religion and spirituality

Although one must have a strong base in the Word to read this book, understanding that we are called to be born again or "new creatures" through putting faith in Christ and an understanding of our sinful nature and a repentant heart, this book speaks to the core of our being. It was so hard for me to let the words Brennan spoke penetrate my heart; I felt like I was reading something heretical, but Manning backs up what he says with Scripture. Truth rings deeply throughout this book. Without chapters such as the one containing a powerful story about an Alcoholic Anonymous meeting where a man's fellow drunks force him to remember the sins his alcoholism had done and face the truth about himself, I would have been disappointed. I would have because, as other reviews have mentioned, we cannot simply go about life as people constantly thinking, "I can do whatever I want because God doesn't love me based on what I do," but we must be moved by His grace and recognition of our calling to be "born again" to enter the kingdom of Heaven and to therefore live a life based on our belief that we ARE, in fact, new creatures no longer enslaved to sin. I believe that Brennan believes this as well, but wanted to speak to the Pharisaical Christians of our day. He comes to the point of almost contradicting himself by the way he critically describes them, but does not if one reads carefully, trying to understand his thoughts. He mentions that if we think that we have not been that "holier than thou" person, that we are not seeing the truth about ourselves, and gives vivid depictions of his own experiences in this. I would recommend this book to anyone willing to read it in Spirit and Truth and see what Manning's purpose is: to show us that nothing can separate us from the love of God (in Christ, of course) and that it is God who will extend to us the grace of belief in Him. I love this book.
Shortly after reading it, in fact, I went to my sister's wedding and was surrounded by my non-Christian family and friends--'ragamuffins' in need of a Savior. After the wedding, my sister commented with great enthusiasm how 'loving' and kind I was, and in what she spoke I sensed almost a disbelief that anyone could love like that. She said I was different from anyone there. I think that what God spoke to my heart through Manning's book is what was responsible. I know that my focus was, if only for a moment, taken off of myself and put on the ones I love and was able to love by the grace of God. Thank you, Brennan, for your wise words of truth.

A very powerful book filled with arresting illustrations of God's grace that stings with a tinge of conviction due to our reluctance to accept it. One of the strengths of this work is Manning's attack on the Christian community's obsession with works-oriented salvation; he strips away many of those traditionalist foundations that we feel will define us and make us acceptable before God. Manning confronts the holier-than-thou Bible worshippers and challenges us to drop all of our defenses and to contemplate and embrace God's relentless grace. The first time I read this book, it shook up so many of my traditionalist views that I felt uneasy. It challenged me to remove the focus from my religious performance to God's love, and begin to view life from a new perspective. More importantly, it forced me to question whether or not I really trusted God enough to take Him at His Word. As a follower of Jesus Christ, this book dared me to live in the freedom of God's pure love. It is the best book I've read on embracing God's grace.

The Ragamuffin Gospel is the first Christian book to hit right where my heart needed it... For the majority of my life, I considered myself right in God's Grace without overwhelming shortcomings. Never truly facing unbearable challenges, I could not relate to those who had found God in the depths of despair. Well, that quickly changed when I graduated from college and entered the professional world. I faced challenges in both my job and personal life that threw me into a tailspin, and I felt distanced from God. I felt guilty, overburdened by my own "failings," and consumed by darkness. Wherever I found legalism, it was no longer a camp to join (because I was so "righteous") but what reeked of ignorance about God's Grace. Then a friend recommended this book. I read it with intent and realized, for the first time in three years, that the God I accepted as a child is the God who loves me no matter how far I fall. No, this is not an excuse to keep sinning. Yes, this is an invitation back to the Lord, who loves so unconditionally that we, finite humans, cannot fully grasp it until we reach Glory. As Brennan Manning's book helped lift me from the "ashes," I realize there are others who "beat themselves up" and feel that God is so displeased that His love cannot reach them. Not so with our Glorious Lord. He loves you with NO END! That, my friends, makes me want to fall down at His knees. His love does not waiver with my rights and wrongs; He invites me to His love and grace without reservation. >>Lord, I come back to you, running and with open arms.<< Thank you, Brennan Manning. There is NOTHING I can do to "earn" God's favor. He is smiling because I sense His love, once again. He was always there, even when I didn't feel like He was there.

P.S. For all those who over-emphasize a person's "fruit" without the Glorious context of God's Grace, please do consider "walking two moons" in that person's mocassins. Only God knows our hearts, through and through. I'm blessed because He does. There's nothing He doesn't know, yet He loves me unconditionally, forever and ever.