enjoyed reconnecting with old friends and seeing pictures of their vacations, their weddings, and their kids. Sometimes what begins as a quick “hello” on Facebook evolves into a serious correspondence about important and meaningful things later on. </p> <p>On a professional level, I’ve seen firsthand the benefits of plugging the blog via a Facebook status or Tweet every now and then. For writers especially, social media is an important tool in building platform, which can make or break a career. </p> <p>Overall, the format of social networking sites seems to reflect the fact that we live in a sound-bite society. But sometimes what starts as a sound-bite can lead to a decent conversation.</p> <p>What do you think?</p> <p> </p> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="Marturion";</script> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=20" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-share-en.gif" width="83" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" style="border:0"/></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/200/addthis_widget.js"></script>  <p><a href="340#commentsAnchor">Comments</a></p><p class="endpostimg"><img class="endpostimg" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/templates/rhe2/images/lil-monkey.png" alt="end of post" title="end of post"/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~4/pn4sbVxOHWI" height="1" width="1"/> Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:26:54 -0400 http://www.rachelheldevans.com/340 Rachel Held Evans http://www.rachelheldevans.com/340 4th of July Weekend: A Case for Compartmentalization http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~3/_6la070JRjI/339 <p><img style="margin: 5px; float: right;" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/images/jesus(1).jpg" alt="" width="264" height="172" />There can be no doubt that Jesus went to great lengths to make a clear distinction between the kingdoms of this world and the Kingdom of God. With carefully chosen words and images charged with first-century political meaning, he constantly reminded his followers that they were to be a set-apart people, a people who lived counter-culturally by loving their enemies, praying for those who persecuted them, lending without expecting anything in return, and surrendering allegiance to a crucified and risen Lord. </p> <p>Jesus said, “<strong>My kingdom is not of this world</strong>. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest...But my kingdom is from another place.” In this kingdom, the humble are exalted, peacemakers rule, swords are beaten into plowshares, and the meek inherit the earth.</p> <p>This is important stuff to keep in mind during the upcoming 4th of July holiday weekend.  As proud as we may be of our citizenship as Americans, we must be wary of language that implies that the United States is God’s chosen nation.</p> <p><img style="margin: 5px; float: left;" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/images/americanflag.jpg" alt="" width="243" height="182" />Gregory Boyd has said: </p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;">“The holiness of the kingdom of God must be preserved. If Jesus refused to acknowledge and fight for Israel as God’s favored nation – even though it was the one nation in history that actually held this status at one time – how much more must his followers refuse to acknowledge and fight for America as God’s favored nation? To say it another way, if Jesus was committed solely to establishing a kingdom that had no intrinsic nationalistic or ethnic allegiances – not even with Israel – how much more should his followers be committed to expanding this unique, non-nationalistic kingdom?” - <em>The Myth of a Christian Nation</em>, p. 153</p> <p>In light of Jesus’ instructions to “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s,” I’d like to propose a 4th of July weekend that acknowledges both of these kingdoms, a 4th of July weekend that includes a healthy dose of compartmentalization. I would strongly urge church leaders <em>not to extend Saturday’s celebrations into Sunday</em>, but to use that time to remind us of the importance of making a distinction between God’s ways and the world’s ways. </p> <p>On Saturday, let us be grateful for our freedom—to worship, to protest, to report, to be tried by jury, to vote, and to benefit from a free market. </p> <p>On Sunday, let us remember that true liberation is found in sacrifice, that the Church usually thrives under persecution, and that our extra resources and freedoms only make us more responsible to care for our neighbors. </p> <p>On Saturday, let us recall the forming of the U.S. Constitution and the triumphs of women’s suffrage and the Civil Rights movement. </p> <p>On Sunday, let us remember slavery, the Trail of Tears, Jim Crowe, abortion, “collateral damage,” torture, Japanese internment, and the hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children who have lost their lives to acts of war. As Shane Claiborne says in Jesus for President, “The United States is Christian inasmuch as it looks like Christ.” On Sunday, let us remember that, until the Return of Christ, a “Christian Nation” is a myth, and that followers of Christ must seek to live counter-culturally, standing against injustice in all its forms. </p> <p>On Saturday, let us wave the American flag. </p> <p>On Sunday, let us worship in an unadorned place. Let us break the bread and drink the wine of a savior so subversive he was executed by the government </p> <p>On Saturday, we should express thanks for the material blessings we enjoy. </p> <p>On Sunday, we should remember how God judges nations that neglect the poor.</p> <p>On Saturday, let us sing songs about our country—its beauty, its power, its uniqueness. </p> <p>On Sunday, let us sing songs of worship to the One True God—and the One True God ONLY. </p> <p>On Saturday, may we celebrate our ability to participate in the political process.</p> <p>On Sunday, may we acknowledge the fact that the teachings of Christ could never fit into a political party or platform, that our faith is bigger than our decisions in the ballot box, and that aligning ourselves with power threatens the true message of the Gospel.</p> <p>On Saturday, we should thank the men and women who have served our country. </p> <p>On Sunday, we should acknowledge that war does not reflect the Way of Jesus. </p> <p>On Saturday, may we honor and pray for our nation’s leaders. </p> <p>On Sunday, may we look for Jesus in the sick and the poor, the imprisoned and the lonely, the hungry and the rejected. </p> <p>On Saturday, let us express genuine thankfulness for the freedoms we enjoy, the history we share, and the progress we have made. </p> <p>On Sunday, let us remember that this isn’t all there is, that this isn't as good as it gets. It isn't even close.</p> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="Marturion";</script> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=20" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-share-en.gif" width="83" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" style="border:0"/></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/200/addthis_widget.js"></script>  <p><a href="339#commentsAnchor">Comments</a></p><p class="endpostimg"><img class="endpostimg" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/templates/rhe2/images/lil-monkey.png" alt="end of post" title="end of post"/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~4/_6la070JRjI" height="1" width="1"/> Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:45:02 -0400 http://www.rachelheldevans.com/339 Rachel Held Evans http://www.rachelheldevans.com/339 On God and Publication http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~3/kYMYSvTrTS4/godandpublication <p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/images/writing3.jpg" alt="bookheart" width="300" height="200" /></p> <p>One of the many perks of getting a book deal is the opportunity to network with fellow writers. Over the past few months, it’s been really exciting to meet and correspond with established authors I have admired for years as well as new authors just breaking into the market. I want to offer an especially warm welcome to those who have found the blog through my agent <a href="http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Rachelle Gardner’s</a> site or through my Q&A on <a href="http://alexisgrant.com/author_blog.php" target="_blank">Alexis Grant’s</a> site. There’s been a noticeable influx of readers from forums like these, so I though I’d take some time today to talk about the writing and publishing process. </p> <p>But first, a quick update on the status of the book:  Next week I plan to send my first round of edits back to <a href="http://www.zondervan.com/cultures/en-us/home.htm" target="_blank">Zondervan</a>, which means things will start picking up soon. In the months to come, look for announcements relating to an official title, a release date, cover art, and maybe even excerpts.  The whole process has required more patience than I anticipated...but has also been more affirming and rewarding than I ever could have imaged. Thanks to all who have shown interest and provided encouragement. </p> <p>So when people find out I’m working with a Christian publisher, I get all kinds of different reactions.  Today I thought I’d address two common ones: </p> <p><strong>The first comes from folks who seem to assume a high level of divine intervention within the Christian publishing industry. </strong></p> <p>“Why did God lead you to write this particular book?” they often ask. “How have you seen his hand through the process?”  Some have called my writing a ministry. Others have suggested that instead of building a platform and pursuing publicity opportunities, I should rely on God’s timing and leave book sales to him. </p> <p>To be perfectly honest, I’m a little uncomfortable using this kind of language to describe the publication process. First of all, I think it’s a misleading to pretend that Christian publishing houses do not function as businesses—complete with contracts and paychecks, corporate structures and sales projections, billing and branding. What might on a philosophical level be God’s timing is on a practical level the publisher’s timing. And there’s no way I’m going to tell my editor that my manuscript will be late because God had a different deadline in mind! I guess I’ve always been reluctant to spiritualize situations that involve personal responsibility, lest we make God into a sort of scapegoat or genie or excuse.  </p> <p>The truth is, I want to sell a lot of books because I want to make a living doing what I love.  