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Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again

Rachel Held Evans

4.43 · Rating details · 7,690 ratings · 1,247 reviews

One Woman’s Journey Back to Loving the Bible

If the Bible isn’t a science book or an instruction manual, then what is it? What do people mean when they say the Bible is inspired? When Rachel Held Evans found herself asking these questions, she began a quest to better understand what the Bible is and how it is meant to be read. What she discovered changed her—and it will ch ...more

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Published June 12th 2018 by Thomas Nelson

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Mar 11, 2018 Stacy rated it it was amazing

I often feel like Rachel Held Evans is telling my story but in better prose. Like Rachel, I grew up in a conservative evangelical church but eventually realized that sect doesn't match my view of the world or God. But having been taught that if you don't believe every word of the Bible is literally true, then you can't believe any of the Bible at all, it's now difficult to know how to approach it. It's so refreshing to see that there are other people who have wrestled with this and started to fi ...more

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Feb 19, 2018 Kat Coffin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-that-changed-me

What can I say about this book?

I received an ARC, due to the special promotion early preorder customers received. I was one of the first 500 to provide proof. I received my copy on Ash Wednesday/Valentine's Day--and how appropriate!

The timing of this remarkable book is impeccable. Not long before, I stared rereading Scripture again, to try and infuse daily Scripture into my morning routine. I read one chapter of the Old Testament and one chapter of the New. The first chapter of the Old Testame ...more

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Aug 09, 2018 Pastor Matt rated it did not like it

I've read several of Rachel Held Evans' books. She is a talented writer but a poor biblical interpreter. She uncritically accepts "higher criticism" with liberal presuppositions as a way to "unlock an ancient text" even though this method is built on post-enlightenment fantasy and an implicit desire to accommodate the cultural whims of the day. She accepts theories such as Matthew Vines' discredited portrayal of same-sex relationships in the ancient world (which is just a summary of John Boswell ...more

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Jul 28, 2018 Nova rated it did not like it

Shelves: false-teaching

****Note: I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. This in no way impacts the rating****
2nd note: I was deeply shocked and saddened to hear of the author's passing. Please be in prayer for her family.

While this book may have a high overall average rating on this site as well as others, this comes as a surprise to me. How could Christian readers find this to be a work filled with biblical truth? This woman and myself have read the exact same book and come to completely different conclus ****Note: I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. This in no way impacts the rating****
2nd note: I was deeply shocked and saddened to hear of the author's passing. Please be in prayer for her family.

While this book may have a high overall average rating on this site as well as others, this comes as a surprise to me. How could Christian readers find this to be a work filled with biblical truth? This woman and myself have read the exact same book and come to completely different conclusions.. I do not recall another time where I've come across a book by a Christian with interpretations of scripture that stray so far from their actual meanings. In the words of Erwin Lutzer, "The doctrinal apathy among many Christians in our nation is deserving of tears ." Yes, tears. And I would add, extra vigilance and personal study of scripture so as not to be led astray.

I noticed quite a few very easily corrected errors in the copy I received. Since this was not the final edit, I hope these things were taken care of. But also, I don't think this book should have been written, and I do not recommend it.

The author makes a point of saying she recognizes and upholds the authority of scripture, but only sentences later states the opposite with what she writes about scripture. Very liberal in theology and in interpretation. She holds on to midrashic interpretation as well. Of this, she writes, "I suspect I resonate with midrashic interpretation because it helps me recover some of the curiosity and wonder with which I approached the Bible as a child. It gives me permission to 'play' a little with the stories" (page 23). She put the emphasis on play, not me. Now, this may not seem like much, but the more I read, the more I saw that the author wasn't interpreting scripture by scripture and, yes, in keeping with her own statement that she plays with scripture, she truly does so. What's in the Bible is not open to any private interpretation, as 2 Peter 1:20 warns, but the author of Inspired was using her own private interpretations as well as "fanfiction" to do just that.

In mentioning the plagues that God brought upon Egypt, the author writes: “This single event, whether historical or legendary or a bit of both, has shaped the faith of millions of people, inspiring artists and activists and world leaders for centuries. Never should it be discounted as just a story” (page 39). So she just stated that God rescuing the Israelites from the Egyptians may very well be a mix of legend and truth. She's not taking it as something that really happened. She's leaving it as a 'maybe.' Yes, she proceeds in doing the very thing she advises to never do: discounting it as a story. If one is uncertain and thinks it might be a legend then what else is it but a story?

She mentioned how Abraham was instructed to sacrifice Isaac (page 24). I see a lot of people misinterpreting this part of the Old Testament due to a lack of understanding . She seems to have very little understanding as well that this entire scene is a shadow of God's promise to send Christ as the Savior of the world, that anything we can do by our own efforts will not work. God sent His Son to die for us, and the story of Abraham and Isaac on Mount Moriah was a shadow of what was to come.

In one of Evans’ fanfiction stories about Hagar: “Just one person in all your sacred Scripture dared to name God, and it wasn’t a priest, prophet, warrior, or king. It was I, Hagar – foreigner, woman, slave” (page 31). This is a thing that is stated twice. While this is a fictional story from the author’s own mind, this is also not true. God is given so many names in the Bible, and not just by Hagar.

Interspersed between chapters were little fictional stories about biblical characters. I really did not enjoy these and have an aversion to Christian authors doing so.

As the culture deviates from the clear teachings found in Scripture, so also will people move toward teachers who move little by little away from the truth found in the Bible. The author says one thing, and then...says what she really means. The Bible says that God has magnified His Word above all His name (Psalm 138:2) and that the Word of God will last forever (Isaiah 40:8).

