First published 2015
Rachel Held Evans stands at the back of another church service, fighting the urge to walk out forever. The hypocrisy surrounds her. Political posturing fills the air. Building budgets consume resources that could help people. Scandals rock the institution weekly. Everything about modern church culture feels distant from Jesus himself. Evans shares the sentiment of millions in her generation who simply stopped attending. Yet something pulls her back each Sunday. She cannot name it, but she cannot ignore it either. Evans decides to embark on a personal investigation. She will explore what Church truly means and discover where she fits within it. Her journey unfolds across a full liturgical year, structured around seven sacraments. She examines baptism, communion, confirmation, confession, marriage, vocation, and death through her own experiences and observations. Evans writes with sharp honesty about each ritual and its meaning in her life. Her stories range from hilarious to devastating. She explores the beautiful mess that defines religious community. Grace appears in unexpected moments. Through this year of searching, Evans moves beyond her cynicism toward something resembling hope. Somewhere in that transformation, she rediscovers Church.
Genres: christian, christian-fiction, contemporary, memoir, 21st-century, church
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: personal-journey, self-discovery
Period: 21st-century
Paperback · Harpercollins Christian Pub