I am a big fan of Rachel Held Evans. I read her first book Evolving in Monkeytown and then I was a part of the launch team for her second book, A Year of Biblical Womanhood. When I saw an opportunity to be on her team for her third book, Searching for Sunday, I was excited to sign up!
When it comes to faith and religion, to what I believe and what I understand, I enjoy reading about how other people come to their own faith. I especially find this helpful when someone was raised similar to me. Rachel Held Evans is one of these people. She was raised in an Evangelical home and attended Evangelical churches. I did too. A lot of her church past is very similar to mine.
As I try to figure out what parts of my faith are important, how to live out my faith and what I need to let go of, I look to people who have been there and have been through it.
Searching for Sunday is a book about church. She centers it around seven sacraments. Baptism, Confession, Holy Orders, Communion, Confirmation, Anointing of the sick and Marriage. The book takes you through all of them with stories about each topic. Some are personal, some are more general. A lot of the chapters will cause you to step back and think a bit about what you have experienced in your own church life.
The point of the book is to find hope. To get back to believing in church if you don’t anymore. To see that your faith walk is a journey and you will have ups as well as downs.
This book reminded me of the things I have always loved about the church and allowed me to get excited about it again. It let me mourn and deal with some of the icky parts I have experienced. It was just a good way to connect with another Christian and take part in her journey.
It’s about how God’s Grace is always enough, about an unraveling faith and finding your way back again, about how you don’t have to choose between your Christian faith and science or between doctrine and compassion. That doubting is okay and searching for answers is a part of the journey.
Beyond that, it was just nice to read more about Rachel’s story. About leaving her church, trying to start a new one and where she ended up. About what she went through, what she learned and where she is now. It was a great breakdown of what her church experiences have been like the last few years.
The book is out TODAY! You can buy it at your favorite online bookstore or, enter to WIN a copy for yourself here.
The giveaway will run until next Monday! Enter the Rafflecopter below…
Don’t forget to visit the Searching for Sunday website too. If you submit a proof of purchase by April 18th, you can also receive a free musical album which goes along with the book.
* This post contains affiliate links!
* I was given a copy of the book for review!
Last Updated on April 23, 2015 by Julie Provost
Thanks for the review, Julie! I can’t wait to read it!! RHE has boosted my faith in inmeasureable ways.
Favorite hymn is a tough one! It Is Well, Holy, Holy, Holy, How Great Thou Art and Great is Thy Faithfulness all come to mind.
Love her! My favorite hymn right now? Come Thou Fount. It changes often, though!
How Great Thou Art is my favorite!
I love Amazing Grace!
Sorta hard to narrow it down…guess it would be “New Earth, Heavens New”
I have so many favorites. I think right now it is We Have Been Told
It Is Well and Come Thou Fount are two favorites.