Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Never judge a book by its cover, or in this case, what people on "my side of the aisle" were saying about the author. Coming from a somewhat similar background as Rachel and not having moved as far to the "left" as her on many political and theological questions, I was naturally very skeptical about ordering her book. Many of my more conservative friends bashed her as a radical, "liberal enemy" who was hell bent on taking us all down and systematically destroying all that we held dear as either conservative Christians or even slightly left-of-center Evangelicals. It wasn't until a few more years went by and I began going through my own period of doubt, faith crises and depression that I reconsidered my opinion on the book, and after I saw that another Christian friend was reading it, I decided to give Searching for Sunday a chance. Initially I expected, going on my earlier fears and misconceptions, that the book was going to be a long, blasaie diatribe about how my friends and I were the "bad guys" for disagreeing on various issues and how I wasn't a true Christian unless I supported a whole host of controversial ideas on both politics and theology. I couldn't have been more wrong. Instead, what I found in those pages was a story about someone who wasn't all that different from me, and in fact had many of the same doubts and questions I still wrestle with today. Rather than an argument or treatise to quit your faith and understanding of Christianity, most of the book is her telling her story and how it has influenced her own faith. Instead of attacking you, the author comes alongside in your spiritual walk to offer encouragement. At least that's how I read it. At many times, it felt as though I was looking in a mirror at my own struggle of faith as I read through the book. Now to be clear, Rachel Held Evans makes it abundantly plain what her views are on controversial issues, namely LGBTQ and other major divides such as Biblical inerrancy, ecumenicism and the exclusivity of Christ. However, she does not seem to outrightly condemn those like myself who disagree with her on certain questions, although in my opinion by sharing her experiences she does challenge us all to do some serious homework and soul searching, no matter what our views might be. She seems to view the church as one big, divided mess that will somehow all be sorted out in the end, and that she is ultimately no better and in need of just as much grace as her conservative counterparts she claims to be at odds with. Honestly, for all the negativity I heard about her, I felt a real sense of humility in the author throughout the book, whether I agree with her on everything or not. So, there it is - I'm giving this book a 5 star rating and recommending it no matter what my conservative circles think of me for it, because I'm not bought out by any political or religious party and I speak my mind freely about what I read. If Rachel Held Evans ever ends up reading this review, I just want to say a huge THANK YOU to her for writing this book and helping me along my journey in a difficult time.