Evolving in Monkey Town, Part I: The Blog

A favorite blogger of mine, Rachel Held Evans, is having her 1st book released. Zondervan Publishing sent me a pre-release copy of her book for review as part of the Blog Tour.

I'm doing a 2-part review. This part will touch more on her blog. The 2nd part will be the straight-up book review.



This book made me feel less crazy.

....we'll get to that in a sec.

But first, some exposition ;)


A few years ago, I googled "homosexuality" and "Christian" and ran across this post~ "An Evangelical's Response to Homosexuality."

So that's how I found my way to Rachel Held Evans' blog, "Evolving in Monkey Town."

Here is why I stayed~

This was what I'd been waiting for- an evangelical who is asking outloud, "What if I'm wrong?"

Those 4 words = doorway to dialogue; connection.

Now to be fair, I have had extraordinary conversation after extraordinary conversation with people about "'The Gay' & Christianity," one on one. And, it is always a combo moving experience/relationship strengthener . (I keep expecting the worst out of people and they keep proving me wrong.)

Thanks to those interactions, I knew that people were open (often eager) to talk about this or any other "controversial issue." I just hadn't seen many everyday Christians posting about it on their own volition...yet.

"Out there," in the media and "mean interwebs," we hear a lot from the extremes.

Too much.

Meanwhile, beneath the fray, something else has been going on between the extremes ...in the middle. And when we talk with other Middle People, it gets interesting. We learn. We connect. Maybe not always, but often. And it is So. Worth it. ...because it's real.

And it's why Rachel scores so highly on connectability/relatability.

She is writing from the middle. She hasn't landed. She's mid-step. (read her book & you'll know what I mean by, This is her, as she leaps her way across the swamp.) She doesn't have the safety & security of typing, "...and here is where I landed."

She is in transition. Evolving.

And she's taking us along for the ride.

Looking at it from another angle, she does not fit squarely into any camp. She's venturing across lines..... in no mans' land. Which, it turns out, happens to be populated after all.

Chances are, this is where you come in.

Because if there's one thing I've heard time and again about Rachel's writing, it's "I could have written this! ...if I were more talented."

We carry on

Babs RARELY txts.

A chaplain at a busy hospital and mother of 2 grown kids, she only txts when she wants to ...which is just this side of never. She's aloof like that. (By the time a woman hits 50, she learns to guard her time & attention.)

I don't really know what possessed her to send me a txt recommending that I watch the video for "Welcome To the Black Parade," by My Chemical Romance. (again, this chaplain & mom is in her 50s, so... how is she listening to something that just reeks of goth/emo?)

Drawing out the suspense, I was stuck all week with a computer that refused to play video. So, the txt remained on my phone, as a reminder to check out that song... eventually.

In the meantime, another week passed. Another chuck out of another year.

And once again, I've found myself face to face with June 18th... the night everything changed.

It's been 13yrs since the accident. 13 yrs since things ended for Shelley. June 18th, 1997 is the moment that cuts my life into a "before" and "after."

I never know how to observe this day. Mostly, I just want something... a moment... that feels like I've honored her life, the toughness of going on after that, and something that provides a little boost of hope or sense of mission to propel me into the future.

And, today, I was at a loss.

Until I remembered that txt.

Which lead me to this.

On June 18th.








When I was a young boy,
My father took me into the city
To see a marching band.

He said, "Son when you grow up,
would you be the savior of the broken,
the beaten and the damned?"
He said "Will you defeat them,
your demons, and all the non-believers,
the plans that they have made?"
"Because one day I'll leave you,
A phantom to lead you in the summer,
To join The Black Parade."

When I was a young boy,
My father took me into the city
To see a marching band.
He said, "Son when you grow up,
would you be the savior of the broken,
the beaten and the damned?"

Sometimes I get the feeling she's watching over me.
And other times I feel like I should go.
And through it all, the rise and fall, the bodies in the streets.
And when you're gone we want you all to know.

We'll carry on,
We'll carry on
And though you're dead and gone believe me
Your memory will carry on
We'll carry on
And in my heart I can't contain it
The anthem won't explain it.

