Searching For Sunday

I’m trying to find words other than GO BUY THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW to tell you about Rachel Held Evan’s new book Searching for Sunday. So let me start with these words from the back cover.

Like millions of her millenial peers, Rachel Held Evans didn’t want to go to church anymore. The hypocrisy, the politics, the gargantuan building budgets, the scandals – church culture seemed so far removed from Jesus. Yet, despite her cynicism and misgivings, something kept drawing her back to Church. And so she set out on a journey to understand Church and to find her place in it.

Centered around seven sacraments, Evans’ quest takes readers through a liturgical year with stories about baptism, communion, confirmation, confession, marriage, vocation, and death that are funny, heartbreaking and sharply honest. 

A memoir about making do and taking risks, about the messiness of community and the power of grace, Searching for Sunday is about overcoming cynicism to find hope, and somewhere in between, Church. 

As someone who straddles Generation X and Millenials, I find myself with many of the same questions as Rachel. And I find myself having private conversations with friends about every topic that comes up in this book.

If you are a milennial searching for meaning, this book is for you.

If you have feel great about the church, this book is for you.

If you have been burned by the church, this book is for you.

If you wonder what millenials are fussing about, this book is for you.

These are the conversations we are having. These are the questions we are asking. These are the tensions we are feeling.

This is the search we are on.

Because…

…we’re tired of the culture wars, tired of Christianity getting entangled with party politics and power. [We] want to be known what we’re for…not just what we’re against. We don’t want to choose between science and religion or between our intellectual integrity and our faith. Instead, we long for our churches to be safe places to doubt, to ask questions, and to tell the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable…Millennials aren’t looking for a hipper Christianity…We’re looking for a truer Christianity, a more authentic Christianity…No coffee shops or fog machines required. 

We’re looking. And personally, so am I (although I’m not quite ready to share details of my journey yet).

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As I read, I pulled out quotes that spoke to me and made them pretty. Feel free to share or pin your favorites.

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You can buy Searching for Sunday on Amazon or you can order from Rachel’s website here (where you will also find more information, videos, etc).

Buy your copy by April 18th, and get the album “Seven Songs” by Amanda Opelt for FREE! Details here.

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