Inspired: by Rachel Held Evans (Book Review)

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

Author: Rachel Held Evans, New York Times bestselling author and Christian influencer

Publisher: Thomas Nelson, 240 pages, 2018

Genres: Christian Spiritual Growth, Christian Social Issues, Science & Religion

Inspired, by Rachel Held Evans

Why I Chose It:

I admire many of the articles and other writings I have read by and about Rachel Held Evans. I believe she was one of the first home-grown Evangelicals to go public with questions that Evangelicals could not or would not answer. She publicly deconstructs Evangelicalism. Unfortunately, I did not discover her writing until after she died in 2019.

We know that Scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching and correcting (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Does "Inspired" mean authors literally transcribed God's word, word-for-word? No. Is all of the Bible useful for guidance? Would you go to the Bible instead of a medical doctor or psychologist? No. We need wisdom to understand how the Bible can help us.

Rachel Held Evans studied the Bible seriously, and as she matured, she saw that behind the cute pictures of Noah's ark was mass genocide, behind the walls falling on Jericho was another genocide. Throughout the Bible, some stories or passages seem to support immorality, slavery, misogyny, racism, hatred, and divisions. Evans works to reconcile these passages with those expounding God's deep love and desire to redeem all people, and the command to love our neighbours, feed the hungry, visit the lonely, and abolish hierarchies based on class, gender, race, or orientation. Her writing integrates a deep belief in God and the Bible with a deep belief that God values men, women, and LGBTQ+ individuals equally.

Christians want to love the Bible and look to the Bible for guidance. If you have found parts of the Bible to be immoral or bad guidance, this book helps us "love the Bible again."

Introduction

Rachel Held Evans talks about loving the Bible as a child, seeing it as a book of magic and miracles. As she matured, she saw that behind the beautiful, fun story of Noah's ark, there was a violent destruction of humanity. In fact, many of the nice children's stories are not so nice at all. Then she realized part of the magic of the Bible is that it can be seen and appreciated in different ways by different readers. The Jewish practice was to engage in the discussion of Scriptures, not to arrive at a single meaning, but to explore the various facets of meaning.

"While Christians tend to turn to Scripture to end a conversation, Jews turn to Scripture to start a conversation."

Instead of asking whether the stories are historically true, we can ask what truth or meaning the stories demonstrate. We can see this concept in Jesus's parables, which are not true stories, but are stories that reveal spiritual truth. In Evans's words, it's not so much whether dragons exist, but that the story tells us that dragons can be beaten.

One way to love the Bible again is to look at it as a way to start conversations and examine problems from multiple angles, rather than as a means to resolve an issue with a single solution.

1. Origin Stories

This section begins with a fictional story set in ancient Babylon, where society tells an origin story of the god Marduk, who lives in the beautiful Babylonian temple and has the king as his emissary. The Jewish family living in exile tells their children the origin story of the God of Abraham, who doesn't have a temple but has a throne in heaven and makes a footstool of the earth. All people are made in God's image and are God's emissaries.

Telling and retelling stories of ourselves and our past helps us make sense of who we are in the world. Rachel Held Evans discusses Adam and Eve as a story of Israel's origins, not humanity's origins. Perhaps the point of the story is the pattern of intimacy with God, falling away, being exiled, and being restored.

Rather than starting with a premise that God wrote the story and reveals one absolute truth, Evans looks deeper at the humans who wrote the story, where they lived, the culture and struggles they faced, why they wrote, and what truth they wanted to reveal through their stories.

One way to love the Bible again is to look at the human authors and remember they wrote the stories to make sense of who we are, how we got here, who God is and how God relates to us. These stories can be historical, metaphorical or allegorical, and still reveal truth.

2. Deliverance Stories

This section begins with a fictional story of Hagar, the foreign slave whom Sarah abuses so much that Hagar runs away, the slave whom Abraham impregnates when he and Sarah are impatient for a child. An angel appears to this female slave and prophesies that God will answer her prayer and that her son, Ishmael, will be free. Hagar is the only person in Scripture who gives God a name, saying, "You are the God Who Sees Me".

