Rating: 
Summary: A Great Next Step to Ragamuffin Gospel
Review: I have given away many copies of Ragamuffin Gospel, especially to new Christians who are sure that they'll never be good enough to measure up, and it always hits the mark. One friend carried it around for weeks, hand-wrote pages and taped them on her walls. Ruthless Trust is a noble follow-up: faith plus hope = trust. Manning's brutal honesty pushes me to be honest with myself and opens me up to let God do His work in my life.
Rating: 
Summary: The Ragamuffin Gospel, Part Two? . . . I'm afraid not
Review: I started reading Ruthless Trust with great excitement. As a matter of fact, after reading the first several chapters I encouraged several friends to purchase it. Having now completed the book I must say that I am somewhat disappointed. What clearly started as a book with a great deal of heart became, at times, rather academic and esoteric. Manning is to be commended for acknowledging how his tendency to "expostulate" and offer explanations "filled with profound theological, spiritual, and psychological insights" may distract from his primary, heartfelt message. When Manning is caught up in his "pathetic obsession with crafting this modest little book into a spiritual masterpiece" I'm afraid he leaves many of his beloved ragamuffins in the dust. Like the rest of us, Manning is best when he lives and ministers out of his brokenness - when he spares us his theologizing and philosophizing and invites us into his broken heart.Mike Mason, in The Gospel According to Job, sums up much of what Manning is saying in two sentences: "The work of Jesus is to lead us out of ourselves, out of the stale confines of our minds, and into the arena of mystery - of spirit, of tears and of blood, of thunder and of the great silence of God. His work is to engage our souls in that most terrifying of all human ventures: trust." For the reader who is drawn to men and women who minister out of their brokenness I would highly recommend the writings of Henri Nouwen. In particular, I would recommend The Inner Voice of Love as it speaks to some of the themes raised by Manning in Ruthless Trust.
Rating:
Summary: Beware
Review: If you read this book, and you are a follower of Christ, you will be challenged out of the box like you probably never have been before. Brennan Manning has once again woven together his words in a way that will not leave you without a lot of questions. Brennan shares once again his incredible stories of personal trial and reaching for a God who does not always seem to be close. This book really challenged me to evaluate where I was with my faith, and who I was really trusting, God, or myself and my abilities. Brennan has a simple yet brilliant concept that has been echoed over and over again throughout the centuries, God loves us, and there is nothing we can do about it. Manning calls us to go past faith into Ruthless Trust, this, I don't think will be easy to do, but we are commanded to try none the less. Thanks to Brennan for his challenge and continued dealing with the tough issues of Christianity. Issues that many other authors do not, or choose not to deal with. This is a good read, I guarantee it.
Rating: 
Summary: Not For Everyone
Review: Manning is very, very angry at the Catholic Church. As a Catholic convert (and someone who sees both truth and beauty in the Church, as flawed as its memebers--and leaders--can be), I had a difficult time getting past his diatribes against Catholicism. Throwing out every vestige of 2000 years of Christianity isn't the way to reach our culture, but it's a tremendous way for Christians of all stripes to become irrelevant. Manning has some good things to say, but the books I've read also seem to be a chance for him to tap into limitless reserves of anger at the Catholic Church. For me, that kind of unresolved rage gets in the way of the other points he's trying to make about having some kind of "authentic" Christianity.
Rating:
Summary: Humble and Profound
Review: Manning's writing is some of the most compelling I've ever read. It is simple and down to earth. He uses numerous quotes from Christian, Jewish and secular theologians, scholars and mystics to underscore his fundamental premise of our need to own an unwaivering (ruthless) trust in God. I received this book as a gift and now, in the midst of my second read through, am buying several copies to give to my very best friends. What more recommendation can I offer than that?
Rating:
Summary: Humble and Profound
Review: Manning's writing is some of the most compelling I've ever read. It is simple and down to earth. He uses numerous quotes from Christian, Jewish and secular theologians, scholars and mystics to underscore his fundamental premise of our need to own an unwaivering (ruthless) trust in God. I received this book as a gift and now, in the midst of my second read through, am buying several copies to give to my very best friends. What more recommendation can I offer than that?
Rating:
Summary: You Can Trust Ruthless Trust
Review: Once again Brennan Manning, through his uncanny ability to tell stories and cut into the heart of the reader, has produced a challenging and practical guide to life as a disciple of Jesus. Ruthless Trust challenges the reader to a new understanding of how trusting in the loving character and nature of God affects our thoughts, emotions, and actions. No one can read this book and go away unchanged.
Rating:
Summary: freedom
Review: So many people, self-professing Christians especially, seem lost, unsure. All too often people spend their lives seeking to not make a misstep. This comes at huge cost. Most notably, followers of Christ become afraid of following wherever he leads; failing to heed the voice of their Shepherd-Savior because life lacks a road map. Life is never certain. In Ruthless Trust, Manning shows a better way. When clarity and certainty fail, the way of faith always leaves open the option of trust. This is a book about the freedom experienced when the blind truly begin to see. This is a great book.
Rating:
Summary: "going to the store for Johnny."
Review: That phrase in the book, more than any other in memory, changed the way I view life. We're all put here to serve in whatever way we can . . . none of us is perfect . . . but we've all been called in our own stumbling way. From now on, I'll always try to remember that I'm here to go 'to the store for Johnny.' In my mind, there is no greater writer in Christianity.
Rating:
Summary: IMPACT
Review: This book will impact your life. If it doesn't ... you're already dead!
| 