I intend to use every marketing strategy at my disposal in order to boost the publisher’s bottom line so I’ll get a contract again. The process is not an inherently godly one, although I believe it can be done in a godly way – with honesty and humility and with the needs of others in mind. </p> <p>Secondly, it’s hard to think of my writing as a ministry when it involves so little sacrifice on my part. I love to write. It makes me feel alive and important and in touch with myself.  It’s impossible to describe the gratitude I experience every morning when I wake up and realize I get to spend the day doing what makes me happy, especially when so many people in the world do not enjoy the luxury of choosing their profession. I do pray that I will honor God with the opportunity, that my books will be truthful and that they will mean something to people...but to imply that I write out of selfless concern for humanity makes the whole process sound a lot nobler than it is. I just hope the book will be as much a joy to read as it was to write.</p> <p>And finally, the biggest problem with claiming that God told me to write this book is that it makes it really hard for you to disagree with what it says!  This is probably the biggest problem with “playing the God card” in general. Whether it’s “God told me to break up with you” or “God wants us to build a new church building” – claiming that God is on your side cuts you off from the input and wisdom of other people. No one in their right mind writes a spiritual memoir at 27. There’s bound to be some sloppy theology or straw men or generalities in there, and I don’t want to stifle conversation by claiming that God is somehow responsible for the content. </p> <p>If God told me to write this book, then it was in the same way that he tells me to breathe. He may have given me a gift, but how I use that gift is my responsibility.</p> <p><strong>The second reaction I occasionally get about having a Christian publisher comes from those who assume the industry leaves no room for authenticity or freedom of thought.  </strong></p> <p>There’s the impression out there that Christian books must include wholesome characters, tidy endings, and “conservative” values in order to make it to bookshelves. This may be true for some publishing houses, but what I love about Zondervan is they publish a wide range of voices—from Rick Warren to Shane Claiborne to Brian McLaren to John MacArthur.  Obviously, there’s a lot of room for diversity of opinion.</p> <p>I’ve got some potentially controversial material in my book, and not once have I felt stifled or reigned in. I write candidly about doubts about Christianity and my frustrations with current expressions of evangelicalism. While I try to offer hope and a vision for the future, I make no attempt to resolve everything, and all of this seems just fine with my editor...at least so far. </p> <p>So don’t worry that the book will be watered-down version of the blog or a cheesy devotional book with “for women” tacked to the end. What you read is what I wrote. And if it earns me a notorious “<a href="299">Read With Discernment</a>” sticker from LifeWay - well then that’s just the icing on the cake!</p> <p><strong>What is your overall impression of the Christian publishing industry? How do you respond when someone tells you that God told them to write a book? Writers, how do you honor God with your work without making him sound like some kind of cosmic literary agent? </strong></p> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="Marturion";</script> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=20" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-share-en.gif" width="83" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" style="border:0"/></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/200/addthis_widget.js"></script>  <p><a href="godandpublication#commentsAnchor">Comments</a></p><p class="endpostimg"><img class="endpostimg" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/templates/rhe2/images/lil-monkey.png" alt="end of post" title="end of post"/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~4/kYMYSvTrTS4" height="1" width="1"/> Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:39:27 -0400 http://www.rachelheldevans.com/godandpublication Rachel Held Evans http://www.rachelheldevans.com/godandpublication Is the Emerging Church soooo last year? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~3/syiezCabQfU/emergingover <p>It is ironic and telling that within a few days of writing a <a href="reformoremerge" target="_blank">post</a> about how young people seem to be gravitating toward either neo-Reformed theology or the emerging church, I should come across a <a href="http://www.dankimball.com/vintage_faith/2009/06/emerging-church-memories-and-good-and-nice-things.html" target="_blank">piece</a> by Dan Kimball in which he speaks of the emerging/emergent phenomenon in the past tense. </p> <p>This has been happening a lot on the blogosphere recently. The general consensus among the movers and shakers the conversation-formerly-known-as-emerging seems to be this: “It was a wild ride. We learned a lot. We deconstructed, reconstructed, and changed our approach to a lot of things. Now it’s time to go our separate ways.”</p> <p>Writes Kimball: </p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;">I know now that through time various theologies and differences have been discussed as categories within the emerging church world have been created... And that different people in the emerging world now focus on different things, different theologies, different networks. But those early days were quite a fun few years and very life-saving for me in many ways.</p> <p>Now, I completely agree that among evangelical writers, pastors, and speakers, the “emerging church” as a cohesive movement is clearly a thing of the past. Together these guys (it was mostly guys) felt and engaged the changes brought on by postmodernism, and together they responded with new questions, new ideas, and new approaches to Christianity. As the conversation became more detailed and the initial splash turned into ripples, these leaders drifted in different directions as their interests and emphases and traditions diverged. This, of course, should be expected of any movement, particularly an evangelical one, and is probably a good thing. </p> <p>But here’s the problem I have with declaring the “emerging conversation” over:  Some of us are still talking. </p> <p>Perhaps in McLaren’s church, “everything has changed,” but in mine, addressing global poverty or AIDS or healthcare will get you branded as a “bleeding heart liberal” if you don’t do it right. Perhaps among McKnight’s students, it is assumed that women should have the same leadership opportunities as men, but in my community, the concept of a female pastor is about as foreign as a gay one. Maybe Kimball assumes that everyone has read N.T. Wright, rediscovered the significance of the kingdom message of Jesus, and re-framed the mission of the church as being one that should benefit the world, but when I tell people around here that I think God has a plan to redeem and restore the entire creation right here on earth, I get called a heretic.  </p> <p><strong>What I’m trying to say is that </strong><strong>some of the most basic and important elements of the emerging movement have yet to catch on among the general public.</strong> Even though I know better, from where I stand, heralding the end of the emerging church is like heralding its defeat. It’s like declaring modern fundamentalism the victor and conceding that the skeptics were right all along about how this whole thing was nothing more than a fad. From here, saying that the emerging church is yesterday’s news is like signaling the end of a movement before it ever really got off the ground. </p> <p>I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining about  how long it takes for new things to catch on in the rural South. That’s just how things are down here, for better or worse. But on behalf of all the isolated “emergers” living day-to-day in communities like mine, I’m tempted to pull the obligatory, “Y’all ain’t from around here, are ya?” on my blogging friends. </p> <p>It’s important for these leaders to remember that there are still a lot of environments in which the “emerging conversation” is desperately needed and incredibly relevant.  What may seem passé in academic circles is still trickling down to laypeople across the country. What was discussed and published last year is still being read this year. Conversations that some are finishing, many are just beginning.</p> <p>The truth is, there are a lot of us out there whose only connection to like-minded believers has been though the blogs and books of “emerging” writers and thinkers. Maybe “emerging” is not the best word anymore. Maybe “emerging” is “so last-year.” But for people like me, “emerging” has come to signify a sort of community, maybe even an identity - the one group where we feel we actually fit.</p> <p>It may sound silly and petty...(it may actually be silly and petty)...but I wish we could keep the “emerging” label around just a little while longer because, around here, if I’m not an “emerger,” I’m just a liberal. </p> <p>Even though it's nothing more than a name...it's a name. And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't going to miss it.</p> <p><strong>What do you think? Is the emerging church a thing of the past? </strong></p> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="Marturion";</script> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=20" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-share-en.gif" width="83" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" style="border:0"/></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/200/addthis_widget.js"></script>  <p><a href="emergingover#commentsAnchor">Comments</a></p><p class="endpostimg"><img class="endpostimg" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/templates/rhe2/images/lil-monkey.png" alt="end of post" title="end of post"/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~4/syiezCabQfU" height="1" width="1"/> Mon, 29 Jun 2009 09:17:39 -0400 http://www.rachelheldevans.com/emergingover Rachel Held Evans http://www.rachelheldevans.com/emergingover Disturbing Photos + This Week on the Web http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~3/ngr1YohElUE/disturbingpics <p>So yesterday’s post was about all the troubled marriages making news this week, and because I like to include a graphic with each piece, I went to <a href="http://www.sxc.hu/" target="_blank">stock.xchng</a> to get a free stock photo to use. </p> <p>I entered <strong>“marriage”</strong> into the search field, and guess what came up: </p> <p><img src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/images/disturbing1.jpg" alt="gummybears" width="300" height="225" /></p> <p><br /><img src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/images/disturbing2.jpg" alt="frogshumping" width="300" height="201" /><br /><br /><br />What the heck? Looks like we can add one more item to our list of <a href="threatenmarriage">things that actually threaten the sanctity of marriage</a> - stock photos.