The conclusions the author came to about scripture were troubling to me. I've had time to think on this, and the seriousness has grown.. Undermine scripture and you take the sword of the spirit (the Word of God) from the believer. The Bible advises: let not many of you become teachers (James 3:1). When writing books, Christian authors need to be very careful about what they're teaching. We do not abandon scripture because the culture is moving in a different direction. We love others but we tell them the truth as well. I strongly disagree with how Mrs. Evans handles scripture. I advise readers to not eat up every book they read as true, but to examine everything with care and in light of the scripture. I do not recommend this book. This kind of teaching is spreading into churches all over, and I want to strongly caution people to be vigilant and make sure they know what the Bible actually says. ...more

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Jun 10, 2018 Kaitlin Kline rated it it was amazing

"The apostles remembered what many modern Christians tend to forget--that what makes the Gospel offensive isn't who it keeps out but who it lets in."

This book, like many that deal with Biblical interpretation, is probably going to piss some people off. But I think that's why it needs to be read. If a book is making you mad, or deeply uncomfortable or exposed, then it's doing it's job; to stretch your current view of the world a little larger and deeper. There were a couple of points like that fo "The apostles remembered what many modern Christians tend to forget--that what makes the Gospel offensive isn't who it keeps out but who it lets in."

This book, like many that deal with Biblical interpretation, is probably going to piss some people off. But I think that's why it needs to be read. If a book is making you mad, or deeply uncomfortable or exposed, then it's doing it's job; to stretch your current view of the world a little larger and deeper. There were a couple of points like that for me in Inspired. Like Rachel, I grew up in a very conservative home and spent my childhood and adolescence debating the Bible's reliability. We were both raised to believe that the Bible was always right, no matter the context. So it was a little jarring for me to hear Rachel tell me that, just maybe, Scripture isn't perfect all of the time--but that's okay, because it was written by imperfect people. It doesn't mean that the Bible isn't special and wonderful and dependable; it simply means we can remove it from the pedestal we have placed it on and engage with it as we are: imperfect sinners, just like the characters within. I actually find I can love the Bible more when I don't have such lofty expectations for it to tell me what to do (actually, that's how I feel about my husband after being married for three years). The Bible isn't just a history book or an instruction manual; it's a portable library of a thousand stories from differing genres. Never before have I asked, while reading a chapter, "Whose voice is this? Why does that matter?" Being able to differentiate Jewish storytelling from historical reports from practical letters means that we can appreciate the Bible for its variety while realizing that we are not the original audience. Yes, God's Word is for us, but it is not solely for us. To assume as much does this great literary and historic work a disservice; and it harms the people that we weaponize this great book against. The Bible, like any book, is an epic act of love, so if we use it as an excuse for hatred or violence, we have clearly missed the mark. I think any external writing that helps the Bible come alive has great value, and this is my favorite one so far. If you have questions about the Bible, or if you have never thought to question the Bible for fear of it letting you down, you should give Inspired a shot. I know it helped give me a healthier view of the book I have tried to love my whole life; it has given me more room to fall in love with the Word. ...more

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Oct 31, 2019 Clif Hostetler rated it really liked it

Shelves: religion

Rachel Held Evans provides an engaging presentation of a progressive perspective on the Christian religion in general and the role of the Bible in particular. She frequently recounts personal experiences of growing out of a belief in the Bible as a magic answer book and evolving toward an understanding of it as a work of literature filled with stories that can be inspirational and instructive if combined with knowledge of the genre and context. The book’s narrative includes frequent quotations o Rachel Held Evans provides an engaging presentation of a progressive perspective on the Christian religion in general and the role of the Bible in particular. She frequently recounts personal experiences of growing out of a belief in the Bible as a magic answer book and evolving toward an understanding of it as a work of literature filled with stories that can be inspirational and instructive if combined with knowledge of the genre and context. The book’s narrative includes frequent quotations of numerous authors who have written similar content, but Held Evans demonstrates a gift of being able to craft a message that is warm and unthreatening.

The book’s narrative follows a repeating format of citing a story from scripture, then repeating the story again in a completely different time and context, sometimes in a modern situation, sometimes from the author’s personal experiences, and sometimes in an expanded novelization of the story. The magic of the writer’s skill enables the stories to thus come alive. The author then surrounds these takes on scripture with commentary and reflections from her own life experiences.

The following are quotations from the book that caught my attention. The introductory comments are mine followed by the respective quotations.

The following impressed me as good advice when one hears that often repeated phrase:

We should be wary, then, of grand pronouncements that begin, "The Bible says." Where? To whom? In what context? Why? (p98)

Here's a good definition of wisdom:

Wisdom, it seems, is situational. It isn't just about knowing what to say; it's about knowing when to say it. And it's not just about knowing what is true; it's about knowing when it's true. (p98)

Here's a good description of the Bible:

The truth is, the Bible isn't an answer book. It's not even a book, really. Rather, it's a diverse library of ancient texts, spanning multiple centuries, genres, and cultures, authored by a host of different authors coming from a variety of different perspectives. These texts, like others from antiquity, have undergone edits, revisions, copies, and translations through the years. No one has the originals. Before they were canonized, they circulated as disparate collections of scrolls and codices, and before that many were passed down as oral traditions. (p102)

The following quotation sites Amy-Jill Levine's description of the purpose of the apocalyptic texts:

"The point of apocalyptic texts is not to predict the future," explained biblical scholar Amy-Jill Levine in The Meaning of the Bible; "it is to provide comfort in the present. The Bible is not a book of teasers in which God has buried secrets only to be revealed three millennia late." Rather, she argued, apocalyptic texts "proclaim that a guiding hand controls history, and assure that justice will be done." (p124)

Rachel Held Evans shares many problematic texts and manages to think and talk her way through them. But then she came to the problem of Paul:

Even after I’d come to terms with the Bible’s war stories and learned to embrace the Bible’s tensions and contradictions as fitting and good, even after I’d given up on trying to force the Bible to be something it’s not and resolved to keep wrestling with the confounding force that it is, there remained one obstacle in the way of a fresh start with my once beloved Magic Book. To make peace with the Bible, I had to make peace with Paul. (p208)

She goes on to explain how the problematic things that Paul had to say about women, sex, and slaves were reflections of his cultural environment, but they were not the core of his message. He’d probably been glad to back off some of the things he said if presented a context in which they would hinder the focus of his message.