A world that sends you reeling from decimated dreams
Your misery and hate will kill us all.
So paint it black and take it back
Let's shout it loud and clear
Defiant to the end we hear the call

To carry on
We'll carry on
And though you're dead and gone believe me
Your memory will carry on
We'll carry on
And though you're broken and defeated
Your weary widow marches

On and on we carry through the fears
Ooh oh ohhhh
Disappointed faces of your peers
Ooh oh ohhhh
Take a look at me cause I could not care at all

Do or die, you'll never make me
Because the world will never take my heart
Go and try, you'll never break me
We want it all, we wanna play this part
I won't explain or say I'm sorry
I'm unashamed, I'm gonna show my scar
Give a cheer for all the broken
Listen here, because it's who we are
I'm just a man, I'm not a hero
Just a boy, who had to sing this song
I'm just a man, I'm not a hero
I! don't! care!

We'll carry on
We'll carry on
And though you're dead and gone believe me
Your memory will carry on
We'll carry on
And though you're broken and defeated
Your weary widow marches on

Do or die, you'll never make me
Because the world will never take my heart
Go and try, you'll never break me
We want it all, we wanna play this part (We'll carry on)

Do or die, you'll never make me (We'll carry on)
Because the world will never take my heart (We'll carry on)
Go and try, you'll never break me (We'll carry)
We want it all, we wanna play this part (We'll carry on)

So-Called "Christians" Part I

A funny thing happened when Jennifer Knapp came out.

I was expecting the comments questioning her faith in light of her "I'm happily ensconced in a longterm relationship with a beautiful woman" announcement. Many drug out the air quotes to drive home their point. She wasn't REALLY a Christian. She was a so-called "Christian." And, by the way, so were all the other so-called Christians who didn't believe that she was going straight to Hell and taking most of Christendom & Country with her.


What kept throwing me were the comments that led-off with the "so-called Christian" quip followed by something like about these so-called fake Christians who spend their time judging gays rather than reflecting God's love.



I was getting a case of mental-whiplash.

"Wait, now.... which are the so-called Christians?" Pro-gay? Anti? Sin? Not a sin? Which sin? judging or homosexuality or being a meanie.... oye! My brain! My soul.



Something tells me, this can't be us Christians at our best.

Someone whispers, "Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."



Sounds like a plan.

Well, technically, it's a command. (John 13:34-35)



I spent a while pondering the strife and commenting frenzy. I'll post my conclusions (more like, where I took it from there) in Part II.


Meanwhile, please.... leave a comment! Did this stir anything up for you? How should brothers & sisters in Christ handle their differences of opinion on emotionally charged issues? Does it matter? What is at stake? How do you conduct yourself when you get worked up over an issue you feel strongly about?



Lastly, and mostly for my amusement, some random comments from articles on JK~

Face it Jennifer. If you believe you are a Christian, you profess to maintain certain moral standards. With your God-given gift and high profile comes a higher standard of moral and ethical responsibility ("...to whom much is given..."). These responsibilities do not include subverting the minds of your young loving and loyal fans with morally unacceptable creedences. I appreciate your honesty... I hope you appreciate ours.

Knapp can't honestly expect real christians to believe that she is ... both a christian and a lez ... the two are incompatible. As noted by another smartalecky commenter, "With God, all things are possible."

Jennifer Knapp has a tattoo also. That explains everything. God clearly says "don't put tattoos on your body" Knapp is no Christian. which i thought was a joke, but wasn't.

These comments are the WORST display of "Christianity" that I've ever seen...Christ said let the first one without sin cast the first stone. A lot of you are casting stones that should really be on the receiving end. (Some of you are even casting boulders... how are you that strong? Must be the holy spirit!)

I would like Jennifer Knapp's address so I can send her so-called christian cds back to her. OHHHhhhh! and the inanimate objects take a hit!

Let's stop talking about burning in hell and love each other. Godslion, you spelled absurd wrong.

The obligatory Hitler tie-in: I am sure that Hitler "felt" mass murder was the right thing to do.

Finally, a personal favorite: While it certainly does sound like Jennifer is a sweet and loving human being, it does not seem that God is her all in all.