</p> <p><strong>Perhaps some captions are in order?  </strong></p> <p>***<br />On the Web this week, you might want to check out: Peter Bregman’s article, “<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/06/25/bregman.sanford/index.html" target="_blank">Don’t get outraged at Sanford</a>” on CNN.com; Peter Rollins’ post on what <a href="http://peterrollins.net/blog/?p=263" target="_blank">makes someone a theologian</a>; Brian McLaren’s interesting (and probably controversial) piece on <a href="http://www.brianmclaren.net/archives/blog/synchroblogging-on-sexuality.html" target="_blank">sexuality</a>. </p> <p>I recently discovered “<a href="http://www.conversiondiary.com/" target="_blank">Conversion Diary</a>,” a very cool blog from fellow writer Jennifer Fulwiler about her journey from atheism to Catholicism. </p> <p>Also bumped into an old Out of Ur <a href="http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/archives/2008/08/the_wright_brot.html" target="_blank">post</a> from Scot McKnight about how he believes the work of N.T. Wright and Chris Wright best embody where theology is headed over the next few years, arguing that the two Wrights have “set before us two words that have become increasingly fruitful and I think will be the subject of serious theological reflection in the future. The two words are ‘earth’ and ‘mission.’”  I’ve been reading a lot of N.T. lately, but haven’t had a chance to pick up Chris’s <em>The Mission of God</em>. Great. Another book to buy! :-)</p> <p>I try to check out my readers’ blogs regularly and have been super-impressed, though I don’t always have time to comment.  By the way, if you think Paul VanderKlay’s comments are smart here, check out his <a href="http://leadingchurch.com/wordpress/" target="_blank">blog</a>. So much to think about!</p> <p><strong>So, what struck your interest on the Web this week? What are you writing about on your blog? (No shame in self-promotion here, folks!) </strong></p> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="Marturion";</script> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=20" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-share-en.gif" width="83" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" style="border:0"/></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/200/addthis_widget.js"></script>  <p><a href="disturbingpics#commentsAnchor">Comments</a></p><p class="endpostimg"><img class="endpostimg" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/templates/rhe2/images/lil-monkey.png" alt="end of post" title="end of post"/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~4/ngr1YohElUE" height="1" width="1"/> Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:14:34 -0400 http://www.rachelheldevans.com/disturbingpics Rachel Held Evans http://www.rachelheldevans.com/disturbingpics Six Things that Actually Threaten the Sanctity of Marriage http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~3/FGLcATy4kUw/threatenmarriage <p><img style="margin: 5px; float: right;" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/images/married.jpg" alt="married" width="199" height="250" />This hasn’t been a good week for marriage. From Jon and Kate Gosselin’s divorce, to South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford’s infidelity, to the embarrassing exploits of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berluscon, the headlines have been a painful reminder of how troubled modern marriages can be. </p> <p>As I’ve mentioned before, I personally think it is counterproductive to spend time and money trying to mess with the constitution so that it restricts the rights of U.S. citizens under the banner of “protecting the sanctity of marriage,” especially when heterosexual couples face a divorce rate that hovers between 45 and 50 percent.  The truth is, gay couples make up a very small percentage of the population. Regardless of your position on homosexuality, when you consider the numbers, it becomes clear that gay marriage would have very little effect on an “institution” that we heterosexuals have done a fine job of screwing up on our own. </p> <p>Now, I’m no expert, but I have a feeling that our time, our money, our sermons, and our political activism would be better spent combating those things that are actually threatening marriage in this country and around the world. Here are a few things that came to my mind:<strong> </strong></p> <p>1. <strong>Materialism.</strong> I don’t know about you, but for me it is genuinely a struggle to remember that I don’t need more stuff to be happy. We live in a culture that constantly blurs the lines between necessity and pleasure, and so it should come as no surprise that what couples argue about the most is money and spending. If I had to name the one vice that I think has done the most damage to the reputation of the Church and the family over the past 100 years, it would be greed. And I struggle with it as much as anyone else. It’s so sad to think that marriages are ending every day over things like credit cards and fancy cars, McMansions and model airplanes – things we don’t even need to be happy. </p> <p>2. <strong>Entitlement.</strong> Also linked to America’s culture of greed is our pervasive sense of entitlement. Entitlement is what leads men to think they “deserve” a mistress after a hard week at work and women to think they “deserve” a new wardrobe that will break the family budget. When there’s an argument, both parties feel they “deserve” an apology, and when apologies are not given, someone often will feel they “deserve” to be happy by getting out of the marriage.</p> <p>3.<strong> “It’s all about the kids.”</strong> One thing that struck me about the Jon and Kate interviews was how often the couple said, “It’s all about the kids.”  “It’s their house,” Kate said at one point. “I work for the kids,” she said at another. “I have to do what’s right for the kids,” Jon added.  “We do the show for our kids,” they both said. By making our children the center of our lives, we are 1) teaching them to be selfish and entitled, and 2) neglecting the importance of prioritizing our marriages. Sure the Gosselin kids have matching clubhouses and cute clothes and constant activities and memories from expensive vacations, but now they don’t have a strong marriage to look up to...which is one of the greatest gifts parents can give their children. </p> <p>4. <strong>Sexual repression.</strong> I love that Christians are beginning to talk more openly about sex, because for many years sex was treated as something dirty and sinful.  In fact, I’ve known more than one Christian couple to break up early in their marriage because of major sexual repression issues that stemmed from the guilt associated with sex.  I think progress is being made in this area.</p> <p>5. <strong>Sexual exploitation.</strong> On the other hand, on TV and in movies, sex is often made into little more than a joke. Now, like most people, I enjoy a little sexual humor every now and then (Chaucer and Shakespeare certainly incorporated it into their work!) but when sex is treated as nothing but an animal instinct or bodily function, it loses its mystery and sacredness and gives us one more excuse to approach relationships with an attitude of consumerism. </p> <p>6. <strong>Hypocrisy</strong>. Not to belabor the point, but high-profile pastors and politicians who preach incessantly about “family values” would do well to observe their own rules. Their hypocrisy triggers cynicism, and cynicism triggers despair. </p> <p><strong>What would you add to the list? What are some other things that actually threaten the sanctity of marriage? </strong></p> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="Marturion";</script> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=20" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-share-en.gif" width="83" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" style="border:0"/></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/200/addthis_widget.js"></script>  <p><a href="threatenmarriage#commentsAnchor">Comments</a></p><p class="endpostimg"><img class="endpostimg" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/templates/rhe2/images/lil-monkey.png" alt="end of post" title="end of post"/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~4/FGLcATy4kUw" height="1" width="1"/> Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:40:43 -0400 http://www.rachelheldevans.com/threatenmarriage Rachel Held Evans http://www.rachelheldevans.com/threatenmarriage What Are You Reading? Who Do You Trust? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~3/X3Z1X8MEBkk/334 <p><img style="float: left;" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/images/justification.jpg" alt="justification" width="173" height="173" />Though we are taking a break from our book club discussions for the summer, I wanted to check in now and then to see how your summer reading is going. </p> <p>I’m right in the middle of N.T. Wright’s <em>Justification</em>. Intended primarily as a response to John Piper’s criticism of the so-called “New Perspective” on Paul, it’s a fascinating read and much more accessible than I expected it to be...although there are moments when I find all the back-and-forth about the meaning of Greek words to be a bit tedious. (What were we saying the other day about the regular guy on the street not really caring about this stuff?)</p> <p>Wright wrote something in the Introduction that really struck a cord with me.  He described what he called a “large and difficult problem in Western Christianity” that is characterized by <strong>“the implicit clash between those who get their faith from the four Gospels, topped up with a few bits of Paul, and those who base it on Paul, topped up with a few illustrations from the Gospels.” </strong>(p. 26) </p> <p>In that sentence, Wright succinctly describes a phenomenon I've been trying to put my finger on for years! Having been raised in a culture that seemed to emphasize Paul over the Gospels, I often find myself jumping to the other extreme by focusing solely on the teachings of Jesus to the neglect of Paul. What I love most about N.T. Wright is that he always manages to bring harmony to the two, more than any other biblical scholar I have encountered. </p> <p>...Which is one of the many reasons why I generally trust his assessment of Scripture, and why I often turn to his Web site or his books when I have a question about a particular passage.  