The apostle Paul was a smart, worldly, and broad-minded Jew who had been utterly transformed by what he saw as his singular mission in life: to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles and welcome them in to Israel’s story. In pursuit of that mission Paul was determined to break down every religious ethnic, and cultural barrier that stood in the way. (p210)

Here's a LINK to Part 1 of an NPR two-part conversation with evangelical Christians in Fayetteville, N.C. about faith and politics. In Part 1 they talked about issues on their minds and impeachment. Part 2 LINK 2 is about "Race, Trump and evangelical voters." ...more

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Apr 30, 2018 J.R. Forasteros rated it really liked it

Rachel has given us a great gift... a book that invites us to rediscover the Bible as the book God gave us, not the book many of us were raised to expect.

She introduces each chapter with a fiction piece - these are pretty uneven, and I'm not sure they do much for the overall effect of the book. The non-fiction is much stronger, and where the real power of the book lies.

Overall, this is a great book that anyone who loves the Bible - or USED to love the Bible - will really enjoy.

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Mar 11, 2018 Amy1N rated it it was amazing

Reading this book was like sitting down with an old friend to talk through the Bible. I came away with a fresh desire to read passages I’ve yet to read and go back and read well remembered verses with fresh eyes. This is exactly the book I needed at exactly the right time. If you’re struggling picking up the Bible every day, this book is for you. If there’s nothing you enjoy more than starting or ending the day in scriptures, this book is for you. I’m so thankful for Rachel and her ability to so ...more

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Nov 22, 2018 Cydney Daniel rated it liked it

Shelves: religion, nonfiction

2.5 stars, rounded to 3.

Buckle up, friends.

Quickly at the beginning here: I have so many thoughts. This is interesting read if you want to stay on top of current popular beliefs and teachings. Evans is becoming an increasingly popular progressive Christian author (note: I don’t mean liberal Christian although I believe she is. I mean her views and interpretations of scripture are largely more progressive than traditional interpretation, and we run into some issues here quite often). I would no ...more

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Feb 26, 2018 Kristi Brokaw rated it really liked it

3 1/2 Stars (if Goodreads allowed it!)
First let me just say—this is a beautiful book. Whoever did the cover design gets a bunch of stars for making such a pretty book.

I loved this book. There are very few things which I didn’t like and for which I did deduct stars. The things I didn’t like were the “creative retellings” in the chapter openers. They felt unnatural and awkward to me. It was obvious the author was working with unfamiliar mediums. The screenplay version of Job was my least favorite. ...more

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Jun 18, 2018 Haley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: purchased-gifted

I love her. She approaches Scripture like a storyteller, and views Scripture as a collection of powerful stories that we've all been caught up with in some way - stories that can be used either to oppress or to liberate, stories that, even if divinely inspired, "have human fingerprints all over them."

I feel like I can't really write an adequate review because it's intended for a specific group of people - as one of the people it's clearly intended for, I highly recommend it to others in that gr ...more

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May 04, 2018 Jeffrey Nelson rated it it was amazing

I clearly remember the time--the first time, that is--when my faith began to fall apart. I was in my second semester of college as a Religion major and was enrolled in several Biblical Studies courses that spring, including one that dealt heavily with the concept of the "historical Jesus," a scholarly attempt to get behind the faith claims of the Gospels and see what definite things one could say about the real life person who lived in 1st Century Galilee.

I had a much more conservative-minded a I clearly remember the time--the first time, that is--when my faith began to fall apart. I was in my second semester of college as a Religion major and was enrolled in several Biblical Studies courses that spring, including one that dealt heavily with the concept of the "historical Jesus," a scholarly attempt to get behind the faith claims of the Gospels and see what definite things one could say about the real life person who lived in 1st Century Galilee.

I had a much more conservative-minded approach to scripture in those days, and largely was able to brush off most of what I'd been reading and learning. I believed not only in the truth of the Bible, but that it presented factual accounts not just about Jesus but about other characters as well: Adam and Eve, Abraham, Noah, Moses, Jonah, the Apostles, and so on.

But on one fateful Tuesday evening during Bible study, it all seemed to crumble down at once. The claims of my classroom studies were causing more and more friction with the claims of the night's discussion, until finally near the end of our time together I thought to myself, "I don't know if I believe this any more."

The next few months--and really, the rest of my life so far--would feature a deep and abiding wrestling not just with the Bible's contents, but with what the Bible itself was to me. Is it a closed canon handed down and divinely dictated whole cloth for eternally-relevant application, or does its origins, gradual collection, authorial diversity of experience, and occasional historical, scientific, and literary dubiousness make it something still capable of communicating truth about God, life, and faith, yet in ways more nuanced than before?

This is one of the questions at the heart of Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again by Rachel Held Evans. Evans' journey has also been one of beginning steeped in a subculture that approached the Bible in a certain way, and when the questions and contradictions that came with her own study became too big to ignore, she began a transition to a different way of nurturing faith and discipleship and of reading the Bible.