Evans notes that the deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery is remembered in the annual Passover rituals. The deliverance of the Israelites from genocide lives in the retelling of the story of Esther during the annual festival of Purim. Retelling the Bible's stories of deliverance from bondage or injustice offered hope to poor and marginalized groups, those held back by American slavery or South African apartheid. The biblical story of Mary Magdalene delivered from evil spirits and commissioned as an apostle encourages today's women in ministry. Evans notes that she has seen the Bibe used to justify oppression and exploitation, but that is against the spirit of the God who delivered his people from slavery, Jesus who brought freedom.

Evans compares God's deliverance to a woman delivering a baby. It takes time, labour, and waiting. It may mean time in the wilderness for forty days (or forty years), with the number forty being a symbolic period after starting something and before finishing it. Evans discusses how God delivers us from the laws of Moses. Jesus fulfilled the laws by showing what living by God's will looks like, living by the spirit and intention behind the laws. We learn who God is by looking at Jesus.

Evans notes that the question is not whether to be selective in which Bible passages or interpretations to prioritize. The question is

"...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?"

One way to love the Bible again is to select passages to prioritize by using a prejudice of love, instead of the filter of self-interest, greed, or power.

3. War Stories

This section begins by asking what took down the walls of Jericho. As with most events, it depends on who tells the story. The teller will select heroes and villains, what is logical and what is miraculous.

Christians hold a difficult tension to believe that every human is of infinite worth and value, and that God commanded his followers to rape, pillage, kill, and destruct without mercy. It seems to say God is love, and at the same time, God encourages genocide. Some evangelical or fundamentalist Christians will accept these horror stories as godly and tell the rest of us we are too empathetic, too emotional, or so sinful that we can't tell right from wrong. Ultimately, Evans' questions meant she was exiled from her childhood church. But Evans says that accepting the Bible's war stories without objection would have erased her humanity.

Evans explains that the Bible stories reflect a specific time, perspective, and purpose of the author. For example, Samuel and Kings were written during the Babylonian exile and examine the human errors and sins that may have led to their defeat. In contrast, 1 and 2 Chronicles were written after the Jews had returned to Judea and recall the monarchy as a good time. Evans suggests that when we look at the "texts of terror" about abused women, they may be used in liturgy to get us out of our comfort zone and force us to face the horror and to renew our commitment to end exploitation. Christ not only faced opposition, but he did it non-violently. Jesus aligns himself with those who are suffering, not those who inflict it.

One way to love the Bible again is to look at it in context, as stories written by specific people at a specific time and place with a specific purpose.

4. Wisdom Stories

This section begins with a fictional screenplay bringing to life the story of Job and his not-so-helpful friends.

Job's story honours the wisdom of Job, the one who actually suffered, over those friends who only speculate about the cause and effect of Job's suffering. "Theodicy" is the discussion of why God allows suffering and evil to persist in the world. The Bible discusses those who are blessed and those who suffer without answering the question "why".

The Bible does not present wisdom as a single decision or rule, but rather a path or continuous journey. Wisdom is the way. Wisdom is not just knowing what's true, but when it's true. It's not just knowing what to say, but when to say it. Sure, tell a proud person to be humble. But tell a person with low self-esteem to have self-confidence. The Bible gives conflicting advice to be used in different situations. Wisdom is trusting your instincts. Sometimes it means staying quiet, allowing time for grief, giving space for sorrow.

Christians trying to provide all the answers can make us heavy-handed, more focused on defending our ideology than on actually responding to true human experiences. Christian movies and fiction sometimes use flat characters who are pure evil or good rather than those who are a complex mix of both. Some so-called "biblical views" cannot hold up against real-world encounters with people who have diverse needs or experiences. The Bible alone cannot resolve issues that require medical or psychological expertise. Evans suggests that rather than disputing about which is the right meaning for a passage, we might enjoy the fact that the Bible offers a variety of interpretations and applications.

One way to love the Bible again is to hold the tension of its conflicting advice and seek wisdom to guide on which advice to use in which situations.

5. Resistance Stories

This section starts with a poem about resisting a beast.

Many authors of the Bible lived as minorities under various oppressive nations, all nicknamed "Babylon". She discusses a prophet as a person who sees things as they really are and challenges their community to accept it and imagine a better future. When the prophets Daniel and John envision a beast, they are speaking about any oppressive empire. These visions are not about predicting the future but about providing comfort in the present, sharing a vision that the story isn't over, and that righteousness will triumph.

