Shifting Culture Ep. 400 Sarah Bessey Returns - Braving the Truth with Rachel Held Evans
Mar 6, 2026
Sarah Bessey, a Canadian writer and editor who creates welcoming spaces for questions and resilient hope, discusses compiling Rachel Held Evans’ essays. They explore Rachel’s prophetic relevance, longform depth over viral hot takes, humanizing critics, amplifying marginalized voices, non-dualistic thinking, and the work of planting small, faithful resistance in community.
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Rachel's Blog As A Church Origin Story
- Rachel's blog became a historical resource that explains a major generational shift in the church.
- Sarah says Braving the Truth repackages Rachel's prophetic-era writing as a gift from the past for the church of the future, making ephemeral blog posts permanent.
Scripture Nerdy Prophecy Built Trust
- Rachel combined rigorous Bible nerdiness with unapologetic advocacy on patriarchy, white supremacy, and Christian nationalism.
- Sarah notes Rachel's mix of vulnerability, scriptural love, and prophetic naming made people trust her across controversies.
Blogging As Longform Community Work
- Rachel treated blogging like longform writing and kept community central, writing for kindred readers not critics.
- Sarah stresses the early blog era's communal exchange where posts responded to commenters and cultivated relational trust.
