Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans

Searching for Sunday

by Rachel Held Evans

New York Times bestselling author Rachel Held Evans embarks on a quest to find out what it really means to be part of the Church.

Like millions of her millennial 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.

Reviewed by lovelybookshelf on

5 of 5 stars

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I picked up this book during a major slump, when my cynicism level was through the roof and I couldn't even muster enough interest in reading. I had a feeling Rachel Held Evans would give me a boost, and sure enough, she did. It is comforting to find someone else who “thinks too much” (admittedly, overthinks at times), who struggles to fit in, whose first reaction tends to be more like suspicion than anything else, who cringes at platitudes, who craves freedom to doubt and think through tough questions. Most of this reading experience was like having Evans voicing things I’d had racing through my head these past several years. If you’re feeling disillusioned about the church, this is a must read.

More of my thoughts on this title can be found on my blog at Lovely Bookshelf.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 15 May, 2015: Finished reading
  • 15 May, 2015: Reviewed