--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: (About changing faith) At our best…" description: "\"“(About changing faith) At our best, Christians embrace it, leaving enough space within orthodoxy for God to surprise us every now and then.”\" — Rachel..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/rachel-held-evans-2876_change-the-world_about-changing-faith-at-our-best-christi_1553441.jpg" --- # (About changing faith) At our best, Christians embrace it… ![“(About changing faith) At our best, Christians embrace it, leaving enough space within orthodoxy for God to surprise us every now and then.” quote by Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/rachel-held-evans-2876_change-the-world_about-changing-faith-at-our-best-christi_1553441.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/rachel-held-evans-2876_change-the-world_about-changing-faith-at-our-best-christi_1553441.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/rachel-held-evans-2876_change-the-world_about-changing-faith-at-our-best-christi_1553441.jpg) > ““(About changing faith) At our best, Christians embrace it, leaving enough space within orthodoxy for God to surprise us every now and then.”” [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Christians can hold core beliefs while staying open to unexpected divine insights. **In simple terms:** Faith can be steady yet flexible. Key Takeaway Balance tradition with openness. Themes faith openness surprise orthodoxy spirituality Mood reflective hopeful Type theological inspirational When to use this quote - church services - personal prayer - spiritual discussions - interfaith dialogues Key Concepts theology mystery personal growth Questions to Reflect On - How do you stay rooted while welcoming change? - What surprises have you experienced in faith? A Different Perspective Balancing tradition and novelty can cause internal conflict. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-the-world/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Orthodoxy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orthodoxy/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [I just want Christians to embrace the fact that music is made not just for the church, but it's also for the people that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-evans/i-just-want-christians-to-embrace-the-fact-that-music-is-made-not/) [Anthony Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-evans/) > [“And suddenly there came a second, when somehow for the first time I saw (as if a door had opened from a dark room…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seraphim-rose/and-suddenly-there-came-a-second-when-somehow-for-the-first-time-i/) [Seraphim Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seraphim-rose/) > [Conversion is not only changing the faith. Conversion is changing the heart and working over there is the grace of God. Then only comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/conversion-is-not-only-changing-the-faith-conversion-is-changing-the/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [“Nothing takes God by surprise, not even cancer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-corder/nothing-takes-god-by-surprise-not-even-cancer/) [Shirley Corder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-corder/) > [Nothing takes God by surprise. He knows the future and can therefore guide us through its trackless ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-t-purkiser/nothing-takes-god-by-surprise-he-knows-the-future-and-can-therefore/) [W. T. Purkiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-t-purkiser/) > [Evil did not catch God by surprise. He had a rescue plan, and He's still in the process of working out His plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-koukl/evil-did-not-catch-god-by-surprise-he-had-a-rescue-plan-and-he-s/) [Greg Koukl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-koukl/) > [the very minute we think we 'have' God, God will surprise us. As we search in fire and earthquakes, God will be in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-heyward/the-very-minute-we-think-we-have-god-god-will-surprise-us-as-we/) [Carter Heyward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-heyward/) > [“The point is that we can never take God by surprise. We can never anticipate him. He always makes the first move. He is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/the-point-is-that-we-can-never-take-god-by-surprise-we-can-never/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [“God in his infinite wisdom Did not make me very wise- So when my actions are stupid They hardly take God by surprise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/langston-hughes/god-in-his-infinite-wisdom-did-not-make-me-very-wise-so-when-my/) [Langston Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/langston-hughes/) > [“Mystics find themselves delighted in being surprised again and again by the many loving manifestations of God . . . "Surprise" is one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-rossetti/mystics-find-themselves-delighted-in-being-surprised-again-and-again/) Stephen J. Rossetti > [Repeatedly place your pet opinions and prejudices before God. He will surprise you by showing you that the best of them need refining and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-brent/repeatedly-place-your-pet-opinions-and-prejudices-before-god-he-will/) [Charles Brent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-brent/) > [No sin which we are capable of committing has ever taken God by surprise for He knew we were just like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-redpath/no-sin-which-we-are-capable-of-committing-has-ever-taken-god-by/) [Alan Redpath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-redpath/) > [“He realized how easy