As fans of Christian author Rachel Held Evans mourned her death on Saturday at age 37, many women came forward with testimonials of how her writing and personal encouragement changed the trajectory of their lives.
Because of Rachel Held Evans, they wrote over and over — until it became a hashtag, #BecauseofRHE, which trended on Twitter over the weekend.
Evans came from a conservative evangelical background, where most interpret the Bible to say that women cannot lead congregations. Evans challenged that interpretation — a challenge so powerful that some women said she led them right to seminary.
#BecauseOfRHE I have to write a sermon for tomorrow. I pastor a church
— Abby Norman (@abbynormansays) May 4, 2019
When I found her I wasnt church God was down with working moms. I call myself a writer. I have the title rev.
#BecauseOfRHE I went to seminary. I became a writer. I embraced my calling. I allowed myself to love more deeply. I read And The Mountains Echoed. I found Justin Lee, Broderick Greer, Sarah Bessey, and so many more.
— Linnie the Pooh (@freakygeeklinds) May 4, 2019
I wouldn’t be in seminary on the track to becoming an ordained pastor if it weren’t for @rachelheldevans. I can’t believe she’s gone, and I have so many questions for God. #becauseofRHE
— Becky Castle Miller (@bcastlemiller) May 4, 2019
I confront scarcity, I owned my calling to be a preacher/pastor, I ask harder questions, I’m not terrified if my kids wander in their faith, I have deep life-giving friendships with queer people, I trust White women to use their voices against white supremacy, #BecauseOfRHE
— Osheta Moore (@osheta) May 4, 2019
Stepping away for the night, because I have a sermon to finish for tomorrow, because she lent me the audacity to believe I could preach.
— Megan Westra (@mwestramke) May 4, 2019
And then I’m going to catch up on the two GOT episodes I’ve missed, ones she didn’t get to see. #becauseofRHE
Some paid tribute to Evans by posting snippets of emails she sent them over the years, part of her consistent habit of lifting up other Christian writers, especially those outside the evangelical mainstream.
I didn't think anyone was reading my blog...and then I got this. And I kept at it. #becauseofRHE pic.twitter.com/SXo5XffRRs
— Kelly J Youngblood (@kjpyoungblood) May 4, 2019
It’s amazing to see people posting the encouraging notes that Rachel Held Evans sent them over the years, at @lkoturner’s suggestion. Here’s a favorite of mine. I want to make a point to send more of these myself. #becauseofRHE pic.twitter.com/6c3kvvNa1y
— Ruth Graham (@publicroad) May 5, 2019
I was writing a blog, longing for anyone to read it, and then @rachelheldevans shared it. I'm convinced people started to read my work because of her voice. My agent? My book deal? She cheered me to those spaces. There are so many of us. #becauseofRHE
— Micha Boyett (@michaboyett) May 4, 2019
#becauseofRHE I am the out, liberated, progressive author I am today. my inception story began with her. there is no way to thank someone for that first permission.
— Garbage Oprah (@hannahpaasch) May 4, 2019
#BecauseOfRHE’s encouragement at a writer’s conference I kept persevering in my writing, and my first book is being published by @Fortresspress.
— Jessica Kantrowitz (@jfkantrowitz) May 4, 2019
Evans wrote about a range of issues, including feminism, sexuality, politics, race and scripture. That writing spoke to a range of people: evangelicals and mainline Protestants, those totally unsure of where they fell on the spectrum of faith, men and women, gay and straight, conservative and liberal.
I was 15 & in a dark place & had no choice about going to a patriarchal reformed Church, when the pastor said something belittling about women, I took refuge coming home to spend Sunday afternoon reading Rachel Held Evans' blog, whispering "eshet chayil" to myself #becauseofRHE
— stuti (@cyborgstuti) May 4, 2019
#BecauseofRHE I outlived my will to give up on life. I came out as gay and braved a world of rejection inside the faith tradition I had always known to be my home, I found God beyond church pews and in the faces of the most vulnerable, I started to really love people (& myself).
— Sarah Kessler (@thecoachkessler) May 4, 2019
When a relative said I wasn’t a Proverbs 31 woman because of my participation in the Women’s March, I was able to laugh and brush it off. RHE taught me that it was ok to question the theology I had been raised with and what it truly meant to be a woman of valor. #becauseofRHE
— Jennifer Anne (@_Jennifer_Anne) May 4, 2019
Men like me owe a great debt to @rachelheldevans. We can advocate for women, but we can't do what women do. Rachel didn't just empower women, she *was* a powerful woman who shared power. #BecauseofRHE, many white Christian men learned to respect and value women in leadership.
— Rev. Dan Stringer (@StringerDan) May 4, 2019
#BecauseofRHE I had permission to explore LGBTQ+ affirming theology & eventually come out as bisexual. She was one of the first affirming Christians I encountered in my research, & her loud support is directly tied to who I am today.
— Carissa Nicole Winn🌔 (@Carissa12Nicole) May 4, 2019
Woke and read #BecauseOfRHE. It’s a collection of misfits and outcasts, seekers and doubters; people dubbed ‘lost’ who found solace and belonging because of her commitment to love, kindness, and grace.
— Nate Pyle (@NatePyle79) May 5, 2019
Gatekeepers called her theology dangerous. But its fruit looks like Jesus’s.
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