Evans recounts this journey more thoroughly in her previous works, particularly Faith Unraveled, and in fact a read through that book may serve as a helpful background to some of what she shares here. But her self-identifying as a memoirist is appropriate, as she shares personal anecdotes in nearly every chapter to help flesh out some of her own experiences that led her to revisit her view of scripture and its meaning for her now.

However, her own story is far from the only element at work here. Evans pulls from a variety of trusted scholars both past and present. She was intentionally diverse in choosing the voices that helped inform her approach, pulling thoughts from thinkers such as Walter Brueggemann, William Barber, Peter Enns, Nyasha Junior, and Amy-Jill Levine, among many others, as she delves into the stories of the Bible and the stories behind the Bible.

Evans' basic approach is to separate the Bible into the unique genres that make up its pages, and her natural inclination toward telling, sharing, and examining stories provide the framework and lens through which she examines them. She looks at stories of origins such as the early chapters of Genesis, stories of liberation such as Exodus and some of the prophets, stories of war such as in Joshua, stories of wisdom such as Job and the Psalms, and stories of Jesus and the early church, among others. She treats each as part of an expression of a larger narrative the people behind its pages are trying to make sense of for themselves, but also connects those stories to modern life through her own experiences and parallels to contemporary events and issues.

As an additional aid to her overall presentation, each chapter is accompanied by a retelling of each scriptural portion, including first-person accounts from Hagar and the Samaritan woman at the well, a short play of Job and his friends, and the story of Peter stepping out of the boat to meet Jesus on the water cast as a Choose Your Own Adventure story. These are often cleverly done and help set the stage for the analysis to come. Evans' writing has always had a certain light touch even when exploring serious issues, and these preludes help present the scholarship to follow in accessible ways that many readers will appreciate.

Evans' awareness of how difficult questions related to the Bible can be serves her very well, and many will benefit from her sensitivity, her attentiveness to scholarship, and her ability to connect it to present-day experience. Whether one is nearing their own Tuesday evening crisis of faith or just wants to make better sense of how this strange collection of stories relates to a modern understanding of faith, Inspired provides an easy on-ramp to that conversation. ...more

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Apr 03, 2018 Tina rated it it was amazing

It was comforting to hear someone say, "I get that you have questions and doubts and struggles." But it was also good to hear someone say, "Don't give up...here's a new way to love the Bible." Rachel Heald Evans never dissapoints.

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Feb 16, 2018 Ben Wideman rated it it was amazing

This is an incredible reflection on the purpose of the biblical narrative, written by weaving together humor, biblical study, various stylistic genres, and a lot of heart. I’m so grateful that RHE wrote this book, and that we get to read it.

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Jun 11, 2018 Christina Westbrooks rated it did not like it

I received an ARC of this book in a giveaway. I'm not a huge fan of non-fiction,but have been pushing myself out of my comfort zone. Rachel Held Evans seems relatable and I think I would like her. The book is well written too, but their are a few things I have problems with. I wasn't a fan of the stories inspired by Bible characters. While we can always wonder what happened in the experiences that wasn't included in the Bible, I just wasn't a fan, but out of the problems I have with this book, t I received an ARC of this book in a giveaway. I'm not a huge fan of non-fiction,but have been pushing myself out of my comfort zone. Rachel Held Evans seems relatable and I think I would like her. The book is well written too, but their are a few things I have problems with. I wasn't a fan of the stories inspired by Bible characters. While we can always wonder what happened in the experiences that wasn't included in the Bible, I just wasn't a fan, but out of the problems I have with this book, that one is extremely minor. While I understand that people use creative devices in writing and that it's almost certain that they did in the Bible(Jesus was known for telling fables), it's a little bit of a stretch to say that most of the Bible could possibly be not true, but rather a literary device used to teach us a lesson. I get that some stories give people pause, but that is simply because we are not capable of looking at things through Gods lenses and and we need to understand that we don't know everything. Their are alot of things as a believer, that you have to accept as being beyond your scope of imagination. You are creeping into dangerous territory when you try to use your own reasoning to explain Gods words because the Bible simply makes you uncomfortable. Their are several times that she discusses instances where scientific theories have disproven the Bible, but many of these instances have great Bible explanations if you only search for them(J Warner Wallace's Cold Case Christianity is a great look at how to approach the Bible from a more logically minded angle).Example: she discussed how they have proved that it is physically impossible that the world was formed in 7 days and yet, the Bible doesn't give us any insight as to how long those "days" were. We have no idea if Gods idea of a day is the 24 hour cycle we use now, or if his days are 1,000 years. This is just another example where the human brain can't comprehend something, so we make up our own non biblically answer because we don't like not knowing the answer. The thing is, their are so many instances in scripture that show that this way of looking at things is wrong and it bothers me that people follow this theory(Psalm 33:4 is one). It presents a grey area, where (again) the reader is thinking about things from their perspective instead of God's and I wonder, if you simply cast aside a story as fiction because you can't reason it or it makes you uncomfortable, where do you draw the line? Is the whole Bible true? Or just the parts that you want to be true? While it's true that scriptural interpretation can sometimes differ, this isn't interpretation, it's beyond that. The shift comes when you assume that you have all the answers and the authority to deem scripture as untrue(when other parts of the Bible tell you otherwise). ...more

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May 02, 2018 Leah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: spirituality, nonfiction

The introduction to this book hooked me and drew me in as I felt like I was reading my own story. Rachel describes her childhood and formative years in the evangelical church. All the familiar rites of passage - youth group, reading scripture, memorizing verses, leaning on the wisdom of youth leaders, and going back to the Word when times of crisis hit and questions arose - all of this was relatable. Even down to her name, Rachel, being taken from scripture. We might as well be sisters because m The introduction to this book hooked me and drew me in as I felt like I was reading my own story. Rachel describes her childhood and formative years in the evangelical church. All the familiar rites of passage - youth group, reading scripture, memorizing verses, leaning on the wisdom of youth leaders, and going back to the Word when times of crisis hit and questions arose - all of this was relatable. Even down to her name, Rachel, being taken from scripture. We might as well be sisters because my name is Leah.

