sarahfett's review against another edition
5.0
This was a bittersweet read for me. It's a fantastic book. It's well-written, insightful, open, honest, humorous at times, and I'm so glad I got to read it. But it was a sad read as it was published after the author's tragic, untimely death. I'm so glad the world got a few more insights from Rachel Held Evans, and I will definitely read this book again.
[The following was written before I started reading this book.] I was very excited to learn of another book by Rachel Held Evans that was going to be published posthumously. I applied to NetGalley to get an advanced review copy (ARC) and was so happy to be granted one. But then I couldn't bring myself to start it. I didn't know Rachel personally, but I read all her books, heard her speak in person twice, and met her once briefly. I felt connected to her through all of that and was shocked and heartbroken by her death. I've put off starting this book because I like that there is still something new of Rachel's that I haven't read. But I just finished (and loved) [b:The Gifts of Imperfection|7015403|The Gifts of Imperfection|Brené Brown|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1369092544l/7015403._SX50_.jpg|7261277] by Brené Brown, which talks about wholehearted living and knew that it is time to start Wholehearted Faith.
[The following was written before I started reading this book.] I was very excited to learn of another book by Rachel Held Evans that was going to be published posthumously. I applied to NetGalley to get an advanced review copy (ARC) and was so happy to be granted one. But then I couldn't bring myself to start it. I didn't know Rachel personally, but I read all her books, heard her speak in person twice, and met her once briefly. I felt connected to her through all of that and was shocked and heartbroken by her death. I've put off starting this book because I like that there is still something new of Rachel's that I haven't read. But I just finished (and loved) [b:The Gifts of Imperfection|7015403|The Gifts of Imperfection|Brené Brown|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1369092544l/7015403._SX50_.jpg|7261277] by Brené Brown, which talks about wholehearted living and knew that it is time to start Wholehearted Faith.
karibaumann's review
4.0
You know what I liked about it is that so many of her books were trying to argue a point or prove something, and I liked that a lot, but this one was more like hanging out with a friend who was sharing her thoughts on her maturing faith. She had already proven herself. Though I wish it wasn’t the end, it is a fitting end to her work.
kstep1805's review
5.0
My heart breaks all over again for the loss of Rachel. What a gift she is to so many people like me. She brings out the best, the best in Christianity, the best in myself. She reminds me to love, she admonishes me to fear and hate, and she weaves the love of God into it all. I’m struggling to remain Christian after the past few years. To hear Christians proclaim money over life, power over faith, hatred over love, I can’t set my yoke with them anymore. They do not resemble Jesus. But Rachel, she gently and lovingly reminds me of the true way of Jesus. The difficulty of following Jesus is not in the rules, but the call to radical love. We lost her too soon but her voice remains, read by her friends and family, this new book is a call back to Jesus.
elundhansen's review
5.0
I listened to the audiobook, read by Evans's husband Dan, Sarah Bessey, Kaitlin Curtice, Nadia Bolz-Weber, and others. I've now ordered a physical copy of the book so I can underline all the gorgeous lines and truths. What a prophetic voice we lost.
ohcorrica's review
5.0
This book is incredible, beautiful, transformative, and inspiring. If you have loved Rachel's writings and miss her voice, you will find joy and beauty in this book. Jeff Chu did a fabulous job weaving together her words and wrote a touching introduction which brought me back to the days when we lost her and her voice. I do not want to give any specifics away in my review of this book. Read it. You will not regret it.
caikey11's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I am sad to say I did not discover RHE until after she died. Although, maybe I wasn’t ready for her work until the time it came into my life. I read one last year, reread it this year, and have read two others. How I cherish her words. It is strange to grieve someone I never knew, but when I read her words I feel so validated, comforted, hopeful and it’s hard to not wish she was still here. The epilogue of this book had me weeping. Thank you, God, for RHE. Please let her know how much she has held parts of me together this year.
anitahp's review
5.0
This was my first 5 star review of 2022. It is a wonderful book and I highly recommend it to everyone who wants to learn more about living faith. I came to the work of Rachel Held Evans after she had already passed away. I was searching for different voices to help me answer the questions about faith that I never thought I could ask. I read Searching for Sunday with tears in my eyes while nodding my head so much that my neck became sore. I then searched for all her work and have been reading through each book with the same response. She was a treasure and her work will endure forever.
This book is just a wonderful tribute to her and the work she did. It is like a warm hug and a smart lecture at the same time. There are so many points that made me stop and reread and nod my head. So many moments when I said to myself, "that's what I've always wondered - what I've always thought but was afraid to say so".
In the current climate of people deconstructing their faith and becoming Exvangelicals, this book and others by Rachel and similar thinkers, teachers, pastors, and theologians are vital in the next step - reconstruction of faith. When we look at our faith tradition and compare it to the words of Jesus and see a major contradiction, it's not Jesus we need to deconstruct - it's the religion that was created by men. When we see where our churches have failed to carry out the greatest commandment, it's up to us to live the truth of "love God, love people" as wholeheartedly as we can so that others can know the love of God.
This is the message of these types of books. Love people. All people. No exceptions.
This book is just a wonderful tribute to her and the work she did. It is like a warm hug and a smart lecture at the same time. There are so many points that made me stop and reread and nod my head. So many moments when I said to myself, "that's what I've always wondered - what I've always thought but was afraid to say so".
In the current climate of people deconstructing their faith and becoming Exvangelicals, this book and others by Rachel and similar thinkers, teachers, pastors, and theologians are vital in the next step - reconstruction of faith. When we look at our faith tradition and compare it to the words of Jesus and see a major contradiction, it's not Jesus we need to deconstruct - it's the religion that was created by men. When we see where our churches have failed to carry out the greatest commandment, it's up to us to live the truth of "love God, love people" as wholeheartedly as we can so that others can know the love of God.
This is the message of these types of books. Love people. All people. No exceptions.
queen_of_the_rats's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
leelahopper1's review against another edition
I actually was enjoying this book, I just put it down and didn't feel motivated to pick it back up. I'll try again later.