Wholeheartedness means that we can be doubtful and still find rest in the tender embrace of a God who isn’t threatened by human inconsistency.
Rachel Held Evans
Wholehearted Faith
Topic: Belief & Faith
…my parents created an environment in which wholehearted faith was never at odds with questioning or with uncertainty. Wholeheartedness means that we can be doubtful and still find rest in the tender embrace of a God who isn’t threatened by human inconsistency. Wholeheartedness means that we can ask bold questions, knowing that God loves us not just in spite of them but also because of them—and because of the searching, seeking spirits that inspire us to want to know God more deeply.
Rachel Held Evans (June 8, 1981 – May 4, 2019) was an American Christian author, columnist, and speaker known for her writings on faith, doubt, and the changing role of Christianity in contemporary life. Born Rachel Grace Held in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, she grew up in an evangelical Christian family. At age fourteen, Rachel Held Evans moved with her family to Dayton, Tennessee, where her father worked at Bryan College. She graduated from Bryan College in 2003 with a degree in English literature and married Dan Evans that same year. She began her journalism career at the Chattanooga Times Free Press before joining Dayton's Herald-News, where her writing earned recognition from the Tennessee Press Association.
Rachel Held Evans became widely known through her blog and books, which explored the relationship between faith and doubt, biblical interpretation, and the place of women in Christianity. Her first book, Evolving in Monkey Town (2010), later republished as Faith Unraveled (2014), examined her journey from religious certainty toward a faith that welcomed questions. Her bestseller A Year of Biblical Womanhood (2012) challenged traditional interpretations of women's roles in the Bible. She continued exploring Christian life and belief in Searching for Sunday (2015) and Inspired (2018). Rachel Held Evans advocated for greater inclusion of women, LGBTQ people, and others marginalized within religious communities. In 2016, she served on President Barack Obama's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, and in 2018, she co-founded the Evolving Faith Conference with author Sarah Bessey.
Rachel Held Evans eventually moved away from evangelicalism and became an Episcopalian, while remaining committed to Christian faith and community. Her writing encouraged people to approach religious belief with honesty, compassion, and a willingness to question inherited teachings. Rachel Held Evans died in Nashville, Tennessee, on May 4, 2019, at age thirty-seven, following complications from a serious illness. She was survived by her husband, Dan Evans, and their two children. Her unfinished writings were later brought together with the help of author Jeff Chu in Wholehearted Faith (2021), continuing her exploration of a faith that makes room for uncertainty, sincere questions, and the enduring love of God.
Evans, Rachel Held, and Jeff Chu. Wholehearted Faith. HarperOne, 2021.
Rachel Held Evans
Theme: Belief and Faith
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About This Rachel Held Evans Quotation [Commentary]
In Wholehearted Faith, Rachel Held Evans recalls how her parents created an environment in which “wholehearted faith was never at odds with questioning or with uncertainty.” This early experience helped her understand that genuine faith does not require absolute certainty or freedom from doubt. Instead, “we can be doubtful and still find rest in the tender embrace of a God who isn’t threatened by human inconsistency.” Wholeheartedness recognizes that our questions, uncertainties, and changing beliefs do not separate us from God’s love. Faith can remain sincere even when our understanding is incomplete.
Rachel Held Evans affirms that “we can ask bold questions,” trusting that God welcomes our desire to understand more deeply. These questions are not obstacles to faith but expressions of the “searching, seeking spirits” that draw us toward God. Rather than requiring us to resolve every uncertainty, Rachel Held Evans reminds us that God loves us not just in spite of our questions but also because of them—and because of our sincere desire to know God more deeply. Belief and Faith can therefore include honest inquiry, personal growth, and a willingness to reconsider what we have been taught.
At the heart of Rachel Held Evans’s message is the assurance that God’s love does not depend on the consistency of our beliefs or the certainty of our convictions. The “tender embrace” she describes offers rest even as we continue to question and seek understanding. Wholeheartedness does not mean having every answer; it means bringing our whole selves, including our doubts and uncertainties, into our relationship with God. Faith is sustained not by our ability to believe without hesitation but by our trust in a God who welcomes our humanity and our desire to know God more deeply.