Evans discusses taking down a Confederate flag as an act of resistance against those who warmly remember the days of slavery. When we read the prophets condemning Israel for income inequality, mistreatment of immigrants, and oppression of the poor, we can understand prophets condemning our nations. Christians may try to put the onus on the victim to forgive while ignoring our part in repenting for our oppression and working for a just reconciliation. Evans notes that white evangelicals have recently chosen power over prophetic voice. In the first century, Caesar wanted to be known as the Son of God, so giving that name to Jesus was an act of rebellion. Evans encourages us that the story is not over. Jesus started a revolution. Resistance is winning.

One way to love the Bible again is to see God standing with the oppressed, not the oppressors, in the stories.

6. Gospel Stories

This section starts with a fictional story about the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4).

Evans discusses what the good news means to different people. For the woman at the well, the good news is that it doesn't matter if she worships at the mountain or the temple, because God has started a new family of faith where we worship in spirit. For John, it's that God became flesh and lived with us. For Matthew, the good news is that Jesus is the Messiah Jews have been awaiting. For Mark, it's that Jesus came to serve and to establish a new kingdom. For Luke, the good news is liberation from being poor, sick, or oppressed. Every Christian gets their own testimony, "the gospel according to you".

The good news is not simply about Jesus's death and resurrection, it's about the life of Jesus, his actions, teachings, and way of living. Jesus didn't come to die, but to live. He lived to save us from our sins. Jesus shows the way to liberation. Jesus invites us into his story with miracles, parables and teachings. He employs dramatic reversals not to provide universal morals but to provoke surprise, challenge, and discussion.

We have different answers to the question "Why are you a Christian?" Held's answer is "because the story of Jesus is still the story I'm willing to risk being wrong about."

One way to love the Bible again is to accept that the good news is different for each of the Bible's authors and figures, and to listen to how the good news is different for each of us today.

7. Fish Stories

This section starts with a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure story about walking on water. If you jump in the water, choose ending A. If you stay in the boat, choose ending B.

Fish stories are stories that seem exaggerated or unreal. If you think the Bible must be scientifically and historically true, fish stories test your faith. Perhaps some were miracles. And perhaps some of them are metaphors or parables. But God cares about more than people's spiritual blindness or spiritual poverty. God also cares about physical blindness and actual poverty. The Gospels seem to indicate both real, physical healings and abstract truths. The feeding of the five thousand took place in a Jewish area in Galilee and ended with twelve baskets left over. The feeding of the four thousand occurred in the Decapolis, a Gentile area, and ended with seven baskets left over. Twelve represents the twelve tribes of Israel; seven signifies completion. The stories together show that God feeds and blesses the Jews and brings to fullness the promise that through Abraham the entire world would be blessed.

The healing miracles reveal Christ's compassion and they also carry a theological message. Jesus touched an unclean leper and the man was healed. A bleeding woman was considered unclean, but touched Jesus and his purity spread to her, instead of her impurity to him. While touching a corpse made a Jew unclean, Jesus touches the dead daughter of Jairus and she rose. Jesus healed the people and he also embraced those who were marginalized by society. He overturned religious and social barriers. The Gospel was rejected by those with power because it let in everyone.

Whether you believe in the physical miracles or not, if you act like you believe them, you will likely follow Jesus more closely: feed the hungry, care for the sick, hold hands with the homeless, and overturn religious and social barriers. Sometimes, taking action first can lead to belief later.

One way to love the Bible after you come across a story that seems exaggerated, unrealistic or imaginative, look for a spiritual moral to the story. Whether or not you believe in miracles, seeing God's hand in a miracle may change you to be a better, more caring person.

8. Church Stories

   
   

Jesus touched an unclean woman bleeding

This section starts with a fictional story of the church in Laodicea receiving Paul's letter to the Colossians as the letter was passed to Nympha and the church that met in her house.

This section looks at the letters that compose most of the New Testament, noting they were written for a specific time and place, addressing specific concerns of the intended audience. When we put the letters in context, we can understand them differently.

Before we can love the Bible again, we need to come to terms with Paul, whose letters have been used as weapons against women, gays, divorce, abolition, and sidelined groups. When read as weapons, Paul's letters conflict with Paul's other writings and the example of his life, opposing divisions and speaking out against marginalizing people. When read in context, we can see Paul believed in an inclusive, grace-filled gospel that was good news for everyone.

