Rachel and Monkey Town

I heard on the news that Rachel Held Evans had passed away at age
37. I knew that name, but I wasn't

quite sure why. It turns out she wrote one of my favorite books - Evolving in Monkey Town. It's about her Christian upbringing, but how she has had to deal with doubts and other controversies of the Christian life. I knew I really liked that book, but didn't think much about her, except that that was the author's name. It turns out she wrote other books, had a popular blog or podcast (I don't remember which) and had a large following.

Now I need to read her other stuff. One sounds like it is specifically for Christian women, so I probably will skip that one. I'll probably start with rereading Monkey Town. I've read it twice already.

It got its title because she grew up in Dayton, Tennessee, the location of the Scopes "Monkey" Trial. It was Clarence Darrow vs. William Jennings Bryan. Darrow I was a very well-known lawyer back then and Bryan was really a big deal. He had run (and lost) for President at least a couple times. He died not long after the trial. Most people think that the science teacher (Scopes) won, paving the way for the teaching of evolution. But actually he was convicted. Right or wrong, he clearly was breaking the state law that forbid teaching that. I think he later got off on an appeal or something like that.

I drove through Dayton once. It's still a sleepy little town. The courthouse is still there. You can even visit the famous courtroom at times, when it isn't being used for trials. When I was there it was a Saturday, so the whole thing was closed, but it was interesting to see.

Rachel writing a book about her Christian walk in the midst of her times of doubt really tied in to the fact that she happened to be from Dayton, aka Monkey Town. The book is about her growing up in a Christian home and herself being pretty much a 100% committed Christian who then began to have some doubts. It is honest and, at times, troubling. Here is one of the things she has doubts about.

She talks about a lady in her town where she grew up. June was a totally committed Christian - at least by most people's standards. At church every Sunday, singing hymn solos at special events, countless letters to the editor on religious topics, etc. She was full of love. Unless you had certain characteristics, then she let loose with her righteous anger. She tore down other religions, other races. On Martin Luther King Day, she put up a sign saying, "Nice shot". I think you get the idea. Anyway, that caused problems for the author, Rachel.

I thought about all this as I listened to June sing under the golden arches that night about being in heaven for then thousand years, "bright shining as the sun." When the hymn concluded, she closed her eyes and said, "Thank you, Jesus," which was followed by an obligatory "amen" from a smattering of seniors in the crowd. A I wondered for a moment what on earth God does with people like June when it comes time for judgment. She's certainly not the only one who professes the name of Jesus Christ in one breath and then curses her neighbor in the next. Is that profession enough to save her? Is it worth more to God than the faith of a Buddhist or Hindu or Muslim who practices kindness and compassion? 

Like I said, honest and troubling.