Evolving in Monkey Town by Rachel Held Evans

I have read a vast many articles by Rachel Held Evans over the years, but for whatever reason, I just never happened to pick up one of her books. It had always been on my “to-read” list, but being the budget consciously lady that I am, I was holding out for a deal from Barnes and Noble. And then one lucky day, a Kindle deal sparked my interest and I snagged a copy of her both of her books. And I can’t believe I didn’t seek them out sooner! Especially Evolving in Monkey Town. I had no idea how much of an impact this book was going to have on me, my journey, and my faith.

After I finished the book, I took to Twitter, and posted the tweet below affirming the (though quite late) necessity of a review on Evolving in Monkey Town which brings us to this post. So read along, as I have added a few thoughts of my own, grab your own copy of the book (which is even currently on sale), and prepare to connect to a story that might just be pretty similar to your own.

To start you into the book, I believe a bit of background is needed. Rachel grew up in Alabama and Tennessee, in a culture obsessed with apologetics, in a Christian home, and had a fairly normal childhood. Other than the occasional “Roll Tide” she was a Herminone like know it all, who likely would have been the kind of girl I would have gravitated towards after middle school. We’ll forgive her loyalty to the Crimson Tide, at least of course until the Iron Bowl, in favor of her ability to share the reality of an intelligent, God fearing woman, not only enjoying athletics, but indeed be passionate about it. A true fellow nerd who always had the right answer, sitting anxiously in the front row, prepared for anyone to challenge her. She went to a Christian college and thought she had everything figured out. And then something happened…Towards the end of her college experience, she began to question her faith. Why did she believe certain things? Not only did questions arise pertaining to and about scripture, but also about her very beliefs about what was fundamentally necessary. She began to ask why we hold true to certain verses and generalize others. She began to question everything. She learned that in order for her faith to survive in a postmodern context, it must adapt to change and evolve.

This book is her journey from certainty of answers to asking the right questions. She explores what a “Biblical Worldview” really means, the tangled web of politics, ethics, humanity, and the world as a collective whole. She questions the fundamentals to understand the ultimate “why” we are all seeking to answer. And she does it with humor, heart wrenching truth, and genuine honesty. Speaking the words that have been nestled in my heart since the later years of my own college experience.

Rachel states that “I used to think that the measure of true faith is certainty. Doubt, ambiguity, nuance, uncertainty—these represented a lack of conviction, a dangerous weakness in the armor of the Christian soldier who should “always be ready with an answer.” In the culture of the Southeast, where churches abound on every corner and sometimes even outnumber Starbucks, Christians are frequently viewed as not only having the correct answers, but as never being the ones to ask the questions. Belief is understood, and intellect often tossed aside as dangerous and worldly. Praise is emphasized, while certain emotions such as lament and doubt are discouraged on both a corporate and individual level. I recently had coffee with a friend who expressed the very real concern that as a church we fail to lament. We fail to ask questions. And all too often, we fail to allow room for these very biblical (and real) expressions of our relationship with God.

I was encouraged while reading Evolving in Monkey Town, that I was not alone in these questions. That I was not alone in my desire for justice, confusion at seeming contradictions in the text, and the infuriating response that His ways are merely too difficult to understand and that only in the afterlife would we even begin to comprehend. As I coupled this book with my other readings of the Bible, our small group Disciple study and conversations with friends, I realized that why I kept bring up Rachel’s book was because I resonated with her story. She has a way of writing from the heart that captures you on a personal level. During her journey she captures a view on the New Testament, and the image of Jesus, that challenges us to see that perhaps there isn’t a clear cut black and white checklist on the Bible and how to live the Christian life. That perhaps education, ideology, and apologetics are not the answer, but that the example of love Jesus portrays is.