I think we all have certain biblical scholars who we find ourselves being drawn to time and again, and whose reputation and credentials make them a trusted source for information and insight. </p> <p><strong>So, who do you trust when it comes to biblical scholarship? Got any “favorite” theologians? </strong></p> <p><strong>What else are you reading? What’s next on your list? </strong></p> <p>I think I’m going to take a break from all this deep stuff to read <em>The Eyre Affair</em> by Jasper Fforde next!</p> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="Marturion";</script> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=20" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-share-en.gif" width="83" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" style="border:0"/></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/200/addthis_widget.js"></script>  <p><a href="334#commentsAnchor">Comments</a></p><p class="endpostimg"><img class="endpostimg" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/templates/rhe2/images/lil-monkey.png" alt="end of post" title="end of post"/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~4/X3Z1X8MEBkk" height="1" width="1"/> Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:26:40 -0400 http://www.rachelheldevans.com/334 Rachel Held Evans http://www.rachelheldevans.com/334 Reformed or Emerging...Must We Choose? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~3/ZU-NqWRSMno/reformoremerge <p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/images/paths.JPG" alt="paths" width="296" height="223" /></p> <p>I ran across an old Mark Driscoll <a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/julyweb-only/127-52.0.html" target="_blank">interview</a> this weekend in which Driscoll was quoted as saying,<em> “The two hot theologies today are Reformed and emerging. Reformed theology offers certainty, with a masculine God who names our sin, crushes Jesus on the Cross for it, and sends us to hell if we fail to repent. Emerging theology offers obscurity, with a neutered God who would not say an unkind word to us, did not crush Jesus for our sins, and would not send anyone to hell.”</em> (Driscoll himself is Reformed.)</p> <p>Now, I’m no fan of Mark Driscoll. I am troubled by the way he talks about women, gays, masculinity, and, quite frankly, Jesus. He’s been known to call anyone who disagrees with him a heretic, and often ridicules as “weak” or “queer” those who emphasize Christ’s teachings about loving enemies and turning the other cheek. </p> <p>But as I read this interview, I had two thoughts:<strong> 1) Driscoll is absolutely wrong in the way that he characterizes emerging Christianity, and I hope he is absolutely wrong in the way that he characterizes Reformed theology, and 2)</strong> <strong>Driscoll is absolutely right about the fact that Reformed and emerging are the big trends.</strong> </p> <p>The quote was from a 2006 <em>Christianity Today</em> interview, and since that time, I have seen more and more young people gravitating toward either Reformed Theology or emerging Christianity.</p> <p> For example, I graduated in 2003 from a non-denominational Christian college, and I can say pretty confidently that most of the graduates with which I interact today are either hard-core Calvinists or Brian McLaren fans. (Most still living here in Dayton are Reformed; most with whom I correspond via e-mail are emerging.) Just Google “neo-Calvinism” or “Emerging Church” and it becomes immediately apparent that this is nationwide trend...not so much among older adults, but among those in their twenties and thirties. </p> <p>In my mind, there are a few possible explanations: </p> <ul> <li> Neo-Calvinism is a reaction to emerging Christianity, as progressive movements are often met with resistance from traditionalists. </li> </ul> <ul> <li>We have simply resurrected the age-old Arminianism/Calvinism debate in a new context, with new leaders, new terms, and new issues. </li> </ul> <ul> <li>People from my generation are asking very similar questions about religious pluralism, salvation, justification, inerrancy, and faith. Neo-Calvinism offers clear, unambiguous answers for those who want closure. Emerging Christianity offers a community and a forum for those who aren’t satisfied with those answers.</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p><strong>What do you think? Have you noticed your friends trending toward either Calvinism or the Emerging Church? Why do you think this is? What do you think about Driscoll’s characterization of Reformed Theology and Emerging Christianity? </strong></p> <p>I’d love to hear from Reformed folks and emerging folks...as well as those of you who consider yourselves a part of a tradition that is neither Reformed nor emerging. (And yes, I know that “emerging” can be a bit hard to pin down; just go to Wikipedia for a pretty decent summary of the movement.)</p> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="Marturion";</script> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=20" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-share-en.gif" width="83" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" style="border:0"/></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/200/addthis_widget.js"></script>  <p><a href="reformoremerge#commentsAnchor">Comments</a></p><p class="endpostimg"><img class="endpostimg" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/templates/rhe2/images/lil-monkey.png" alt="end of post" title="end of post"/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~4/ZU-NqWRSMno" height="1" width="1"/> Mon, 22 Jun 2009 10:37:49 -0400 http://www.rachelheldevans.com/reformoremerge Rachel Held Evans http://www.rachelheldevans.com/reformoremerge Monkey Town Mix http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~3/GlqgBTBlivk/monkeytownmix <p>I had a lot of fun compiling all of your musical suggestions into a super-cool “Monkey Town Mix.” I’ve always said that mixes are my “love language,” and one of my favorite things to do when I make one for a friend is to write a poem using one line from each song in the order that the songs appear. I'm sure my editor will be just thrilled to see that I took the time to do that for you! :-) Enjoy!</p> <p><strong>Monkey Town Mix: </strong></p> <p>1.“Monkey,” Counting Crows (couldn’t resist) <br />2.“Long Ride Home,” Patty Griffin <br />3. “For the Widows of Paradise...,” Sufjan Stevens <br />4. “Chocolate,” Snow Patrol <br />5. “Paper Planes,” M.I.A. <br />6. “Geography,” Thao <br />7. “Such Great Heights,” Iron and Wine<br />8. “All The Trees Will Clap Their Hands,” Sufjan Stevens<br />9. “Hallelujah,” Jeff Buckley <br />10. “Landed,” Ben Folds <br />11. “I Don’t Know,” Lisa Hannigan <br />12. “Feelin’ Good,” Nina Simone<br />13. “At Last,” Etta James (1961 - for you, Sister Marie) <br />14. “Mary,” Patty Griffin (love the lyrics to this song!) <br />15. “Tennessee,” Mindy Smith</p> <p><strong>Poem Comprised of Lyrics: </strong></p> <p>Hey, Monkey,<br />I’ve had some time to think about it.<br />If you ever make a mess, <br />Goodness knows I saw it coming. <br />I make ‘em all day. <br /><br />I don’t know <br />If God Himself did make us into corresponding shapes.<br />I heard from the hills a band was made,<br />But you don’t really care for music do ya?<br />It matters to me. <br /><br />Treading the sea of a troubled mind, <br />I don’t know if you can swim. <br />This old world is a new world and a bold world for me. <br />You smile. <br />You’re covered in treetops. <br />You’re good enough for me. <br /><strong><br />Feel free to take a stab at an interpretation! (Or to add another line from another song.) </strong></p> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="Marturion";</script> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=20" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-share-en.gif" width="83" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" style="border:0"/></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/200/addthis_widget.js"></script>  <p><a href="monkeytownmix#commentsAnchor">Comments</a></p><p class="endpostimg"><img class="endpostimg" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/templates/rhe2/images/lil-monkey.png" alt="end of post" title="end of post"/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~4/GlqgBTBlivk" height="1" width="1"/> Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:10:07 -0400 http://www.rachelheldevans.com/monkeytownmix Rachel Held Evans http://www.rachelheldevans.com/monkeytownmix Who’s On Your Playlist? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~3/holL7Y89eFU/playlist <p><img style="margin: 5px; float: right;" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/images/sufjan_illinois.jpg" alt="sufjanillinoise" width="166" height="166" />It’s a hot, muggy, and gray day here in Tennessee – a perfect time to cash in on the two iTunes gift cards I got for my birthday. </p> <p>Right now I’m putting together a new playlist that includes: Sufjan Stevens, Rosie Thomas, Kate Earl, A Fine Frenzy, Tegan and Sarah, Regina Spektor, Over the Rhine, Coldplay, and Cat Power. I may also add a few songs to my “guilty pleasure” playlist, which includes artists ranging from Kate Nash, to Mary J. Blige, to Red Hot Chili Peppers, to (my all-time favorite) Alanis Morissette.  </p> <p><strong>If you had $50 to spend exclusively on music, where would you buy it and what would you buy?</strong> (I’ll use your responses to create a “Monkey Town Mix” to post later in the week!)