Honesty

How NOT to win the best Christian attitude award

by Rachel Held Evans


I don't know this woman, but I love her. I love her honesty. I had similar questions when I was still part of the faith. But you can't ask those questions, as a 'good' Christian. Others in the group will not approve. You could lose friends, or be considered 'suspect.' Your faith and motives will be called into question. For all of evangelicals' talk about loving 'truth' and 'honesty,' when you really start to get honest with them about some serious doubts or disagreements you may be having, it suddenly seems like they're not so in love with the idea of 'honesty' anymore. The truth, it seems, really does hurt. A lot. Anyway, Rachel still has her faith. She was/is somehow able to reconcile her faith and her doubts. I wasn't. But good for her, and more power to her. She's someone I feel like I could talk to, and have an honest dialogue with without feeling condemned or judged, or being told that my faith was never real in the first place. I've got a lot more respect for her than I do for all the 'good' Christians who give shit to people like her. Maybe they don't know what it's like to have doubts. Maybe they're too afraid to ask the hard questions, or answer them honestly. If that's the case, then that's their problem. I say- Go, Rachel! Don't let the small-minded people get you down. Keep on keepin' on.