And then as she grew older, questions began to arise about this magical book. Were the stories in it true? Science can disprove some, which would then make them more myth then truth. Is God truly loving in the face of the punishment he's doled out to humanity over the centuries? Her blog has been a source of affirmation for me - yes, you can be a liberal, feminist believer and not to go hell, if hell exists in the way I'd always been taught. Her books have honestly splayed open her heart and its wanderings away from evangelicalism, but always back to God. And now, here is a book that will discover the Bible in new and fascinating ways, as it is in all its dirty, gritty, confusing messiness. I'm so encouraged to see Amy Jill Levine and Pete Enns on her list of influencers while writing this book.

Rachel discusses our stories of origin and how some stories in the Bible were God's way of allowing peoples of ancient cultures to communicate. When we try to place our present day selves in the center of biblical stories, we are missing the original intent of the story and its purpose for communication. She goes on to explore the origins and intentional meaning behind many stories those of us who grew up in the church are familiar with. I wish I could share this book with so many of my friends, those of us who have left because the direction of the evangelical church has taken turns we no longer agree with or believe in. I think there are messages here we can all relate to that are inspiring and just might take us back to some of our spiritual roots. ...more

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Jan 03, 2020 D.L. Mayfield rated it it was amazing

This is the first book I can really remember thinking I can't wait to put this in the hands of my daughter when she is 13 years old and say "read this. I hope this is how you can learn to approach your faith and the Scriptures someday."

It's a stunningly accessible look at how Christians can and must start to treat their sacred texts outside of the narrow confines of biblicism. This is my favorite book of Rachel's, and I cried while listening to her read the audio herself. What a gift she was, an ...more

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Jun 12, 2019 James rated it it was amazing

I started this as part of an online book club which has since died out, so I went ahead and binged the rest of it on my own. It's kind of a bittersweet read considering the recent untimely death of the author, but a reminder of what her voice meant in the Christian world of ideas - something different and refreshing from the constant barrage of legalism, patriarchy, violence and bigotry. It's a reminder that stories matter, and knowing where those stories came from matters even more. I've enjoye ...more

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Aug 22, 2019 David rated it it was amazing

Shelves: bible-general-bible

I never had the privilege of meeting Rachel Held Evans, but it was still incredibly sad to learn of her death this past spring. She was an honest and passionate voice that echoed what so many felt. This book, her final book, echoes that honesty and passion.

In the book she shares how she grew up learning the Bible. But, as happens, over time she learned things were not as simple as she was taught. One option, which many have taken, was simply jettison faith altogether. Rachel could never do this I never had the privilege of meeting Rachel Held Evans, but it was still incredibly sad to learn of her death this past spring. She was an honest and passionate voice that echoed what so many felt. This book, her final book, echoes that honesty and passion.

In the book she shares how she grew up learning the Bible. But, as happens, over time she learned things were not as simple as she was taught. One option, which many have taken, was simply jettison faith altogether. Rachel could never do this as she loved the Bible and it’s stories too much. Side note: just this morning I saw a comment in a different review saying Rachel did not have a “high view of scripture”. That’s a rather laughable thing to say and such comments reveal no familiarity with her work. But that’s the problem, isn’t it? In many Christian circles if you don’t cling to a fundamentalist, literalist and simple view of scripture then you’re deemed as not having a “high view” of it. Rachel’s whole book is wrestling with scripture as we have, not as we want it to be.

Really, her passion for scripture and her honesty about it reveals a higher view of scripture than that of her critics. After all, who has a higher view, those who twist scripture into something it is not or those who wrestle with it as it is? That’s why I’m using the terms passion and honesty over and over here. Throughout the book she is honest about her struggles and questions and with the difficulties in the Bible but she is too passionate about the story and about Jesus to leave it all behind.

This is a great book for anyone who has questions about scripture and has found unsatisfactory answers. Rachel is a wonderful writer. But she’s also done her homework and shows familiarity with scholars like NT Wright, Pete Enns and others throughout. Even those familiar with the stories may learn a thing or two.

Near the end she talks about teaching the stories to her son, which nearly brought tears to my eyes:

“I want my son to be exposed to a wide variety of stories, including, when he’s ready, strange and scary ones, not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be defeated. So I suspect that, with the Bible, we will start with the parables of Jesus and perhaps some well-behaved psalms, then move on to Adam and Eve, Jonah and the big fish, Jericho, the manger, and the cross. Sure, he’ll get the edited versions at first, just like we did, and of course he’ll pick up all sorts of strange interpretations from his friends, the culture, and theologically questionable cartoon adaptations; there’s really no avoiding that. But I hope that by teaching him first to simply love these stories as they are, to relish their strange appeal, he will remember their magic when he rediscovers them in his own way someday.”