</p> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="Marturion";</script> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=20" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-share-en.gif" width="83" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" style="border:0"/></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/200/addthis_widget.js"></script>  <p><a href="playlist#commentsAnchor">Comments</a></p><p class="endpostimg"><img class="endpostimg" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/templates/rhe2/images/lil-monkey.png" alt="end of post" title="end of post"/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~4/holL7Y89eFU" height="1" width="1"/> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:07:45 -0400 http://www.rachelheldevans.com/playlist Rachel Held Evans http://www.rachelheldevans.com/playlist Shhhh! You can't say that in church! http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~3/H-OOZ-Mzqc0/cantsayinchurch <p>Today Anne Jackson re-opened a fascinating conversation that she started on her blog a year ago when she asked, <a href="http://www.flowerdust.net/2009/06/15/what-do-you-feel-like-you-cant-say-in-church/" target="_blank">“What’s one thing you feel you can’t say in church?” </a>The wave of responses that followed (nearly 400 comments) reveals just how much angst and repression there really is in the Christian community. </p> <p>Although you really should visit the site and read them all, here are some that struck me as particularly interesting: </p> <ul> <li>"I’d rather look like a good Christian than put in the time and effort to actually be one."</li> </ul> <ul> <li>"When I say “I’ll pray for you.” I don’t usually mean it. I have been a Christian for 27 years and I still don’t understand the point of praying."</li> </ul> <ul> <li>"I’m a pacifist."</li> </ul> <ul> <li>"Sometimes I wonder if this whole Christianity thing is a lie."</li> </ul> <ul> <li>"I don’t like Beth Moore Studies."</li> </ul> <ul> <li>"I like a lot of those Emergent guys and gals and I’m Southern Baptist. There I said it! Whew! Glad I got that off my chest!"</li> </ul> <ul> <li>"If you are going to give a sermon on abortion, please have some compassion on the women that have had one. We deal with so much shame on our own, we don’t need you to put more on us. Saying abortion is like the modern day Holocaust makes me feel as if you are likening me to Hitler."</li> </ul> <ul> <li>"You’re so nice you’re utterly boring people."</li> </ul> <ul> <li>"Just because I am female does not automatically mean I am good with small children."</li> </ul> <ul> <li>"My Christian husband and I almost never speak of spiritual things…we have almost no spiritual connection at all."</li> </ul> <ul> <li>"I do not think Calvinism is a prerequisite for Christianity. I am an Armenian. Deal with it."</li> </ul> <ul> <li>"I am opposed to abortion in almost every instance. I still want it to be legal. I don’t want women who don’t share my point of view to not have access to a medically safe procedure."</li> </ul> <ul> <li>"I get frustrated reading the Bible."</li> </ul> <ul> <li>"I am depressed. Really, really depressed. I’m a Christian. A 100% born again Christian. Why do so many people think that the two can’t go hand in hand?"</li> </ul> <ul> <li>"Some people might be born gay."</li> </ul> <ul> <li>"When I’m at church I don’t want to talk about work - in other words, please call me on Monday and I’ll help you with your computer."</li> </ul> <ul> <li>"I hated the movie fireproof. I don’t care that it was made my Christians to spread the gospel. The bad acting and lame dialog makes Christians look cheesy and fake."</li> </ul> <ul> <li>"I will smack the next person who tells me God is my husband."</li> </ul> <ul> <li>"I don’t believe Jesus is the only way that God provided for people to be re-connected to him. I think God is “bigger” than that…"</li> </ul> <ul> <li>"I feel suffocatingly alone, almost all the time. I am politically apathetic, and can’t stand almost any true republican I meet. I am a pacifist. I don’t like Christian music. I don’t want to convert anyone. My greatest fear is dying. I love saying the word shit. I think women are absolutely equal to men. I don’t see anything resembling our modern church in the New Testament. I don’t think tithing (even though it pays our salaries) is a New Testament principle. I kinda think televangelists could be some sort of sub-human race. I think you can be Christian and gay. I am becoming increasingly irritated at God for how invisible He is. Sometimes the only thing that soothes this ache is a night drinking with friends. I wish we could quit the ministry and never look back, because maybe there is a church out there that I could love and that could love me and maybe we could figure this life thing out there."</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p>As sobering as some of the responses were, I felt a strange kinship with these people. Several times I thought to myself, “Wow. I am definitely not alone.” </p> <p><strong>So, what is something YOU would never say in church?</strong> <strong>(Feel free to copy and paste the same comment on both sites.) Can you relate to any of the sentiments above?  </strong></p> <p>If you find responding to such a question therapeutic, consider joining our previous conversation about “<a href="off-limits" target="_blank">off-limits questions</a>.”</p> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="Marturion";</script> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=20" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-share-en.gif" width="83" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" style="border:0"/></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/200/addthis_widget.js"></script>  <p><a href="cantsayinchurch#commentsAnchor">Comments</a></p><p class="endpostimg"><img class="endpostimg" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/templates/rhe2/images/lil-monkey.png" alt="end of post" title="end of post"/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~4/H-OOZ-Mzqc0" height="1" width="1"/> Mon, 15 Jun 2009 22:27:44 -0400 http://www.rachelheldevans.com/cantsayinchurch Rachel Held Evans http://www.rachelheldevans.com/cantsayinchurch Is Doubt a Disease? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~3/u05_wQWe5To/doubtdisease <p><img style="margin: 5px; float: left;" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/images/sad_silhouette.jpg" alt="sadperson" width="180" height="264" />Sometimes my doubt is treated like a disease – people keep their distance; they worry and pray and whisper amongst themselves; the brave ones try to fix me. </p> <p>Sometimes I think I’m diseased – when it’s a struggle to sit through church, when I’m afraid of too much quiet time to think, when I ask questions that cast fear across faces, when I can tell that even the brave ones have given up. </p> <p>Sometimes my doubt is treated like an antidote – people find solidarity and healing; they ask questions they’d been afraid to ask out loud; they dream of a bolder, more examined faith; the brave ones say they don’t want to be fixed. </p> <p>Sometimes I think we are the antidote – to apathy, to fear, to irrelevance, to inherited beliefs, to an un-changing and <em>fixed</em> faith, to utter extinction. </p> <p>But most of the time I think that doubt is both– the disease and the cure, the problem and the solution, the threat and the evolution.</p> <p>It is the disturbing art of the Church that forces us to think.     </p> <p>###</p> <p><strong>Do you ever doubt your faith? Do the people around you treat doubt like a disease to be cured? How can doubt be destructive, and how can it be constructive? </strong></p> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="Marturion";</script> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=20" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-share-en.gif" width="83" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" style="border:0"/></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/200/addthis_widget.js"></script>  <p><a href="doubtdisease#commentsAnchor">Comments</a></p><p class="endpostimg"><img class="endpostimg" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/templates/rhe2/images/lil-monkey.png" alt="end of post" title="end of post"/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~4/u05_wQWe5To" height="1" width="1"/> Sun, 14 Jun 2009 12:42:58 -0400 http://www.rachelheldevans.com/doubtdisease Rachel Held Evans http://www.rachelheldevans.com/doubtdisease Late Night Loyalties http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~3/mhAgNkq0Y7o/latenight <p>Okay late night fans, here’s your chance to weigh in on the big shakeup.</p> <p>How’s Conan doing? Will he be able to attract Leno fans while maintaining his edge? Who’s your favorite late-night comedian? </p> <p>As for me, I have no intention of abandoning my nightly rendezvous with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Colbert has had an especially eventful week—doing his show from Bagdad and co-editing <em>Newsweek</em>. Good times.</p> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="Marturion";</script> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=20" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-share-en.gif" width="83" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" style="border:0"/></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/200/addthis_widget.js"></script>  <p><a href="latenight#commentsAnchor">Comments</a></p><p class="endpostimg"><img class="endpostimg" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/templates/rhe2/images/lil-monkey.png" alt="end of post" title="end of post"/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~4/mhAgNkq0Y7o" height="1" width="1"/> Thu, 11 Jun 2009 02:40:11 -0400 http://www.rachelheldevans.com/latenight Rachel Held Evans http://www.rachelheldevans.com/latenight Tiller And The High of Easy Outrage http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~3/jEz5zamhXnk/tiller <p><img style="margin: 5px; float: left;" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/images/finger.jpg" alt="fingerpointing" width="254" height="170" />The fact that the murder of Kansas abortion provider Dr. George Tiller is still making headlines nearly two weeks after his death has led some to accuse the media of exploiting the situation to paint all pro-life advocates as violent extremists.   Although I’m not convinced that reporting on the incident reflects a liberal bias as much as the more practical “if it bleeds it leads” bias, it is clear that much of the rhetoric among left-wing personalities like Keith Olberman has been infused with unfair generalities.  </p> <p>However, I would caution against anyone pointing the finger when it comes to painting with a broad brush. When we are honest with ourselves, it’s hard not to notice how a part of us rejoices whenever a representative of an opposing ideology does something so horrendous or embarrassing or extreme that we can stand up, and with a rush of righteous indignation say, “See! That’s how they are!” </p> <p>Both liberals and conservatives, religious and unreligious, privileged and under-privileged are guilty of doing such. </p> <p>I once attended a lecture in which a right-wing evangelical speaker used isolated examples of eco-terrorism to paint the entire green movement as having a “violent, anti-Christian agenda.” And we all remember the palpable giddiness of the Fox News anchors when the Rev. Wright tapes were unearthed and replayed over and over again during the 2008 election. Sometimes I find myself feeling a little relieved when a televangelist gets arrested for fraud or when Rush Limbaugh makes a sexist remark. It makes it so much easier for me to hate them.