--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've heard all kinds of explanations from…" description: "\"“I've heard all kinds of explanations from Christian apologists for why the Bible includes such harsh laws about women: that the laws were progressive ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/rachel-held-evans-2876_protect-women_i-ve-heard-all-kinds-of-explanations-fro_2435238.png" --- # I've heard all kinds of explanations from Christian… ![“I've heard all kinds of explanations from Christian apologists for why the Bible includes such harsh laws about women: that the laws were progressive in comparison to the surrounding culture, that they were designed to protect women from exploitation, that they weren't strictly observed anyway…” quote by Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/rachel-held-evans-2876_protect-women_i-ve-heard-all-kinds-of-explanations-fro_2435238.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/rachel-held-evans-2876_protect-women_i-ve-heard-all-kinds-of-explanations-fro_2435238.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/rachel-held-evans-2876_protect-women_i-ve-heard-all-kinds-of-explanations-fro_2435238.png) > ““I've heard all kinds of explanations from Christian apologists for why the Bible includes such harsh laws about women: that the laws were progressive in comparison to the surrounding culture, that they were designed to protect women from exploitation, that they weren't strictly observed anyway. These are useful insights, I suppose, but sometimes I wish these apologists wouldn't be in such a hurry to explain these troubling texts away, that they would allow themselves to be bothered by them 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. Apologists often rush to justify harsh biblical laws about women, overlooking the need to wrestle with difficult texts. **In simple terms:** Rushing to explain away tough passages can silence honest questioning. Key Takeaway Allow space to grapple with troubling scriptures. Themes faith gender interpretation Mood thoughtful critical Type theological reflective When to use this quote - church study - personal study - teaching - dialogue groups Key Concepts biblical criticism theology justice Questions to Reflect On - Why do we seek quick explanations? - How can we engage with difficult texts responsibly? A Different Perspective Simplifying complex issues may ignore deeper cultural and ethical concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Protect women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protect-women/) ## Related quotes > [Sometimes Christian apologists say there are only three options to who Jesus was: a liar, a lunatic or the Lord. But there could be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-d-ehrman/sometimes-christian-apologists-say-there-are-only-three-options-to/) [Bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/) > [No one can be an unbeliever nowadays. The Christian apologists have left one nothing to disbelieve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hector-hugh-munro/no-one-can-be-an-unbeliever-nowadays-the-christian-apologists-have/) [Hector Hugh Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hector-hugh-munro/) > [“In the early 1920s, Lewis hoped to be remembered as an atheist poet, whose bitter and forceful condemnations of an uncaring and absent God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-mcgrath/in-the-early-1920s-lewis-hoped-to-be-remembered-as-an-atheist-poet/) Alister McGrath > [Here is book called I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, written by a couple of Christian apologists, which is essentially saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-boghossian/here-is-book-called-i-don-t-have-enough-faith-to-be-an-atheist/) [Peter Boghossian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-boghossian/) > [“Apologetics is not listed as a spiritual gift for teachers, preachers, or evangelists, as though only some ought to become apologists. Rather, all Christians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-mcdowell/apologetics-is-not-listed-as-a-spiritual-gift-for-teachers-preachers/) [Josh McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-mcdowell/) > [“The efforts of apologists to find genuinely distinguished modern scientists who are religious have an air of desperation, generating the unmistakably hollow sound or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-efforts-of-apologists-to-find-genuinely-distinguished-modern/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“There may be no English word as bent and broken by casual misuse, or drained of blood by idealizing admirers and apologists, or grossly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-keen/there-may-be-no-english-word-as-bent-and-broken-by-casual-misuse-or/) [Craig Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-keen/) > [Since barbarism has its pleasures it naturally has its apologists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/since-barbarism-has-its-pleasures-it-naturally-has-its-apologists/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [“The question is not whether we are apologists, but what kind of apologists we are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-mcdowell/the-question-is-not-whether-we-are-apologists-but-what-kind-of/) [Josh McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-mcdowell/) > [I wonder how appropriate it is to try to 'argue someone into the kingdom.' Many apologists hotly deny any such charge, but I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-price/i-wonder-how-appropriate-it-is-to-try-to-argue-someone-into-the/) [Robert M. Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-price/) > [Many of the religious apologists out there are not stupid people, they are often brilliant. People working in the field of theology and philosophy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pz-myers/many-of-the-religious-apologists-out-there-are-not-stupid-people-they/) [PZ Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pz-myers/) > [“My friend J. Warner Wallace is one of the most thoughtful and winsome apologists for the gospel I know. Cold-Case Christianity is literally packed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-warner-wallace/my-friend-j-warner-wallace-is-one-of-the-most-thoughtful-and-winsome/) [J. Warner Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-warner-wallace/) > [Professional philosophers are usually only apologists: that is, they are absorbed in defending some vested illusion or some eloquent idea. Like lawyers or detectives,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/professional-philosophers-are-usually-only-apologists-that-is-they/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [“I did not write this work merely with the aim of setting the exegetical record straight. My larger target is those contemporaries who --…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-laudan/i-did-not-write-this-work-merely-with-the-aim-of-setting-the/) Larry