it was to present an appearance of orthodoxy while having no grasp whatever of what orthodoxy meant. In a way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/he-realized-how-easy-it-was-to-present-an-appearance-of-orthodoxy/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Heresy is only another word for freedom of thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/heresy-is-only-another-word-for-freedom-of-thought/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [“And we cannot keep our balance. Myth gives way to Reason. Revelation to Orthodoxy. We must dance or go mad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-cheetham/and-we-cannot-keep-our-balance-myth-gives-way-to-reason-revelation-to/) Tom Cheetham ## More by Rachel Held Evans > [“So what did God say to me in the silence that morning? I’m not sure, but I think God said something like, Don’t try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/so-what-did-god-say-to-me-in-the-silence-that-morning-i-m-not-sure/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [I'm a Christian because Christianity names and addresses sin. It acknowledges the reality that the evil we observe in the world is also present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-m-a-christian-because-christianity-names-and-addresses-sin-it/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [“Some rabbis say that, at birth, we are each tied to God with a string, and that every time we sin, the string breaks.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/some-rabbis-say-that-at-birth-we-are-each-tied-to-god-with-a-string/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [One of the most destructive mistakes we Christians make is to prioritize shared beliefs over shared relationship, which is deeply ironic considering we worship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/one-of-the-most-destructive-mistakes-we-christians-make-is-to/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [“My robust lexicon notwithstanding, I struggle to find the right words to describe just how much I despise, hate, abhor, revile, detest and categorically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/my-robust-lexicon-notwithstanding-i-struggle-to-find-the-right-words/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [This is what God's kingdom is like: a bunch of outcasts and oddballs gathered at a table, not because they are rich or worthy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/this-is-what-god-s-kingdom-is-like-a-bunch-of-outcasts-and-oddballs/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [“I don’t know for sure, but I think maybe God was trying to tell me that gentleness begins with strength, quietness with security. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-don-t-know-for-sure-but-i-think-maybe-god-was-trying-to-tell-me/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [Whenever we show others the goodness of God, whenever we follow our Teacher by imitating His posture of humble and ready service, our actions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/whenever-we-show-others-the-goodness-of-god-whenever-we-follow-our/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [Faith isn't about having everything figured out ahead of time; faith is about following the quiet voice of God without having everything figured out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/faith-isn-t-about-having-everything-figured-out-ahead-of-time-faith/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [Christianity isn't meant to simply be believed; it's meant to be lived, shared, eaten, spoken, and enacted in the presence of other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/christianity-isn-t-meant-to-simply-be-believed-it-s-meant-to-be-lived/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [“In the years preceding the Civil War in America, Christian ministers wrote nearly half of all defenses of slavery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/in-the-years-preceding-the-civil-war-in-america-christian-ministers/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [“Cynicism may seem a mild transgression, but it is a patient predator that suffocates hope, slowly, over many years,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/cynicism-may-seem-a-mild-transgression-but-it-is-a-patient-predator/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [“I suppose that the moral of this story is that trying to copy another woman, even a woman from the Bible, is almost always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-suppose-that-the-moral-of-this-story-is-that-trying-to-copy-another/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [“I played my role as the good Christian girl and spared everyone the drama of an argument. But that decision to remain silent split…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-played-my-role-as-the-good-christian-girl-and-spared-everyone-the/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [“Madeleine L’Engle said, “the great thing about getting older is that you don’t lose all the other ages you’ve been.” 58 I think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/madeleine-l-engle-said-the-great-thing-about-getting-older-is-that/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) [Explore all 147 Rachel Held Evans quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) ## More Change the world quotes > [If you learn something that changes you, you've made progress. If you learn something that changes others, you've helped change the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lanie-lane/if-you-learn-something-that-changes-you-you-ve-made-progress-if-you/) Lanie Lane > [If you wanted to put the world to rights, who should you begin with: yourself or others?