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Summary: Wept for joy
Review: I had read "Abba's Child" and thought I understood grace pretty well, but this book was a surprise. I found myself in tears and reaching out for the love of God. The magic, of course, is not in Brennan Manning's writing but in the Scriptures themselves, that leave no doubt that the foundation of our kingdom is love (Is. 16:5). Brennan is a storyteller who will give you parable after parable of the Gospel, a message we are always hungry to hear told over again. He is gentle, funny, and sometimes blunt as he echoes Jesus' cry: the last shall be first, legalists and spoilsports won't win the day, heaven will be full of "ragamuffins" saved by grace. The book has study questions, designed for group study but they make excellent devotions to accompany your reading. Let God give his love to you!
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Summary: Get this one -- TODAY!!!
Review: Don't go another day without reading this book!Of all the books that I could list as being important to spiritual growth, this one would be at the top. Manning targets something that, sadly, is too often missing in today's churches. Simply put, he reminds us that the Gospel is GOOD NEWS and that the love of our God goes far beyond what we could ever imagine. Whether you're bound in tradition, tied down by man-made rules or just in need of a breath of fresh air in your Christian walk, this book will guide you back to the path where, I believe, God would want us to be. Don't crack the cover of this book without an open mind -- and an open heart. You will not be able to get through it without it challenging at least one of your own, personal "religious vices." Those who are Pharisaical in nature and care more about the letter of the law than God's intent won't get much from this work. But for those who would be honest with themselves and allow God to transform them, this book is an invaluable resource.
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Summary: The true Gospel message: not rules or laws but love & grace
Review: I loved this book! It is written in an easy going, conversational style. While I love that type of writing because it captivates and draws me in, others expecting a more "academic" approach may not. Brennan writes as though he is writing just to ME, and the message he is sending has even more impact as a result. The message presented here is a simple, clear statement of love and grace given freely. The author makes references to AA meetings, a place where grace abounds due to the truthful honest reality of failure. The truth shall set you free. That truth is the reality of who we are, with all the posturing, image, and carefully crafted exteriors blown away, and the reality that it is that truth that God loves, accepts and embraces. In a particularly impactful segment, Brennan describes the heartbreaking and shocking process of a man's illusions being shattered, and the freedom and change that comes as a result of accepting God's love and grace from that place of true honesty. This book will shatter the illusions of many Christians guided by rituals, laws, and all the unfortunate illusions that keep us from seeing what is right in front of us - God's free gift of grace and acceptance, as we are, who we are. Many previous reviewers of this book have mentioned that it seemed that Brennan's continued message of grace might constitute some sort of absolvance of responsibility for behavior. I did not see this presented here. There is no one who has much trouble with behaving in ways they wish they didn't, however most of us have considerable trouble in accepting ourselves and loving ourselves as God does in spite of those lapses. We are who we are. And God loves and freely extends grace to us where we are, who we are. This is a great book! I thank my friend Craig for giving it to me, and will pass it on to others. What a difference it would make if I truly lived with the daily assurance of this message, in place of the fear and works based faith that so often creeps in.
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Summary: An Important Read
Review: The theme of the book is that we, Christians, are all just ragamuffin's saved by grace, but we don't understand what that means. Manning says that most in the church today SAY they believe we are saved by grace but continue to live like we're saved by our works. We sin and when we pray we go on and on begging for fogiveness, thinking that somehow we have to express enough sorrow and grief before God will say "I forgive you." We continue to try and earn our salvation. We live "spiritual" lives and hold up spiritual fascades, hiding our sinful tendancies and pretending to be more together than we really are. All for the sake of appearances. We live like our salvation hangs in the balance and we could lose it at any moment if we sin too many times. This is foolishness, and Manning goes in depth to explain why and gives a picture of what it truely means to live under grace. I recommend this book. I'm not a big fan of Mannings writing style. He tends to let his words wander. He doesn't keep the focus tight and he can lose sight of his point. But the core message of this book is outstanding, scandelous, and challenging. And the final couple of chapters are full of gold. This book blows the lid off of a Christian "religion," replacing it with a description of what it really means to have a grace-afforded relationship. Four and a half stars.
