Rachel Held Evans Had a Story - Point of View - Point of View

Rachel Held Evans Had a Story - Point of View - John Stonestreet

John Stonestreet wrote this kind, thoughtful, personal reflection on Rachel Held Evans, the ex-Christian activist and author who died recently at a young age. Stonestreet knew and worked with her, her father, and her husband at Bryan College. He asked Christianity Today to remove it from the website, because her family said it hurt their feelings.

"I think Rachel was wrong, seriously so, about many things, including things of grave importance. In tribute, many have written how she helped expand the tent of evangelicalism and convinced many skeptics to stay at the faith table. I think, as a friend put it, she often ushered the vulnerable into her doubts and championed wrong ideas. Rachel once wrote that the scandal of the gospel is not who is kept out but who is allowed in. I think she was right about that, but we'd probably not have to dig too deeply below the surface of that statement to find disagreement as well.

"If there is some sort of lesson or morale to what I've written, I don't know how to articulate it other than to remind us that everyone, even those we deeply disagree with, has a story. Their stories, like ours, include life experiences, friends, family members, and deeply held beliefs about life and the world. I don't know why God decided our stories should cross, and I've no idea why her story came to an end when it did. Death is awful. I just pray that God surrounds her sister, her parents, her children, and her husband with grace and comfort."