“I encountered a different Jesus, a Jesus who requires more from me than intellectual assent and emotional allegiance; a Jesus who associated with sinners and infuriated the religious; a Jesus who broke the rules and refused to cast the first stone; a Jesus who gravitated toward sick people and crazy people, homeless people and hopeless people; a Jesus who preferred story to exposition and metaphor to syllogism; a Jesus who answered questions with more questions, and demands for proof with demands for faith; a Jesus who taught his followers to give without expecting anything in return, to love their enemies to the point of death, to live simply and without a lot of stuff, and to say what they mean and mean what they say; a Jesus who healed each person differently and saved each person differently; a Jesus who had no list of beliefs to check off, no doctrinal statement to sign, no surefire way to tell who was “in” and who was “out”; a Jesus who loved after being betrayed, healed after being hurt, and forgave while being nailed to a tree; a Jesus who asked his disciples to do the same.”

Constantly we are told to have a “childlike faith” in Christ which often gets misinterpreted into blindly accepting everything as truth and never doubting our father as He is ultimately in control. But Rachel brings up a great point to this conclusion. She suggests that “questions are a child’s way of expressing love and trust. They are a child’s way of starting dialogue. They are a child’s way of saying, “I want to have a conversation with you.””Psychologists in every branch of the field recommend telling children (both typically and atypically developing) stories to explain broad or difficult areas of content. When a child asks a question about something that doesn’t have an easy answer, or continually asks “why” as if a broken record, we tend to reveal stories about the question at hand, rather than giving a direct answer. Knowing this, why else would Jesus have spoken primarily in parables? Because those he was speaking to were children in their faith, seeking a conversation and desiring a story. How much more do we need to hear those stories now?

After concluding with this book, I still have a great many questions. I am still seeking answers, and still following in the footsteps of Christ to live and to love with everything I am. There are a lot of things I don’t know. But I know I am not alone, and that, just maybe, I am further along in becoming more like Christ because of my questions. That, just maybe, seeking conversation with my Father is right where I need to be. Listening to the stories He has for me, and sharing those stories with everyone I meet. Pointing to His everlasting sovereignty with my actions and with my love instead of just my knowledge.

“There are a lot of things I don’t know. I don’t know where evil came from or why God allows so much suffering in the world. I don’t know if there is such a thing as a “just war.” I don’t know how God will ultimately judge between good and evil. I don’t know which church tradition best represents truth. I don’t know the degree to which God is present in religious systems, or who goes to heaven and who goes to hell. I don’t know if hell is an eternal state or a temporary one or what it will be like. I don’t know why people are gay or if being gay is a sin. I don’t know which Bible stories ought to be treated as historically accurate, scientifically provable accounts of facts and which stories are meant to be metaphorical. I don’t know if it really matters so long as those stories transform my life. I don’t know how to reconcile God’s sovereignty with man’s free will. I don’t know what to do with those Bible verses that seem to condone genocide and the oppression of women. I don’t know why I have so many questions, while other Christians don’t seem to have any. I don’t know which of these questions I will find answers to and which I will not.”

I encourage you to question. And to continue to seek out answers. But to be confident in knowing that you will not have all the answers, and that it is OK to say “I don’t know”. That in true community, you can find freedom in asking, and that in prayer the Lord hears our cries, and responds to His children.

I would highly encourage you to read Evolving in Monkey Town, man or woman, follower of Christ or not. You might just be surprised at how much you see yourself in these chapters.

Head on over to Amazon or B&N and order Evolving in Monkey Town (and A Year of Biblical Womanhood!) right this very minute. And be sure to check out her website which has links to her books, speaking schedule, and other resources, or connect with her via social media:

Blog // Facebook // Twitter

If you’s like to view the trailer for the book (or just hear how Rachel talks as it’s always fun to hear the voice behind the words) you can do so below.

Disclosure: I purchased this book on my own simply to read. You should do the same, pronto. It was rather impactful, hence this review to tell y’all just how awesome it is. I was not financially compensated in any way for this post. Rachel Held Evans had no idea I was even reviewing this until she re-tweeted my desire to do so (um, awesome?). Yet another reason you need to read – she is genuine & real. All opinions expressed are my own and are based on my observations and experience while reading this book. All pictures are from rachelheldevans.com.