For example:

• Ephesians 5: not endorsing the household code but subverting it; telling Christians how to obey the Roman law but transform it by also bringing equality in the Christian kingdom by loving and submitting to one another.

• Romans 1: "natural" meant male dominance and female passivity; it was not related to heterosexual and homosexual. Christians fail to understand that Paul was not condemning same-sex orientation, which was not understood in that day. Paul condemned men using boys for sex because it was exploitation and because they thought that same-sex attraction came from excess lust.

• 1 Corinthians 11: "Natural" meant men had short hair and women had long hair. We understand Paul was talking about customs of a specific time and place.

• Romans 16: Women were a vital force in Paul's ministry, serving as apostles, teachers, patrons, and friends

Sometimes churches put a priority on letters that were not actually written by Paul, but by followers. The writer may have been writing a hundred years later, with their own slant or priorities. The writer may have misunderstood Paul's radical inclusivity or lacked a commitment to it. The Authentic letters of Paul are (in order of when they were written):

• Galatians

• 1/2 Thessalonians

• 1/2 Corinthians

• Romans

• Philippians

• Philemon

• Colossians

• Ephesians (some dispute whether this was Paul's authentic letter)

Most scholars agree that 1/2 Timothy and Titus were not written by Paul himself. I discuss this possibility in my post.

However, all of these letters are important components of the canon of the Bible. Paul's letters are not only used against people, they are often prioritized such that the Gospel message is filtered out, downplayed, or disappears. Paul argues repeatedly for salvation by grace over the law to oppose us becoming re-enslaved to the laws of Moses. It's not about letting us sin. Paul, like James, calls us to show our faith in fruitful behaviours.

When we look at Paul's writing, instead of asking, "Are head coverings good or bad?", ask, "Do head coverings help or hurt the advancement of the gospel and preservation of unity?"

Instead of asking to resolve an issue with a single solution, ask which solution hurts or helps the advancement of the gospel and the unity of the church?

One way to love the Bible again after you see Paul's letters used as weapons is to remember that Paul's message of good news resonated with slaves, widows, and the poor. Paul encouraged and commended women as co-workers. His actions show his respect for others and his belief in God's open arms.

Epilogue

And Then,... It's your turn to add to the story. God started the story at creation, and then came Jesus, and then the church. What's next? The Bible starts the story. It's God's invitation to us to start a conversation, to draw us into a community, to bring to completion that which God has begun.

"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."

One way to love the Bible again is to imagine God loves the world and seeks to redeem all people, and then shape our lives to share that love and deliver others from oppression.

Conclusion

In this book, Rachel Held Evans shows how to live with the tension of the Bible's inconsistencies, apparent toleration of genocide, slavery, and misogyny. She shows how to see the Bible as truth, as a story that changes with each person who reads it. It's a book for thinking and discussion, for anyone with the guts to question pat answers and blind faith. If you don't like the Bible because it seems to give bad advice or guidance, the refreshing approach to Bible study in this book will show you a way to love the Bible again.

Rachel Held Evans was one of the first home-grown Evangelicals to go public with questions that Evangelicals could not or would not answer. She studied the Bible seriously, and as she matured, she saw that behind the cute pictures of Noah's ark was mass genocide, behind the walls falling on Jericho was another genocide. Throughout the Bible, some stories or passages seem to support slavery, misogyny, racism, and divisions. Evans works to reconcile these passages with passages expounding God's deep love and wish to redeem all people and command that we love our neighbours. For anyone who has found parts of the Bible to be immoral or bad guidance, this book helps us "love the Bible again."

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Elaine Ricker Kelly Author is empowering women with historical fiction about women in the Bible and early church and Christian blogs about women in leadership, church history and doctrine. Her books include:

• Forgotten Followers from Broken to Bold, Book 1, A Novel (2022)

• The Sword: A Fun Way to Engage in Healthy Debate on What the Bible Says About a Woman's Role (2023)

• Because She Was Called from Broken to Bold, Book 2, A Novel of the Early Church (2024)

• Walk with Mara on Her Healing Journey: 21 Steps to Emotional Resilience (2024)

• Finding Her Voice from Broken to Bold, Book 3, A Novel of the Earliest Female Apostles (coming October 2025)