Her comments reveal the struggle many parents face as we hope to share these stories we love with our kids but know there’s so many false starts. I mean, is it inevitable that kids must go through a crisis of faith in their teens or twenties? I am starting to think it might be, as the path to a deeper faith and an understanding of what God has done in Jesus night just lay in moving beyond childish interpretations of scripture (and emphasis on the literal!) to deeper ones that recognize the Bible ultimately points away from itself and to Jesus. That’s another story. What I’m struck with is that Rachel left us with a beautiful book and while I say a prayer for her husband and kids, I also pray we can all help our kids develop both her passion and honesty. ...more

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May 09, 2019 Ann-Marie rated it it was amazing

I finished this book a couple of weeks ago and set aside until I had more time to give it a thoughtful review.
I am unable to do that.
Rachel Held Evans died May 4, 2019, after complications following a short illness.
I am heartbroken.
She was a young, vibrant voice for women and common sense in Christianity. She inspired me to continue on my path of weighing my beliefs and actions against the words and teachings of Jesus Christ, not what church fathers and dogma tell us we should think those wor ...more

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Nov 01, 2019 Raymond rated it really liked it

I first became aware of Rachel Held Evans in the last year when she was a guest on one of my favorite podcasts The Bible for Normal People. She was actually promoting this book on the episode. Fast forward to May 2019 when I found out that Rachel passed away after a brief illness. Her passing bothered me first because she was so young and left behind her husband and two young children. Second it bothered me because her voice is needed in such a time as this. Not knowing what to do I decided to b I first became aware of Rachel Held Evans in the last year when she was a guest on one of my favorite podcasts The Bible for Normal People. She was actually promoting this book on the episode. Fast forward to May 2019 when I found out that Rachel passed away after a brief illness. Her passing bothered me first because she was so young and left behind her husband and two young children. Second it bothered me because her voice is needed in such a time as this. Not knowing what to do I decided to buy this book hoping that the proceeds would go to the family especially in their time of mourning. I am comforted to know that her words will live on and will hopefully be a blessing to others as they have been to me.

Inspired is Rachel's last book but was the first book of hers that I have read. I really enjoyed it and I wish I had been made aware of her and her work sooner. One of the big takeaways I took from this book is how illiterate we are when it comes to theology. She shows that Biblical context matters and when you know that context it makes you see the stories in the Bible differently than you were probably originally taught. For example the Pentateuch (the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Numbers) were written when Israel was living in exile under the rule of Babylon. The stories in Genesis don't necessary tell a history of how the world was formed but it collects the stories that were constructed to tell about how God made them an important people and how they should return to God. I never grew up learning this and sometimes I wonder how many people my age or older, that didn't have a seminary education, know the historical context in which the books of the Bible were written.

Evans unveils hidden truths and demystifies symbols in this book. For example she explains that Jesus did more than bring about salvation but he also brought about a radical way of living that was antithetical to societal norms of his time. My favorite chapter is "Resistance Stories" where she talks about the many beasts in the Bible and what they are symbols of. Guess what? They are not actually beasts but they represent something just as large and powerful. Read the book to find out more. What makes this book special is that a lot of what she reveals is in scholarly theological works but she repackages the information for a more general audience with her trademark wit, humor, and intelligence. Her book brings to life Eric Craft's quote: "Theology isn't merrily for an academic, but it is for the average person sitting in the pew".

When you stop trying to force the Bible to be something it's not-static, perspicacious, certain, absolute- then you're free to revel in what it is: living, breathing, confounding, surprising, and yes even magic.

My aim with this book is to recapture some of that Bible magic, but in a way that honors the text for what it is-ancient, complicated, debated, and untidy, both universally relevant and born from a specific context and culture.

The Bible is a diverse library of ancient texts, spanning multiple centuries, genres, and cultures, authored by a host of different authors coming from a variety of different perspectives.

Sometimes God knows the kind of deliverance you need the most is deliverance from your own comfort. -Rachel Held Evans ...more

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Dec 09, 2019 Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance rated it really liked it

Shelves: spirituality, inspiration, memoir

If you have looked at the Bible closely and found the conflicting parts hard to reconcile, Rachel Held Evans is the person you need to read. Evans has grown up with the Bible and its stories; the Bible was her default setting for all of life as a child. But, as she grew older, the brutalities of the God-led battles along with the cruelties inflicted on women and slaves and other groups began to bother Evans more and more.

This is the story of Evans wrestling with God. It's clever and thoughtful ...more

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Mar 02, 2018 Allison Sees rated it it was amazing

I first came to Rachel Held Evans through her book "Searching for Sunday." At the time I had just finished a rough semester of Divinity school and I was burnt out in so many ways. There are not many books that I would describe as "healing" but that book was one of them. It reminded me WHY I was in Divinity school, why I was doing what I was doing - because I love God. And I love the Church and our rituals and sacraments. It renewed a part of me that greatly needed it.

And so I was very excited to I first came to Rachel Held Evans through her book "Searching for Sunday." At the time I had just finished a rough semester of Divinity school and I was burnt out in so many ways. There are not many books that I would describe as "healing" but that book was one of them. It reminded me WHY I was in Divinity school, why I was doing what I was doing - because I love God. And I love the Church and our rituals and sacraments. It renewed a part of me that greatly needed it.

And so I was very excited to receive an ARC of her new book, "Inspired." I knew it was about the Bible...and I knew I needed some healing there, so I went in with an open mind.

So at this point in my life I am a United Methodist minister, serving a church as a head pastor for about 8 months now. And I have a lot of baggage about the Bible. I love Scripture. I love delving into the Revised Common Lectionary each week and figuring out what the Holy Spirit has to say to me and my community each week. I feel that preaching is one of my spiritual gifts and it greatly informed my call to ministry. So I love individual passages of Scripture. I love the Revised Command Lectionary. I even like all those weird and strange Bible stories that would NEVER show up in the lectionary (Rachel mentions a few in her book!)...but the Bible? This great big leather bound tome? This collection of stories and laws and letters and all that TOGETHER? That has done harm or can justify harm? That has been used and misused and people have been hit over the head with it and some people do the hitting with it...and yeah. When I think "Bible" I think BIG. HEAVY. Baggage. I'm much more comfortable with my little worship resource that just gives me the week's lectionary and some hymn suggestions rather then THE BOOK.