Laudan > [Evil usually doesn't think it's evil, it usually has many apologists, and its supporters usually portray it as a good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hawkins/evil-usually-doesn-t-think-it-s-evil-it-usually-has-many-apologists/) [John Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hawkins/) ## 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 Protect women quotes > [I will fight to protect women's constitutional right to interstate travel without government interference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-allred/i-will-fight-to-protect-women-s-constitutional-right-to-interstate/) [Colin Allred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-allred/) > [They normally think men are the ones who protect the women. I agree its true, but we mustn't forget that sometimes men will also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chee-vai-tang/they-normally-think-men-are-the-ones-who-protect-the-women-i-agree/) [Chee Vai Tang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chee-vai-tang/) > [The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act doesn't protect women's health. It threatens it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-schakowsky/the-pain-capable-unborn-child-protection-act-doesn-t-protect-women-s/) [Jan Schakowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-schakowsky/) > [Men are supposed to love & protect their women. Not hurt and betray them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/men-are-supposed-to-love-protect-their-women-not-hurt-and-betray-them/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Religious fund a mentalism can not protect women,, For this, we will have to revive in confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/religious-fund-a-mentalism-can-not-protect-women-for-this-we-will/) Mak\_786 > [“Dad always insisted a man's job was to protect the women he love-whether mother, siser, wife, or teasured lover.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-cunning/dad-always-insisted-a-man-s-job-was-to-protect-the-women-he-love/) [Olivia Cunning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-cunning/) > [There are some women who seem to be born without fear, just as there are people who are born without the ability to feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/there-are-some-women-who-seem-to-be-born-without-fear-just-as-there/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Divorces led to bodies of men (called legislatures) protecting women collectively as other men (called husbands) failed to protect women individually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/divorces-led-to-bodies-of-men-called-legislatures-protecting-women/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [Men are supposed to love and protect their women not hurt and betray them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/men-are-supposed-to-love-and-protect-their-women-not-hurt-and-betray/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's odd that men feel they must protect women, since for the most part they must be protected from men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-scott-duniway/it-s-odd-that-men-feel-they-must-protect-women-since-for-the-most/) [Abigail Scott Duniway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-scott-duniway/) > [Men are not inspired to protect women who are naked, but instead to conquer and violate them; they want to protect those who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-leigh-demoss/men-are-not-inspired-to-protect-women-who-are-naked-but-instead-to/) [Nancy Leigh DeMoss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-leigh-demoss/) > [One woman told me that every time she wears Lanvin, men fall in love with her. Another told me she wore Lanvin to face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alber-elbaz/one-woman-told-me-that-every-time-she-wears-lanvin-men-fall-in-love/) [Alber Elbaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alber-elbaz/) > [“Marriage is a sacrament that exists partially to protect women from sexual exploitation. If you take that protection away from her, then she is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvain-reynard/marriage-is-a-sacrament-that-exists-partially-to-protect-women-from/) [Sylvain Reynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-reynard/) > [I think we have to continue to protect women on social media, who are coming out in a world that can still be very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phumzile-mlambo-ngcuka/i-think-we-have-to-continue-to-protect-women-on-social-media-who-are/) [Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phumzile-mlambo-ngcuka/) > [“Men can never have the true power they were endowed with by creation, until they respect and protect the women and children of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/men-can-never-have-the-true-power-they-were-endowed-with-by-creation/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) [Browse all 53 Protect women quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protect-women/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I've heard all kinds of explanations from Christian apologists for why the Bible includes such harsh laws about women: that the laws were progressive in comparison to the surrounding culture, that they were designed to protect women from exploitation, that they weren't strictly observed anyway. These are useful insights, I suppose, but sometimes I wish these apologists wouldn't be in such a hurry to explain these troubling texts away, that they would allow themselves to be bothered by them 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/i-ve-heard-all-kinds-of-explanations-from-christian-apologists-for/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Protect women" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-ve-heard-all-kinds-of-explanations-from-christian-apologists-for/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/rachel-held-evans-2876_protect-women_i-ve-heard-all-kinds-of-explanations-fro_2435238.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/rachel-held-evans-2876_protect-women_i-ve-heard-all-kinds-of-explanations-fro_2435238.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/rachel-held-evans-2876_protect-women_i-ve-heard-all-kinds-of-explanations-fro_2435238.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I've heard all kinds of explanations from Christian apologists for why the Bible includes such harsh laws…” — 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": "“I've heard all kinds of explanations...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-ve-heard-all-kinds-of-explanations-from-christian-apologists-for/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-ve-heard-all-kinds-of-explanations-from-christian-apologists-for/#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 } } ] } ```