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Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again
by
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
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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Paperback, 236 pages
Published
June 12th 2018
by Thomas Nelson
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Christina Wolf Barnard
Yes, it does - to some extent. That is not the focus, but it comes up several times.
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Start your review of Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again

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

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

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
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

****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 ...more
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 ...more

"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 ...more
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 ...more

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
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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
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

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

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. ...more
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. ...more

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
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

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 ...more
I had a much more conservative-minded a ...more

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
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

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.
...more

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
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

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 ...more
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 ...more

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
...more

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
...more

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
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

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

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

The first half of this book rocked my little theological box right off its shelf.
The second half... well, it wasn't nearly so successful: it felt like rewarmed bible stories the author tried (and failed) to imbue with innovative spin.
Still, that first half is full of clear-eyed reasoning that skewers soooooooooooooo much of the batshit craziness mainstream Evangelicals sling. It absolutely slayed.
So, three stars feels fair, all things considered. ...more
The second half... well, it wasn't nearly so successful: it felt like rewarmed bible stories the author tried (and failed) to imbue with innovative spin.
Still, that first half is full of clear-eyed reasoning that skewers soooooooooooooo much of the batshit craziness mainstream Evangelicals sling. It absolutely slayed.
So, three stars feels fair, all things considered. ...more

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
...more

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 ...more
And so I was very excited to ...more

“Jesus did not simply die to save us from our sins; Jesus lived to save us from our sins.”

I truly enjoyed Rachel's retellings at the start of each chapter. Changing one’s point of view can so often give new light and insight to a very old story.
I’ve learned that in life, the Holy Spirit can use just about anything to teach us what we need at a certain point in time, opening our eyes to things we never even considered before.
...more

I truly enjoyed Rachel's retellings at the start of each chapter. Changing one’s point of view can so often give new light and insight to a very old story.
I’ve learned that in life, the Holy Spirit can use just about anything to teach us what we need at a certain point in time, opening our eyes to things we never even considered before.
...more

June 2018:
In short, I loved it!
August 2018:
I loved it so much that I already read it again!
May 2022:
I think this is my first time re-reading this entire book since Rachel died. A small group I'm in at my church internship has been going through this book, most of them for the first time.
It's such a great book. She was such a great writer. It still hurts to have to use the past tense to talk about her. ...more
In short, I loved it!
August 2018:
I loved it so much that I already read it again!
May 2022:
I think this is my first time re-reading this entire book since Rachel died. A small group I'm in at my church internship has been going through this book, most of them for the first time.
It's such a great book. She was such a great writer. It still hurts to have to use the past tense to talk about her. ...more

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 ...more
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 ...more

In Inspired, Rachel’s artistry, humanness, and love make the Bible come alive. Here we can encounter more than truths to know or even stories to tell; we can encounter the living, breathing God who always is inviting us into love.
From the stunningly beautiful retellings of Scriptural stories woven throughout the book to offering a cohesive, accessible framework for understanding the role and purpose of the Bible’s various genres, Rachel gave us a great gift in this book.
Rachel’s willingness to ...more
From the stunningly beautiful retellings of Scriptural stories woven throughout the book to offering a cohesive, accessible framework for understanding the role and purpose of the Bible’s various genres, Rachel gave us a great gift in this book.
Rachel’s willingness to ...more

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.

Okay, okay - don’t attack the liberal progressive socialist leftist Christian* (?) bimbo, attack her ideas and pathetic emotional bashings and warpings of the Bible. Reminder to Stay focused.
I know, she’s dead (eventually we'll all be. So I’m over it) apparently I’m supposed to be nice to her. Hmmm?! But famed atheist Christopher Hitchens is dead as well - and nobody worries about soiling his rank legacy. They both surely have a surprising and eventful Judgement Day looming in the near future. ...more
I know, she’s dead (eventually we'll all be. So I’m over it) apparently I’m supposed to be nice to her. Hmmm?! But famed atheist Christopher Hitchens is dead as well - and nobody worries about soiling his rank legacy. They both surely have a surprising and eventful Judgement Day looming in the near future. ...more
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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
Rachel was featured in The Washington Post, The Guardian, Christianity Today, Slate, The Huf ...more
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“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.”
—
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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.”
—
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