I watched most of Rachel Held Evans\u2019 funeral<\/a> as it was made available on YouTube<\/a>, and I found some thoughts her sister shared to be inspiring, but also challenging to a common trope in Evangelicalism which says \u201cGod has no grandchildren.\u201d I\u2019ve repeated that saying, I think, on more than one occasion. I know I assented emphatically to the sentiment.<\/p>\n But Rachel\u2019s sister talked of believing on behalf of someone who cannot at that moment believe, of hoping on behalf of those who have at that particular moment lost hope.<\/p>\n That is what family does, and Rachel\u2019s sister didn\u2019t just speak those words at her funeral (although she did that too), she sang them, adding that we are a household.<\/p>\n When we say \u201cGod has no grandchildren,\u201d however much it places a legitimate and important emphasis on individual decision and responsibility, it also demolishes one of the most central metaphors for Christian faith and community, that of family.<\/p>\n It is only when we recognize that the entire burden of believing, of doing, of hoping, of trusting does not lie with us individually every single moment, that we start to make room for the inevitable cycles of belief and unbelief, confidence and uncertainty, hope and despair that are not just part of the religious journey, but part of the human journey more generally.<\/p>\n For those who missed it, you can find the video of the funeral in the article below.<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.redletterchristians.org\/while-it-was-still-dark-a-requiem-for-rachel-held-evans\/<\/p>\n Rachel Held Evans Changed the World<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n