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/if-you-wanted-to-put-the-world-to-rights-who-should-you-begin-with/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Paul Gray - he believed in my art, and I believed in his music. Together, we decided to change the world, and that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-crahan/paul-gray-he-believed-in-my-art-and-i-believed-in-his-music-together/) [Shawn Crahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-crahan/) > [If I wanted to change the world, the last thing I would do is write a play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/if-i-wanted-to-change-the-world-the-last-thing-i-would-do-is-write-a/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [Some women are meant to change the world, while others are meant to hold it together. And then there are those of us who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/some-women-are-meant-to-change-the-world-while-others-are-meant-to/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Curiously, the righteous Pharisees had little historical impact, save for a brief time in a remote corner of the Roman Empire. But Jesus' disciples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/curiously-the-righteous-pharisees-had-little-historical-impact-save/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [“if i am not in the world simply to adapt to it, but rather transform it, and if it is not possible to change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/if-i-am-not-in-the-world-simply-to-adapt-to-it-but-rather-transform/) [Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/) > [I don't like lyrics to be overbearing. I like them to say something. But I'm not trying to change the world overnight. Something simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rodgers/i-don-t-like-lyrics-to-be-overbearing-i-like-them-to-say-something/) [Paul Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rodgers/) > [Larry Kramer wisely realized so early on that to change the world, people have to know you. If they know you and see that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-murphy/larry-kramer-wisely-realized-so-early-on-that-to-change-the-world/) [Ryan Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-murphy/) > [“It takes a female to have a baby, It takes a woman to raise a child, It takes a mother to raise them correctly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/it-takes-a-female-to-have-a-baby-it-takes-a-woman-to-raise-a-child-it/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Don't underestimate the power of your vision to change the world. Whether that world is your office, your community, an industry or a global…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-hood/don-t-underestimate-the-power-of-your-vision-to-change-the-world/) [Leroy Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-hood/) > [“I've been waiting for you a long time, Alina" He said. "You and I are going to change the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-bardugo/i-ve-been-waiting-for-you-a-long-time-alina-he-said-you-and-i-are/) [Leigh Bardugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-bardugo/) > [The most important thing in all human relationships is conversation, but people don’t talk anymore, they don’t sit down to talk and listen. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-most-important-thing-in-all-human-relationships-is-conversation/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [We can use our art to become political, to become something you want to talk about. We make clothes, but we have the chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivier-rousteing/we-can-use-our-art-to-become-political-to-become-something-you-want/) [Olivier Rousteing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivier-rousteing/) > [“Live each day as if it's our last', that was the conventional advice, but really who had the energy for that? What if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/live-each-day-as-if-it-s-our-last-that-was-the-conventional-advice/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) [Browse all 2,043 Change the world quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-the-world/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“(About changing faith) At our best, Christians embrace it, leaving enough space within orthodoxy for God to surprise us every now and then.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rachel Held Evans" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/about-changing-faith-at-our-best-christians-embrace-it-leaving-enough/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Change the world" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/about-changing-faith-at-our-best-christians-embrace-it-leaving-enough/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/rachel-held-evans-2876_change-the-world_about-changing-faith-at-our-best-christi_1553441.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/rachel-held-evans-2876_change-the-world_about-changing-faith-at-our-best-christi_1553441.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/rachel-held-evans-2876_change-the-world_about-changing-faith-at-our-best-christi_1553441.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“(About changing faith) At our best, Christians embrace it, leaving enough space within orthodoxy for God to…” — Rachel Held Evans", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Rachel Held Evans", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“(About changing faith) At our best,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/about-changing-faith-at-our-best-christians-embrace-it-leaving-enough/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/about-changing-faith-at-our-best-christians-embrace-it-leaving-enough/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```