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Rachel Held Evans @rachelheldevans
, 6 tweets, 2 min read Read on Twitter
That WaPo story about the small town Southern church is a hard one to read because I could drive down the street to any number of churches in this town and hear the same racist comments. These are not anomalies sought out by biased reporters; these attitudes are pervasive.
We’ve been driving an hour to church, but this is getting harder with kids. There’s honestly nowhere else to go. It’s tough.
If you’ve read “Searching for Sunday” you know more of the story, including how we tried (& failed) to start a church here. I think I may talk to our bishop (TEC) about a church plant here or in neighboring Soddy Daisy. We love St. Luke’s, but the drive is an obstacle with kids.
My main point is that finding a progressive church in rural America is hard, and that article highlights why it’s not as easy as just sucking it up and going to the closest place of worship, especially when you’ve got kids who will be exposed to the teachings there.
And (this may surprise those who haven’t read “Searching...”) I believe strongly that being part of a local church is a good thing & that online connections/resources just can’t replace, in the long term, the benefits of in-person, embodied community (whatever that looks like).
This is why I have ZERO judgment - for those who leave their problematic churches, for those who stay, for those trying to decide. It’s not always as simple as #EmptyThePews when you risk losing your entire community, (and that of your kids), with no alternative in sight.
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