NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Progressive Christian author Rachel Held Evans died in Tennessee on Saturday after spending two weeks in a hospital for treatment for an infection and brain seizures. She was 37.

Sarah Bessey, a writer and friend of Evans, says she died in Nashville early Saturday morning, surrounded by her husband and friends.

Bessey said Evans challenged the evangelical community by addressing sexism and racism and “championing voices of people who have been marginalized in the church,” including the LGBTQ community.