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Summary: discover grace
Review: Excepting the bible itself, this is the most highly regarded and oft recommended book I have ever had the priveledge of reading. I have given away three copies, and will continue to do so whenever possible. I was brought up in the church, my father was a minister and a very loving person, and I became a follower of Christ at the age of 18, yet I never had the slightest understanding of the much-touted "grace of God" until I read this book. I felt like Paul on the road to Damascus - blinded by the light. For the first time, I understood what it meant to be loved by God; to be UNABLE to make God hate me or give up on me (he won't...ever)! I cannot truly describe the feeling - it felt like Oxygen to a drowning man. I was finally free to love and forgive. To understand love is to understand grace - and vice versa. If you have ever felt your life to be a "grave disappointment to God", please, please, PLEASE do yourself the kindness of buying this book. Let yourself know the real God who wants to make you his child. from one Ragamuffin to all you other ones, Peace.
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Summary: The good and the bad news
Review: For anyone wishing to learn more about the grace of God this is outstanding and has changed my life. Anyone who doesn't want to know the true power of God's grace will see only a license to sin being preached- Paul had the same problem in preaching grace to people - why would Brennan Manning experience anything different. Your mind is like a parachute - best when open
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Summary: Inspired, Refreshing, revealing, relieving and funny
Review: Brennan Manning has captured on these pages a wealth of the grace that we need to get into our souls. Brennan gets right to the heart of the matter and tells it like it is. We are not to continue beating up on ourselves in our walk with Christ, but to accept his grace and be free to grow in our relationship with Jesus. This book contains "good news" for ragamuffins from all walks of life and I think it challenges us to be free of ourselves and allow God to cover us in all that we do. Brennan's writing is down to earth and very enjoyable.
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Summary: Can't Stop Passing This Book Out
Review: Ragamuffin Gospel moved me deeply, though it's hard to articulate why. Pinning down the grace of God does not come easy to me. I cannot frame it, explain it, or quote it, but I can recognize it. Brennan Manning's version of it turned on a few lights for me. I can understand the frustration with other comments on the book's lack of, um, didactic style; when I give this book to someone and they ask what it's about, I cannot pin it down to a teaching on grace or a spiritual memoir. My pigeon-hole mentality can't stand that. But I do know it touched me personally: it made me drop some prejudices. It made me cut some slack to a neighbor. It humbled me. If it lacked a wham, wham, wham, three-points-and-a-poem style, it still delivered. If I read a book that actually humbles me, and helps me make an effort to treat a neighbor with more respect, it gets five stars from me.
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Summary: Free from my own prison
Review: I was raised a Catholic and am now a United Methodist. Never have I been told the material that resides in this book. I picked it up because I wanted to understand the reference Rich Mullins used in naming his Ragamuffin Band. It did far more for me that I can explain. I have spent my life listening to how God would "strike me down" with every sin and that my fate would be hell if I could not keep myself sinless. This impossible task drove me away from the church and nearly kept me away. Manning's message of grace was a shot in the arm to my faith. Never have I felt closer to God than after reading this book. I no longer doubt my destination.
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Summary: WHAT A LET DOWN
Review: After reading the reviews on amazon and much thinking I finally saw this book in the store on special, I decided to buy it. One boring chapter followed another with nothing in particular to say, no examples of the grace he talks about, which can be shown through people. I honestly have no idea what the fuss is about, perhaps if you come from a very strict moralistic legalistic christian background and you feel bound by religion, this will be of value to you. If you are looking for something more practical, something that not only talks about Gods grace and love, but what Gods grace means for you and me and others you could do better. I read a review that said this is a better book about grace, then Philip Yanceys "whats so amazing about grace" well Yanceys book is by far superior, as it addresses what grace means to you and me, yes God freely gives his grace to us but we must also freely show grace to others, this topic is not covered, Gods love is unconditional its true, but the Lords prayer says, "forgive us our trespasses as WE forgive those who trespass against us" Grace is not just from God to man, but from man to man, person to person, this book is bland, the author seems to talk about Gods amazing grace and he can be commended for that, at other times, he complains about his upbringing and about how a priest told him he could go to hell for masterbating. This story in the book is totally pointless, the only thing Manning wanted to say was, that the priest in question, wasn't aware of Gods love and grace. This is true but manning has to show that same grace towards this person whom Jesus still died for. Finally if you want to read a book about Gods love and grace that will inspire you to a deeper relationship with God, read "A Portrait of Jesus" by Joseph Girzone" here is a man that truly has a heart after God and it shows.
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