"Inspired" helped me work through and process a lot of those feelings and fears. I'm still processing - it's a journey. But like "Searching for Sunday" helped remind me that I love Church, "Inspired' helped remind me that I love the Bible. Her play of the book of Job & Aelia's telling of listening to one of Paul's letters particular struck me. All of her re-tellings or re-creations or imaginings of Biblical stories stirred something within me. I even think she (with the Spirit!) "inspired" my upcoming project toward ordination, working with some of the Biblical texts of violence against women. Because, deep down, underneath all the baggage, I love the Bible, I do. I think (at least by next Lent!) I'm even willing to pick up the whole leather bound, big book, and sit down and read it once again for myself, and to let the magic of the story wash over me.

So I don't describe many books as healing, but "Inspired" by Rachel Held Evans was definitely one. ...more

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Mar 08, 2018 Robin rated it liked it

I received a free advance promo copy, which this review is based on.
Having read and appreciated Rachel's previous books, I am familiar with her voice, and the doubt and questioning infused in her writing. I have found her honesty refreshing as someone coming from a similar religious background myself. I read this new book hoping to come away convinced the Bible was a 'good book' after all, that it could be inspiring- after coming to my own conclusions years ago that it is more hurtful than helpf ...more

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Apr 01, 2018 Amy rated it really liked it

Rachel Held Evans has been an important author for me in coming to understand liberation theology. Through her own stories of wrestling with Scripture, Evans offers insights on familiar stories that render them new. She reminds us that, above all, our interpretations should move us closer toward’s the openness and inclusiveness that is God’s love. What a wonderful read.

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May 05, 2018 Chris Crosby rated it it was amazing

note: I received an Advance Copy of the book from the publisher.

Short Version Review: if you have read Rachel's earlier books, you will love this. And you will be INSPIRED to reacquaint yourself with the Bible.

More In-depth Review:
This book is not an academic exercise in how to read the Bible. Rachel Held Evans has written a book that is deeply personal about how she learned to love the Bible all over again and why. The book is as much about how she grew up being taught certain things about w note: I received an Advance Copy of the book from the publisher.

Short Version Review: if you have read Rachel's earlier books, you will love this. And you will be INSPIRED to reacquaint yourself with the Bible.

More In-depth Review:
This book is not an academic exercise in how to read the Bible. Rachel Held Evans has written a book that is deeply personal about how she learned to love the Bible all over again and why. The book is as much about how she grew up being taught certain things about what the Bible says, how she realized those teachings made no sense to get any longer, and how relearning the stories drew her back to a love of the content, even when she doesn't like it.

If that sounds impossible, well, it's the Bible! Lots of impossible things happen in there. But, if you don't give up on it, Rachel says, you can begin to ask questions and, "These questions loosened my grip on the text and gave me permission to love the Bible for what it is, not what I want it to be. And here’s the surprising thing about that: When you stop trying to force the Bible to be something it’s not— static, perspicacious, certain, absolute— then you’re free to revel in what it is: living, breathing, confounding, surprising, and yes, perhaps even magic."(p. xx)

The basic premise is that we can read the Bible best if we understand that it's a series of stories and learn why the stories are written the way they are. Rachel breaks them up into literary styles to cover the easy, the obscure, the challenging, and the downright unbelievable. When you walk through all of the chapters with her, you see the complexities, but it's easy to stay on the path.

From millennia of Jewish rabbis, she learned how the stories are open to our interpretation with every reading. She learned about the power of telling the stories in between the facts in the text, and, in the time honored traditions, she wrote her own 'midrashim,' to illuminate particular dilemmas. She obviously delights in this discovery of interpretation, and these interludes are diverse and delicious. She notes, "In other words, Bible stories don’t have to mean just one thing. Despite what you may have heard from a pastor or Sunday school teacher along the way, faithful engagement with Scripture isn’t about uncovering a singular, moralistic point to every text and then sticking to it. Rather, the very nature of the biblical text invites us to consider the possibilities." (p 42)

If you've read any of her other memoirs, you will find this a delightful time of catching up with a best friend. If you are new to RHE, be prepared for a super treat. You will gain a terrific understanding of how humans relate to God, how God never gives up on humans, and how stories are the life lines to human relationships.

I learned a lot about RHE's upbringing in her earlier books. In this one, I learned even more about how people raised in an evangelical environment interpret what I believe to be the INSPIRED word of God, written for our learning. For example, I also grew up knowing the Bible stories, but I never, ever, worried that looking in our car's rearview mirror might turn me into a pillar of salt. And, truth be told, Rachel is not the first evangelical woman I've known to confess this fear!

I feel this education was possibly most important for me, as I live in a progressive area, have mostly liberal Episcopalian friends, and study at an Episcopal seminary. In our incredibly divided nation, if I know more about how evangelicals approach scripture so very differently than I do, I hope I can be more compassionate when I run into disagreement. Rachel is very convincing on this point. She knows how to mark where her own upbringing fell far short of what she knows to be truth today.
" We’re all selective. We all wrestle with how to interpret and apply the Bible to our lives. We all go to the text looking for something, and we all have a tendency to find it. So the question we have to ask ourselves is this: are we reading with the prejudice of love, with Christ as our model, or are we reading with the prejudices of judgment and power, self- interest and greed? Are we seeking to enslave or liberate, burden or set free?"

