--- title: Jen Hatmaker Remembers the Generosity of Rachel Held Evans description: When Rachel Held Evans died on May 4, at the shocking age of 37, the Twitter hashtag #becauseofRHE became a gathering place for outcasts. canonical: https://time.com/5586402/rachel-held-evans-obituary/ author: Jen Hatmaker article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-05-09T09:53:02.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T23:29:19.690Z article:section: Ideas og:title: ‘A Better Ally Didn’t Exist.’ Jen Hatmaker Remembers the Generosity of Rachel Held Evans og:description: When she died on May 4, the hashtag #becauseofRHE became a gathering place og:url: https://time.com/5586402/rachel-held-evans-obituary/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt56dc4004dae8c00d/698949a597cdff64c46b7cb3/rachel-held-evans-obituary-crop.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2405 og:image:height: 1353 og:image:alt: rachel-held-evans-obituary og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: ‘A Better Ally Didn’t Exist.’ Jen Hatmaker Remembers the Generosity of Rachel Held Evans twitter:description: When she died on May 4, the hashtag #becauseofRHE became a gathering place twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt56dc4004dae8c00d/698949a597cdff64c46b7cb3/rachel-held-evans-obituary-crop.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # ‘A Better Ally Didn’t Exist.’ Jen Hatmaker Remembers the Generosity of Rachel Held Evans > Sponsored content. 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A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=eda3e7bf-7c5d-4c00-85f8-8eaa7bd5efc8&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) by [Jen Hatmaker](https://time.com/author/jen-hatmaker/) ## Jen Hatmaker May 9, 2019 9:53 AM UTC  Rachel Held Evans outside of her home on Nov. 4, 2014. Rachel Held Evans outside of her home on Nov. 4, 2014. Robin Rayne—ZUMA Wire by [Jen Hatmaker](https://time.com/author/jen-hatmaker/) ## Jen Hatmaker May 9, 2019 9:53 AM UTC There is a wilderness space in which misfits who flummox the Christian status quo gather. That wilderness has lost a hero–one who challenged the hierarchy behind the city walls, the patriarchy under the steeples. She insisted women, people of color, the LGBTQ community and the poor were the real elders of the church. A better ally didn’t exist. She was Rachel Held Evans, prophet and preacher, author and friend, generous beyond all comprehension. When she died on May 4, at the shocking age of 37, the Twitter hashtag #becauseofRHE became a different kind of gathering place, for stories of outcasts she welcomed back in, doubters she comforted, friends she celebrated, careers she launched, critics she challenged–every last one a witness to her rare legacy. Our community believes Rachel received but one welcome as she entered eternity: “Well done, good and faithful servant. 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