</p> <p>This kind of easy outrage happens whenever someone blames 9-11 on religion or the Holocaust on evolutionary theory. It happens every time Lou Dobbs does a long expose on a crime committed by an illegal immigrant. It happens when we sneer at Miss California as one of those dumb Prop8 supporters or shun the profanity-laced rants of Parez Hilton as the hate of another angry gay. </p> <p><strong>When someone with whom we disagree clearly crosses the line, it’s like we get a free pass. Our enemies become more manageable and our prejudices more justifiable.  Secretly we are thankful for the chance to pit black against white without having to take into consideration the many shades of gray. </strong></p> <p>Perhaps we do this because we are lazy. Perhaps we do it because we are insecure. Perhaps we do it because, deep down, we’re afraid of what will happen when we discover there are ways in which we might actually agree. </p> <p><strong>Do you think the media has exploited the Tiller murder to make all pro-life advocates look bad? In what other situations have you observed such exploitation take place? </strong></p> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="Marturion";</script> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=20" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-share-en.gif" width="83" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" style="border:0"/></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/200/addthis_widget.js"></script>  <p><a href="tiller#commentsAnchor">Comments</a></p><p class="endpostimg"><img class="endpostimg" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/templates/rhe2/images/lil-monkey.png" alt="end of post" title="end of post"/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~4/jEz5zamhXnk" height="1" width="1"/> Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:01:21 -0400 http://www.rachelheldevans.com/tiller Rachel Held Evans http://www.rachelheldevans.com/tiller The Silver Lining to "The American Patriot's Bible" http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~3/OsSz8aOIrQ0/patriots <object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" style="width:425px; height:349px;" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/lB44hazSQQU"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lB44hazSQQU" /> </object> <p>If the beginning of this promotional video doesn’t remind you of the opening credits of The Colbert Report, then you probably don’t get Comedy Central.  And if the entire thing doesn’t make you cringe with embarrassment, then you probably lack the facial muscles to do so. </p> <p><em>The American Patriot’s Bible</em>, released this spring by Thomas Nelson Publishers, has caused quite a stir on the blogosphere recently.  Needless to say, if anything deserves one of LifeWay’s infamous “<a href="299" target="_blank">Read With Discernment</a>” stickers, it would be this little piece of nationalistic propaganda. </p> <p>Gregory Boyd wrote an excellent review on Out of Ur blog. In <a href="http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/archives/2009/05/book_review_the.html" target="_blank">Part 1</a>, he criticizes the editors for suggesting that America is a nation uniquely governed and blessed by God and for selectively retelling American history based on that assumption.   (The celebration of Andrew Jackson seen in the promotional video is a good example of such selectivity. <em>The Patriot’s Bible</em> praises for Jackson for hailing the Bible as the “rock” on which the U.S. was founded, and yet it was Jackson who blatantly disregarded a ruling of the Supreme Court, forcing thousands of Cherokee Indians from their homes onto the Trail of Tears.) </p> <p>In <a href="http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/archives/2009/05/book_review_the_1.html" target="_blank">Part 2</a>, Boyd expresses his dismay at how <em>The</em> <em>Patriot’s Bible </em>celebrates nationalistic violence. “Most stunningly,” writes Boyd, is that “each Gospel opens with a scene that includes soldiers struggling to raise a flag under the words ‘In God We Trust.’” </p> <p><img style="float: left;" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/images/patriotbible(1).jpg" alt="patriotbible" width="192" height="192" />Boyd concludes that “the assumption that God is uniquely invested and involved in America should especially concern Christians, since Jesus explicitly taught that the Kingdom he brought had nothing to do with nationalism or violence. His Kingdom was ‘not of this world,’ and the proof he offered Pilate in support of this claim is that his followers would not engage in violence, as defenders of worldly kingdoms invariably do (Jn. 18:36)... In this light, it’s nothing short of tragic that we now find ourselves with a version of the Bible whose sole purpose is to reinforce the nationalism and celebrate the military victories of a particular country.” </p> <p>Clearly, <em>The Patriot’s Bible</em> is at best an embarrassment to evangelicals everywhere and at worst a little idol with a $30 price tag. </p> <p>So what do I see as the silver lining? </p> <p>The fact that everyone’s so mad. </p> <p>Well, maybe not everyone....but nearly every professional review I’ve come across has been negative, and bloggers of various denominations and affiliations have come out strongly against <em>The Patriot’s Bible</em>.  In fact, I considered avoiding the topic altogether since so much had been written on the subject already. </p> <p><strong>I find all of this online chatter oddly reassuring because it tells me that religious nationalism does not pass as an unquestioned assumption within evangelical circles anymore.</strong> It tells me that people of faith are more willing than ever to honestly confront the mistakes of our past, acknowledging the ways in which Christian people claiming Christian values have done terrible things in the name of “God’s will.” The uproar over <em>The Patriot’s Bible</em> tells me we are ready to engage on a deeper level the question of how to reconcile the teachings of Jesus with national defense and war. </p> <p>Of course, we have yet to see the sales numbers, and that may be more telling than blog chatter. But I have a feeling that, overall, tolerance for combining Scripture with nationalistic propaganda is growing thinner. </p> <p>Sure this promotional video sickens my heart...but the general outcry among Christians that we can do better than this has actually lifted it a little. </p> <p><strong>What was your initial response to The Patriot’s Bible? How have people around you responded?</strong></p> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="Marturion";</script> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=20" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-share-en.gif" width="83" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" style="border:0"/></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/200/addthis_widget.js"></script>  <p><a href="patriots#commentsAnchor">Comments</a></p><p class="endpostimg"><img class="endpostimg" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/templates/rhe2/images/lil-monkey.png" alt="end of post" title="end of post"/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~4/OsSz8aOIrQ0" height="1" width="1"/> Mon, 08 Jun 2009 02:03:08 -0400 http://www.rachelheldevans.com/patriots Rachel Held Evans http://www.rachelheldevans.com/patriots Restoring Respect for Journalists http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~3/NZLfq7xLP1A/journalists <p>With the expected <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090604/ap_on_re_as/as_nkorea_journalists_held" target="_blank">trial</a> of reporters Laura Ling and Euna Lee in North Korea this week, I was once again reminded of the incredible sacrifices that journalists make to bring us stories from around the world. The Committee to Protect Journalists (<a href="http://cpj.org/" target="_blank">CPJ</a>) reported 125 cases of imprisonment in 2008, and has confirmed the deaths of 14 journalists from eight countries in 2009. </p> <p>Ling and Lee were reporting on female refugees abducted by human traffickers when the two were said to have crossed the border from China. (Ling is the sister of well-known reporter Lisa Ling.)  </p> <p>It frustrates me sometimes that in many conservative religious circles, the media has been so demonized that journalists receive little respect for what they do.  I know of Christians who care deeply about genocide and human trafficking and refugees and hunger...but who speak with disdain about the very reporters who so often bring these stories to light. </p> <p><strong>Is punditry out of control? Yes. Is cable news a waste of time? Probably.  But there are a lot of reporters investigating and writing about stuff that really matters.</strong> Having read several memoirs/series from reporters involved in Iraq, Afghanistan, Rwanda, and Darfur, I am convinced that most of these men and women take their jobs very seriously and genuinely want to tell the truth about what they observe. </p> <p>Working as a newspaper reporter myself for a short time, I also know that even at smaller news outlets, the hours are long, the pay terrible, and the emotional toll high. I too was accused of having a liberal bias and “hating Christianity” – ironic considering that, at the time, I was a recent Christian college graduate and adamant Bush supporter. </p> <p>Let’s keep Ling and Lee in our prayers...and perhaps show a bit more caution before making general statements about the media. </p> <p><strong>Do you have a favorite journalist? How have certain reporters or news outlets contributed to your understanding of the world and your awareness of important social issues? </strong></p> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="Marturion";</script> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=20" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-share-en.gif" width="83" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" style="border:0"/></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/200/addthis_widget.js"></script>  <p><a href="journalists#commentsAnchor">Comments</a></p><p class="endpostimg"><img class="endpostimg" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/templates/rhe2/images/lil-monkey.png" alt="end of post" title="end of post"/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~4/NZLfq7xLP1A" height="1" width="1"/> Thu, 04 Jun 2009 11:06:05 -0400 http://www.rachelheldevans.com/journalists Rachel Held Evans http://www.rachelheldevans.com/journalists Pastor Knows Best http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~3/vj42ZpVk5CU/pastor <p>I’ve had the good fortune of enjoying healthy, positive relationship with my pastors over the years, relationships that have left me with enormous respect for church leaders and the challenges they face daily. </p> <p><img style="margin: 5px; float: left;" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/images/priest_5.jpg" alt="priest" width="208" height="156" />Having befriended a lot of pastors’ kids, I know that pastors and their families are often held to impossibly high standards that leave them constantly striving for perfection and subjected to great scrutiny.  