An Open Letter to Rachel Held Evans: 3 Ways to Keep Christianity Weird and Relevant

My contribution to your conversation is this … our heritage is undeniably and boldly supernatural. In using “supernatural,” I am not calling a generation to embrace a Pentecostal or charismatic denomination. I am not endorsing charlatan televangelists or slimy snake oil salesmen. I am not promoting an environment where every question has a neat and tidy answer, where every sickness has its root in sin and bad choices, and miracles that don’t happen are because of our “lack of faith.” These are heinous and deplorable examples of supernatural community. To operate in the power of God, we don’t need all of the answers; we just need hearts that posture themselves before the Lord that humbly say, “I want to walk in everything you made available. I know there is more than what I am currently seeing and experiencing … and I want to taste and see everything that Jesus died for me to walk in.”

Are we presently seeing a church culture where the sick are healed, the demonized are delivered, the dead are raised, the gifts of the Spirit are in full operation and the kingdom is advancing with great demonstrations of power? In some places, yes. In America? Yes and no. We are seeing traces. We are witnessing glimmers of hope. But this is no excuse to hunker down and write off the “weird” stuff as reserved for “the first-century church and nothing beyond that”; it is a call for us to contend for a greater expression of what Jesus said would be done on earth through a people indwelt by His divine presence: “Truly, truly I say to you, he who believes in Me will do the works that I do also. And he will do greater works than these, because I am going to My Father” (John 14:12).

Church leaders—lead with personal hunger. I believe the spirit of contending for the supernatural is often quenched in the church because leaders feel inadequate. They think they need to have it all together, and that power needs to be flowing in their lives, before they lead their congregations to cry out for this expression of the supernatural. No. Every revival of the supernatural was led by a man, woman or company of people who were hungry and unashamed to lead others with their personal hunger.

John Kilpatrick of the Brownsville Revival would visit the church in the dark hours of the night, lay across the pews, and cry out, “God, there has got to be more!” John and Carol Arnott of the Toronto Blessing traveled the world, seeking places where the Holy Spirit was moving and people through which the anointing was demonstrated. Bill Johnson of Bethel Church, to this day, remains a leader who humbly cries out to God for more, knowing that there is even more than what he and the church community at Redding are presently walking in.

We contend for what we are not yet seeing. What are we not seeing? What the church enjoyed for the first 300 years as normative practice: the sick being healed, the demonized being delivered, the dead being raised and the kingdom of God pushing back spiritual darkness. 

You Started a Most Urgent Conversation!

So Rachel, thank you for spearheading this timely conversation! I admire your quest for an authentic demonstration  of Christianity—particularly, that it should be kept weird. After all, many key doctrines of the faith are, quite frankly, super weird (when measured next to what we consider to be cultural norms). They aren’t cool or hip. The Cross. The blood of Jesus. Atonement. Taking up Jesus’ Cross, dying to self and following the Messiah. A Holy Spirit who possesses us. Talk of drinking Jesus’ blood and eating His body. I’m just saying …

You make the case that our generation is not looking for more information about God; they want to know God and experience Him. You note that the sacraments are one way of doing this. I would agree, in part. These are places where we don’t just hear about God; we tangibly interact with Him (and with one another in community). And yet, it’s that … and more.

I believe it is the Father’s great desire for the Word to still dwell among us today. The words in Scripture are supposed to come off the page and become visible, incarnational realities in the world today. One way to interact with Scripture is through the liturgy; another way is through the demonstration of the Spirit’s supernatural power through signs and wonders! The purpose of signs and wonders is simple. Signs point and wonders incite awe. Signs point to Jesus and the ever-increasing, in-breaking of the Kingdom of God, and wonders remind us that, well, God can do whatever He wants!

Do I agree with you on all points of theology and social issues? No. But I consider you a sister in Christ and want to unite around what we DO agree upon—the urgent need of the hour is for an experiential, incarnational faith where God is not merely a concept to be discussed or a theology to be debated; He is a Person to be known and experienced.

A generation is crying out for something more than music, methods and even messages; they need a transformative encounter with the presence of God. Truth be told, I need such an encounter; I’m desperate for MORE, as I am sure you are, Rachel.

So let’s pray for one another along this journey in searching for Sunday. 

Larry Sparks is co-author of the new book, The Fire That Never Sleeps with Dr. Michael Brown and John Kilpatrick. He is a conference speaker, revivalist and vice president of publishing for Destiny Image. Larry travels and speaks, presenting a seminar on Igniting a Revival Lifestyle. In these sessions, he provides believers with keys from revival history that will equip the church today to walk in the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit as promised in Scripture and demonstrated throughout history. Larry holds a Master of Divinity from Regent University in Church History. Connect with Larry through Facebook.