How Should Christians Respond to the Death of Rachel Held Evans?
“RHE had severe allergic reactions several weeks ago to antibiotics … After a series of unexplained seizures, doctors placed her in a medically induced coma. On Thursday of this week, according to her husband, she took a turn for the worse and passed away [May 4].” - John Ellis
Worldwide: 151,000
US: 7,453
Flu deaths in US (2018): 80,000: newer viruses also tend to kill younger people, perhaps because the older population may have been exposed to a distant relative of the virus in the past
When someone notable dies … we take note (that’s what notable means)
There are righteous and wicked:
- There’s something precious about the death of a righteous person : “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” (Psalm 116:15) - see Warren Wiersbe
- We know that God does not delight in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:23)
- And in Ezekiel 18:23 there’s an invitation: “that he should turn from his way and live”
What more can be said!? At the end of the day - I’m not aligned with Bible deniers.
RHE reactions are a litmus test!
3 categories:
- Don’t know her (probably most Americans … most in our churches)
- What a shame - Christian writer
- Too bad but at the end of the day she was a heretic
I’ve never heard of Rachel Held Evans until today. I like John’s article, and agree with his conclusions. Good food for thought. Well done!
G. N. Barkman
Back in 2010 I read what I think was her first book. “Evolving in Monkey Town: How a Girl Who Knew All the Answers Learned to Ask the Questions”. I’m not sure what happened to that book as I can’t find it anymore, but you could see the struggle she was wrestling with at that time. Just before that I had read Mark Paul Turner’s “Church”, I was reading people who were struggling with their faith journeys, and at the time, not able to see where they were to end-up. She, as several other progressives I’ve followed, have slipped off the edge of world of traditional Christianity as they were trying to find the edges of faith. I was saddened when I read about her passing and seeing how it was impacting some of my progressive Christian friends.
Christianity Today yesterday… apologizes for not being positive enough about RHE: RE: Rachel Held Evans
Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.
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