That kind of pressure is enough to strain marriages, hurt children, and trigger major burnout.  I am thankful for all of the men and women who have persevered to share the gospel under such circumstances. </p> <p>But lately I’ve been noticing something else. While some pastors are unfairly criticized by members of their congregation, others are overly revered. In conversations with friends and family, I’ve noticed more and more people talking about their pastors or priests as if they could do no wrong, as if they speak for God Himself. I'm not sure if circumstnaces have actually changed, or if I have changed. Perhaps I'm just now noticing - a result of my "posmodern" tenency to doubt and deconstruct.</p> <p>These are three red flags that I’ve been seeing:</p> <p><strong>Red Flag One - Pastor as the Only Source of Counseling</strong></p> <p>I’ve known a lot of people to benefit enormously from pastoral counseling. Dan and I did our premarital counseling with a pastor, and we’ve certainly benefited from his advice over the past six years. </p> <p>That being said, I think there are some issues that pastors are simply not qualified to address on their own.</p> <p>I recently heard someone say, “My pastor counsels straight from the Bible...There’s none of this Freudian crap.” </p> <p> That worried me a little. Freud had some good things to say, actually, and trained psychologists/psychiatrists bring lot of experience and education to the table when someone is suffering.  Yes, reading the Psalms can be therapeutic and helpful...but so can cognitive behavioral therapy. It seems to me that Bible verses alone are not going to cut it when something more serious, like hypnosis or even medication, may be necessary. </p> <p>Furthermore, I’ve known some pastors to give some bad advice...mainly because they are so close to the individuals involved. Sometimes you really need an objective third party to help you sort things out. </p> <p><strong>Red Flag Two - Pastor as the Only Source of Theology/ Biblical Interpretation</strong> </p> <p>Recently I’ve been corresponding with several different pastors from a variety of denominations. This has been a fantastic experience, as I love talking theology with people who have really studied it! What has surprised me the most about these conversations is the wide range of responses I get when I pose questions or challenges.  Most pastors talk to me like a peer, as if my thoughts are valid and reasonable and worth engaging. But a few have a tendency to get defensive or treat me like a child. They avoid answering my questions directly and instead turn the tables, posing litmus-test-type questions and then telling me whether I got them right or wrong. </p> <p>I think perhaps some are just so accustomed to assuming the role of leader and teacher that  they aren’t sure how to respond to someone who has done her fair share of research on a topic.  They seemed a little surprised that I didn’t just accept their interpretation of Scripture as the only interpretation of Scripture. </p> <p>I’ve never been the type of person to just believe whatever a pastor or teacher tells me to believe. For better or for worse, if something doesn’t make sense, I question it.  I look into it. Some pastors seem to be used to this; others seem caught off guard.</p> <p>I would be wary of any congregation in which the pastor is revered too much to be questioned (though questions should obviously be posed in the right way, through the right channels, and with the right timing). </p> <p><strong>Red Flag Three - Pastor as the Only Example of How to Live </strong></p> <p>This happens when a pastor’s lifestyle choices are hailed as “the only right way to do things.” I’m thinking of spending habits, marriage relationships, gender roles, political persuasion, entertainment choices, etc.  When everyone in a church eats, drinks, and talks like its pastor, something’s not okay. </p> <p><em><strong>What red flags would you add? </strong></em></p> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="Marturion";</script> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=20" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-share-en.gif" width="83" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" style="border:0"/></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/200/addthis_widget.js"></script>  <p><a href="pastor#commentsAnchor">Comments</a></p><p class="endpostimg"><img class="endpostimg" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/templates/rhe2/images/lil-monkey.png" alt="end of post" title="end of post"/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~4/vj42ZpVk5CU" height="1" width="1"/> Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:11:27 -0400 http://www.rachelheldevans.com/pastor Rachel Held Evans http://www.rachelheldevans.com/pastor Summer Reading, Sex, and Love http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~3/EoQ0V91DuWw/summerreading <p><img style="float: left;" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/images/sexgod.jpg" alt="sexgod" width="173" height="163" />I don’t know about you, but when I was a kid, I lived for summer reading.  I loved how the smell of chlorine (leftover from a long morning at the Y) mingled with the sweet scent of books as I lumbered down the aisles of the Birmingham Public Library each Friday afternoon with an armful of new adventures, compliments of Nancy Drew,  Anne Shirley, Ramona and Beatrice, and Laura Ingalls Wilder. I loved filling out the little progress sheets the librarian handed out each May and taped to the walls each August, and I loved how she always raised her eyebrows with feigned surprise when I showed her how much I read every week. I even loved the required reading list my teachers handed out at the end of the school year. Printed on bright paper, they included new titles from authors I had yet to discover—Madeline L’Engle, Lois Lowry, Harper Lee—authors whose work made a permanent impression on me.  </p> <p>Good times. </p> <p>Even though there’s no progress form on which to log my accomplishments, I still love summer reading.  And this year I’ve got a stack of titles on my nightstand that I’ve been meaning to get to since Christmas. </p> <p><img style="float: right;" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/images/hotflat2.jpg" alt="hotflatcrowded" width="185" height="185" /><strong>On Mondays, I usually try to post something about our book club selection. But this summer, for the months of June, July, and August, I thought we’d take a break from the book club and instead take time to share our summer reading adventures. So periodically, I’ll give you a chance to share a quote and your thoughts about whatever it is your reading that week—whether it’s a novel, a magazine, a blog, or a biography. </strong></p> <p>On my nightstand now is: <em>Sex God</em> by Rob Bell (yeah, I know I’m a little late to the party on that one), <em>Hot, Flat, and Crowded </em>by Thomas Friedman,<em> Thank God for Evolution</em> by Michael Dowd, <em>The Post-American World </em>by Fareed Zakaria (halfway through), <em>The Sound and the Fury</em> by William Faulker (PLEASE don’t tell anyone I haven’t read that yet!)  T<em>he Eyre Affair</em> by Jasper Fforde and T<em>he Irresistible Revolution</em> by Shane Claiborne (lovin’ my Zondervan discount right now!).</p> <p><strong>What's on your reading list? </strong></p> <p>So I’m almost finished with <em>Sex God</em>, (which isn't really about sex as much as intimacy and connectedness), and I’ve enjoyed it more than I expected. In fact, I read something last night that reminded me of our conversation last week about Reformed Theology, predestination, and free will.</p> <p><img style="float: left;" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/images/theirresistiblerevolution.jpg" alt="irresistiblerevolution" width="148" height="160" />Writes Bell:</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;">“[Heartbreak] is universal because we’re feeling something as old as the world. Something God feels.  The Bible begins with God making people who have freedom. Freedom to love God or not to love God. And these people consistently choose not to love God. It’s written in Genesis 6:6 that God ‘regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.’ Another translation reads, ‘Then YHWH [God] was sorry that he had made humankind on earth, and it pained his heart. These ancient writers saw God as having a heart.” (p. 96)</p> <p>And later:</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;">“The story the Bible tells is of a living being who loves and who continues to love even when that love is not returned. A God who refuses to override our freedom, who respects our power to decide whether to reciprocate, a God who lets us make the next move...Love is giving up control. It’s surrendering the desire to control the other person. The two—love and controlling power over the other person—are mutually exclusive. If we are serious about loving someone, we have to surrender all of the desires within us to manipulate the relationship.” (p. 98)</p> <p>One of my biggest hang-ups with TULIP and Calvinism is this notion that God controls who loves him. I have a hard time reconciling this with what I understand to be the very nature of love...and with the God of the Bible, who seems to be willing to become vulnerable for our sake. According to Bell, “In matters of love, it’s as if God has agreed to play by the same rules we do. God can do anything—that’s what makes God, God. But God can’t do everything. God can’t make us love him—that’s our choice. Love is risky for God too.”  <strong>Do you agree? </strong></p> <p><strong>Got any good quotes/links/recommendations of your own reading? Feel free to start any conversation you please! It's summertime!  </strong></p> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="Marturion";</script> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=20" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-share-en.gif" width="83" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" style="border:0"/></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/200/addthis_widget.js"></script>  <p><a href="summerreading#commentsAnchor">Comments</a></p><p class="endpostimg"><img class="endpostimg" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/templates/rhe2/images/lil-monkey.png" alt="end of post" title="end of post"/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~4/EoQ0V91DuWw" height="1" width="1"/> Mon, 01 Jun 2009 10:17:39 -0400 http://www.rachelheldevans.com/summerreading Rachel Held Evans http://www.rachelheldevans.com/summerreading The Missing Link? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~3/oreIgIFf7xc/missinglink <p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/images/Ida-the-missing-link-prim-001.jpg" alt="ida" width="313" height="187" /></p> <p>This week I recorded and watched the History Channel documentary, “<a href="http://www.history.com/content/the-link" target="_blank">The Link</a>,” which featured the recent scientific findings surrounding a miraculously intact primate fossil, estimated to be about 47-million years old. </p> <p>The documentary was interesting, but far too long. I’ll save you some time and summarize the two-hour presentation in two sentences:  The fossil, (discovered in the Messel Shale Pit in Germany), appears to be a transitional species that shows characteristics from both the non-human and human evolutionary lines.  Though the animal has features from the prosimian (lemur) line of primates—a grooming claw, a tooth comb—it also has features from the anthropoid (monkey, ape, man) line—a talus bone in the ankle that makes standing upright possible...so it appears to be a well-preserved snapshot from our evolutionary line dating from just after the split with the lemurs, something scientists expected to find within the estimated time period. </p> <p>This is certainly a significant finding, although I’m not sure it was worth all the hype it has received over the past few weeks. I’m still a little unclear about what characteristics a specimen would need to exhibit in order to undoubtedly represent a  “missing link.”</p> <p>Having grown up in a conservative Christian environment that taught young earth creationism exclusively, I’m still playing catch up with my basic knowledge of evolutionary theory. Over the past few years, I’ve studied the subject, and found scientific evidence in support of evolution to be too compelling to ignore. I’m beginning to believe that Theodosius Dobzhansky was right when he said that “nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.” Dobzhansky was a devout Eastern Orthodox Christian.</p> <p>However, I still have quite a few friends and family members who remain committed to young earth or intelligent design paradigms...( I live in Dayton, Tennessee, home of the Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925, after all)...so I always try to give these groups a fair hearing. </p> <p>I went to the <a href="http://www.answersingenesis.org/" target="_blank">Answers in Genesis</a> Web site and found an <a href="http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2009/05/19/ida-missing-link" target="_blank">article</a> about how these recent findings “should in no way faze creationists” because “the fossil does not resemble a human skeleton,” because it  “was found in two parts,” and because the fossil’s lack of a grooming claw and toothcomb “are easily explained by variation with a kind.” The article concludes that “nothing about this fossil suggest it is anything other than an extinct, lemur-like creature” and that “the remarkable preservation is a hallmark of rapid burial...consistent with a catastrophic flood.”  </p> <p>I’ll let you guys critique that argument.</p> <p>Marlin Lavenhar once said, “...Now that we have discovered DNA and its code, we know that we are not only related to monkeys, we are related to zucchini. So let’s get over it.” </p> <p>This quote makes me smile and wince at the same time. On the one hand, I think that the idea that we are interconnected to all of life is quite beautiful and spiritual...maybe even biblical. On the other hand, one has to wonder how descending from apes makes us “created in the image of God.” </p> <p>Sometimes I wonder if, just as Galileo’s paradigm of a sun-centered solar system offended man’s pride, evolution is meant to remind us that we are not the center of the universe after all. Sometimes I wonder if God uses science to provide us with a healthy serving of humility every now and then. </p> <p><strong>So what do you think about the news surrounding “The Link”? Is it dangerous propaganda or a reality check? </strong></p> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="Marturion";</script> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=20" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-share-en.gif" width="83" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" style="border:0"/></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/200/addthis_widget.js"></script>  <p><a href="missinglink#commentsAnchor">Comments</a></p><p class="endpostimg"><img class="endpostimg" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/templates/rhe2/images/lil-monkey.png" alt="end of post" title="end of post"/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~4/oreIgIFf7xc" height="1" width="1"/> Fri, 29 May 2009 15:55:37 -0400 http://www.rachelheldevans.com/missinglink Rachel Held Evans http://www.rachelheldevans.com/missinglink Book Club Discussion: History, Mistakes, and Redemption http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~3/LcHawQAMiB4/321 <p>Today we will conclude our discussion of David Dark’s <em>The Sacredness of Questioning Everything</em> with a look at his chapter on “Questioning History.” (Two more chapters follow, but I thought this one was most conducive to our conversation here.) </p> <p><img style="margin: 5px; float: left;" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/images/sacrednessbook.jpg" alt="sacredness" width="142" height="206" />In Chapter Eight, Dark observes that <strong>“reading history yields the realization that deeply sincere people have gone to houses of worship, looked after their families, and prayed intensely while also participating in unthinkable atrocities. With this in mind, I read in the hope that I might participate in the redemptive movements of history, the kind that will look redemptive centuries from now.” </strong>(p. 173) </p> <p>Those two sentences summarize a difficult and inconvenient truth that should keep us awake at night. I often think of Christians who owned slaves, Christians who opposed integration, and Christians who remained silent as the Cherokees were forced from their homes, and I wonder would I have joined them? </p> <p>The truth is, sometimes we get it wrong.  In fact, we are probably getting some things wrong right now. </p> <p>To be honest, this is why I spend a lot of time thinking about issues related to homosexuality, and why I find myself reluctant to join crusades against gay marriage. I often wonder if future generations will look at how the Church treated gays and lesbians and hang their heads in shame. </p> <p>On page 173, Dark wisely asks, “How do I avoid being yet another uncaring face in a long line of blissfully ignorant people whose action and inaction are harnessed to keep other people down?”  </p> <p>From this perspective, Dark makes an excellent case for the benefits of historical revisionism, arguing that “our commitment to remembering well, to the details of what really happened in tragic personal histories, war zones, and under the watch of negligent governments, is, it seems to me, inescapably tied to the struggle to think, speak, and listen redemptively.” (p. 185) </p> <p>Of course, not all Christians have remained silent in the presence of inequity, and not all Christians participated in the aforementioned injustices. Some actually stood up against them, and their stories should certainly not be downplayed or ignored. However, there have been plenty of times throughout history when taking a stand against the government or the Church has been met with the charge of capitulating to culture or even denying the faith. To live a life that looks beyond the present almost certainly carries with it the risk of being criticized, even persecuted. </p> <p>This chapter was perhaps my favorite of the book, because Dark takes the popular charge that one has a “biased reading of history” and shows how a redemptive bias can be helpful. It was also an appropriately uncomfortable chapter to read, because I found myself wondering how my children and my grandchildren will one day view my life, my words, and my silence. </p> <p><strong>In looking at the world today, what injustices do you think Christians might be overlooking or even perpetuating? How do you think history will judge this generation? Do issues related to homosexuality come to your mind when thinking about this? </strong></p> <p>And, to borrow a question from Dark: “Oscar Wilde once observed that the best thing one can do for history is to revise it. Is he right? Why or why not?” </p> <p>Let me know what you think!<br /><br />(P.S. If you enjoyed <em>The Sacredness of Questioning Everything</em> as much as I did, consider writing a review on Amazon!)</p> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="Marturion";</script> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=20" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-share-en.gif" width="83" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" style="border:0"/></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/200/addthis_widget.js"></script>  <p><a href="321#commentsAnchor">Comments</a></p><p class="endpostimg"><img class="endpostimg" src="http://www.rachelheldevans.com/assets/templates/rhe2/images/lil-monkey.png" alt="end of post" title="end of post"/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RachelHeldEvans/~4/LcHawQAMiB4" height="1" width="1"/> Wed, 27 May 2009 14:35:26 -0400 http://www.rachelheldevans.com/321 Rachel Held Evans http://www.rachelheldevans.com/321