{"id":4044,"date":"2010-09-20T10:23:43","date_gmt":"2010-09-20T16:23:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jesusneedsnewpr.net\/?p=4044"},"modified":"2011-05-03T17:00:05","modified_gmt":"2011-05-03T17:00:05","slug":"monkeys-and-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/jesusneedsnewpr\/2010\/09\/monkeys-and-god.html","title":{"rendered":"Monkeys and God…"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This review of @RachelHeldEvans<\/a>‘ Evolving in Monkey Town<\/em> is written by Adam Ellis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The problem with polarized arguments is that both sides end up arguing for something stupid…against something equally stupid…with no way forward.\u00a0 One of the major problems with Christianity in our day is that, in many ways we have begun to let polarized arguments define us.\u00a0 We are in love with labels, and with categories of \u201cus\u201d versus \u201cthem\u201d.\u00a0 We proudly identify ourselves as \u201cconservative\u201d or \u201cliberal\u201d in terms of politics and theology and claim that if you don\u2019t apply the same label to yourself, you must be one of \u201cthem\u201d, and thus not a \u201ctrue Christian\u201d, like us.\u00a0 We ratchet our categories ever tighter, to the point that if you even question any point of our collective unspoken creeds, we question your faithfulness and intentions.<\/p>\n

This phenomenon has become particularly obvious in the dominant approach to Christian apologetics in America.\u00a0 Having \u201cfaith\u201d has come to mean having certainty about a particular set of beliefs.\u00a0 It\u2019s a sad situation in desperate need of a fresh perspective that dares to imagine a way forward.<\/p>\n

Enter author\/thinker\/southerner Rachel Held Evans.\u00a0 As a resident of Dayton, TN (the site of the infamous Scopes Monkey Trial), a graduate of Bryant College, and a former poster-child for apologetics-oriented faith, Rachel is uniquely positioned to be exactly the kind of voice we need hear.\u00a0 In her book, Evolving In Monkey Town, Rachel offers a deeply personal and life-giving perspective.\u00a0 The book isn\u2019t exactly what you might think, given the title.\u00a0 She doesn\u2019t particularly attempt to settle the \u201cevolution question\u201d, so much as she argues that our approach to this and other questions like it has been deeply unhelpful.\u00a0 Equal parts memoir and Practical Theology, \u201cMonkey Town\u201d proposes an approach that doesn\u2019t equate \u201cfaith\u201d with \u201ccertainty\u201d.\u00a0 Rather, Rachel advocates a faith that has room for ambiguity; that generates questions instead of fearing them; a faith that trusts and hopes even in the midst of doubt. She calls us to distinguish between questioning God and questioning our beliefs about God, and argues that, rather than being blasphemous, the later is both formative and necessary.\u00a0 She argues that faith was never meant to be a static, unchanging thing; but that living faith is alive precisely because of its ability to learn, adapt, and…well, evolve.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t hurt that Rachel is a profoundly good writer.\u00a0 She\u2019ll have you laughing one minute and in tears the next.\u00a0 At certain points you\u2019ll be unable to put the book down, while at other you\u2019ll have to put it down to ponder the implications of what you\u2019ve just read.\u00a0 In a day when many would-be defenders of the faith are characterized by arrogance and ignorance, Rachel Held Evans may just be the humble and thoughtful kind of prophet we need.\u00a0 The fact that such a description probably makes her uncomfortable, only strengthens my case.<\/p>\n

BUY Monkey Town <\/em>HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Visit Rachel’s blog here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Visit Adam’s blog here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This review of @RachelHeldEvans‘ Evolving in Monkey Town is written by Adam Ellis. The problem with polarized arguments is that both sides end up arguing for something stupid…against something equally stupid…with no way forward.\u00a0 One of the major problems with Christianity in our day is that, in many ways we have begun to let polarized…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":412,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books","category-god"],"yoast_head":"\nMonkeys and God... - Jesus Needs New PR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/jesusneedsnewpr\/2010\/09\/monkeys-and-god.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Monkeys and God... - Jesus Needs New PR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This review of @RachelHeldEvans‘ Evolving in Monkey Town is written by Adam Ellis. 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