She closes out the book speaking of how she and her husband are raising their son (and almost born daughter, also!). They hope to instill in their children the same love of story that they know, along with the conviction that the stories speak to us all uniquely as we experience them. And to introduce their children to the God who never gives up on any of us.

The last line brought a lump to my throat: "We may wish for answers, but God rarely give us answers. Instead, God gathers us up into soft, familiar arms and says, “Let me tell you a story.” " ...more

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Jun 17, 2019 Joel rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book is a strong reflection of current popular voices and thoughts concerning Christianity in general and the bible in particular.
The main focus is nothing too new or groundbreaking, and mirrors what large portions of scholarship have been communicating for decades. That being said, Held Evans has a knack for delivering that same message (one which fundamentalists have tended to ignore over the decades), albeit in a warm and accessible format.
.
She openly parrots the work of heavy hitters This book is a strong reflection of current popular voices and thoughts concerning Christianity in general and the bible in particular.
The main focus is nothing too new or groundbreaking, and mirrors what large portions of scholarship have been communicating for decades. That being said, Held Evans has a knack for delivering that same message (one which fundamentalists have tended to ignore over the decades), albeit in a warm and accessible format.
.
She openly parrots the work of heavy hitters such as Brueggemann, Wright, Bruce, Enns, Levine, McKnight, and more.
In doing so Held Evans is able to create non-threatening spaces for discussion around understanding and meaning. She gives good space to the realisation of methodological approaches, most notably the appreciation of genre and context.
Held Evans does not shy away from the difficult places of scripture and fashions some positive ways forward for those who struggle reconciling modern ideals with the ancient text.
.
My only gripe with the book was the section on Miracles. It was one of the weaker areas, and functions more as a reflection on personal experience rather than on the validity of miracles.
She basically dichotomises them into only two camps and never considers that miracles by definition can’t simply be proven or disproven by the natural sciences - they are an event that functions opposite to the laws of nature.
So, sure, this functions as a convenient way of navigating seemingly ridiculous stories, and yet it fails to take seriously numerous historical accounts from eye witnesses where weird things have happened.
Having said that she does mention those in her world who do accept the miraculous, and her framing of the everyday “miraculous” is noteworthy also (miracle of birth, etc...)
.
Finally there are some great practical thoughts in the epilogue about how to introduce children to the bible so that they may also fall in love with it.
.
I would recommend this book as it is ultimately positive in nature and works towards building faith rather than distorting it. The author is wonderfully honest about her own struggles, and yet she manages to find freedom amidst the structured frames of high critical study. Her conclusion is best represented by the lengthy quote below:
.
“The task of theology,” wrote Mobley, “is the linking of our individual story to the biggest story we can imagine.” If the biggest story we can imagine is about God’s loving and redemptive work in the world, then our lives will be shaped by that epic. If the biggest story we can imagine is something else, like religious nationalism, or “follow your bliss,” or “he who dies with the most toys wins,” then our lives will be shaped by those narratives instead.” (218) ...more

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May 07, 2018 David Jordan rated it it was amazing

Inspired is a terrific book for the thoughtful Christian who has struggled with the idea of the divinely inspired infallibility of scripture. Anyone who was taught to read and obey the Bible without questioning the contents, contradictions, or conflicts that arise from a literal interpretation of this sacred text will definitely appreciate the author's careful and well-reasoned, loving critique of the world's best-selling book. Rachel Held Evans' examination of the challenges we uncover when we ...more

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May 17, 2018 Charlene Bader rated it it was amazing

Emerging from a season of disillusionment with contemporary American Christianity, this book helped me find my footing on the journey.
Seamlessly incorporating a conversant array of academic and spiritual voices, Evans clears space for her readers to encounter ancient Scripture in new, relevant ways.
I tend to avoid young writers, assuming they lack the seasoning of life necessary to bring perspective to any person outside their own cultural experience. Since Rachel Evans and I had similar childh ...more

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May 07, 2018 Diane rated it it was amazing

Shelves: contemporary-spiritual-memoirs, arc-or-giveaway

Any book that starts with “Once upon a time” and ends with the image of God taking me in his arms, saying “let me tell you a story” becomes a definite favorite of mine. I’m long an admirer of Ms. Evans. I appreciate her questions and how her questions deepen her faith. More importantly, I’m impressed with how clear Ms. Evans is in the understanding that questioning is not only acceptable by God, it’s encouraged.

I’ve long been a believer in the power of story and the idea that story has deep inf ...more

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About Rachel Held Evans

Rachel Held Evans

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Rachel Held Evans was a New York Times best-selling author whose books include Faith Unraveled (2010), A Year of Biblical Womanhood (2012), and Searching for Sunday (2015). Hailing from Dayton, Tennessee—home of the famous Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925—she wrote about faith, doubt and life in the Bible Belt.

Rachel was featured in The Washington Post, The Guardian, Christianity Today, Slate, The Huf ...more

Books by Rachel Held Evans

Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving, and Finding the Church

Evolving in Monkey Town: How a Girl Who Knew All the Answers Learned to Ask the Questions

Jesus Feminist: An Invitation to Revisit the Bible's View of Women

Parenting Forward: How to Raise Children with Justice, Mercy, and Kindness

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“Dignified or not, believable or not, ours is a God perpetually on bended knee, doing everything it takes to convince stubborn and petulant children that they are seen and loved. It is no more beneath God to speak to us using poetry, proverb, letters, and legend than it is for a mother to read storybooks to her daughter at bedtime. This is who God is. This is what God does.” — 20 likes

“The apostles remembered what many modern Christians tend to forget—that what makes the gospel offensive isn’t who it keeps out but who it lets in.” — 19 likes

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