Searching for Sunday

Loving, Leaving, and Finding the Church

By: Rachel Held Evans

Narrated by: Rachel Held Evans

Length: 7 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Are you struggling to connect with your church community? Do you find yourself questioning the core beliefs that you once held dear? Searching for Sunday, from New York Times bestselling author Rachel Held Evans is a heartfelt ode to the past and a hopeful gaze into the future of what it means to be a part of the modern 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--to her, it was beginning to feel like church culture was too far removed from Jesus. Yet, despite her cynicism and misgivings, something kept drawing Evans back to church.

Evans found herself wanting to better understand the church and find her place within it, so she set out on a new adventure. Within the pages of Searching for Sunday, Evans catalogs her journey as she loves, leaves, and finds the church once again.

Evans tells the story of her faith through the lens of seven sacraments of the Catholic church--baptism, confession, holy orders, communion, confirmation, the anointing of the sick, and marriage--to teach us the essential truths about what she's learned along the way, including:

• Faith isn't just meant to be believed, it's meant to be lived and shared in community
• Christianity isn't a kingdom for the worthy--it's a kingdom for the hungry, the broken, and the imperfect
• The countless and beautiful ways that God shows up in the ordinary parts of our daily lives

Searching for Sunday will help you unpack the messiness of community, teaching us that by overcoming our cynicism, we can all find hope, grace, love, and, somewhere in between, church.

©2015 Rachel Held Evans (P)2015 Thomas Nelson Publishers

Loved it

Honesty, color, personality and intellect shine in this book. It explores questions many are asking, but that church struggles to answer. Bless you for your project, Rachel!

Wonderful!!!

A poignant and timely book. If you go, or have ever been, to church -- this is an absolute must read.

A must read!

A must read for those in (and out of) the church.

Rachel Held-Evans has put the very cry of my heart into words ... Beautiful words. Although we have different origin stories, it seems that we have come to many of the same perspectives, conclusions, and desires for the church.

A roadside shrine on my journey

The reading by the author was great - not all authors are good readers, even of their own material. The book was deep with questions about faith and yet sprinkled with levity that comes from real life. It gave me new food for thought, hope to keep searching (not for answers but for awareness) and assuaged me feelings of isolation due to my doubts/questions/fears. I. Loved. This. Book.

Refreshing

Such an encouraging read! I recommend this book for anyone who's in the deconstruction phase of their faith as they move toward rebuilding. It's an important read for those frustrated with the church or finding themselves drawn in again and again for own reason or another. It will help you breathe again, reminding your that your story is both unique and important to your future. I loved it.

In her own voice

Always I prefer nonfiction in the author's own voice. The authoritative interpretation more than compensates for the less-professional performance. Thank you, Rachel, for sharing your journey and insight.

The story of my life

Rachel's book resonated with me so much that, at times, I found myself finishing her sentences.

Rachel, get out of my head!

This book seemed to reflect and give name to my current situation. I loved listening to Rachel's voice as she gave me a different yet refreshing perspective on how to view the Church.

Inspirational and funny

This is a wonderful book about Rachel Held Evan's faith journey. I related to a lot of her struggles and was inspired by her simultaneous faith and questioning.

Straight from the heart of God

Amazingly open to the cries/longing of my heart and I believe, God's heart. Thank you Rachel for sharing.