Rating: 
Summary: Well intentioned but disappointing
Review: I had high hopes for this work, based on the reputation of the publishing house and the importance of the subject. Alas, what I found was Christianized pop psychology, with facile references to "the imposter," "the inner Pharisee," and, believe it or not, "the inner child." There was virtually nothing said about the great biblical themes of adoption and our relation to Christ, the firstborn of many, with whom we are heirs and co-heirs of the kingdom. In fact, there was a more-than-subtle anti-intellectualism evident and a distinct distaste for theology displayed. The one thing that saved a star for this book was Mr. Manning's treatise on the Apostle John--if only the whole book had lived up to the content of this chapter. A wasted opportunity to speak to a vital aspect of Christian life.
Rating: 
Summary: read my lips
Review: I HAVE LONG BEEN AN ARDENT FAN OF SUFIS BECAUSE OF THEIR ESTACTIC LOVE OF GOD..DANCING IN THE STREETS IN STATES OF JOYOUS BLISS..SPEAKING RAPTUROUSLY OF THE MIRACLE OF GODS LOVE FOR US.. A GRAND PASSION TO LIFT US UP WHERE WE BELONG. NOT FOR ME THE DRY PEDANTIC SOPHOMORIC HOLIER THAN THOU CHRISTIAN ATTITUDES. THIS BOOK, WRITTEN BY A CHRISTIAN, COMES AS CLOSE TO SUFISM AS ANY WESTERN BOOK I'VE EVER SEEN.. AT LAST, A WESTERNER WITH A TRUE UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT LOVE OF GOD IS ALL ABOUT..TOTAL, COMPLETE, FEROCIOUS, TENACIOUS, ALL CONSUMING. TAKE OFF YOUR CLOTHES AND DANCE NAKED IN THE STREETS KIND OF LOVE.. IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THE DEPTH OF THAT KIND OF LOVE, MANNING GIVES YOU THE INSIGHT TO GRASP IT. IT ISN'T GOD WHO LETS US DOWN, IT IS OURSELVES..WE ARE BROKEN. BROKEN BEYOND THE ABILITY OF MODERN PSYCHOLOGISTS TO FIX US.. IN THE WORDS OF OMAR KHYYAM, "IN MY YOUTH I DID EAGERLY FREQUENT, DR AND SAINT, AND HEARD GREAT ARGUMENT, BUT EVERMORE I CAME OUT THE SAME DOOR AS IN I WENT.." THAT KIND OF DESPAIR COMES FROM DENYING THE RUBY RED JEWEL OF GODS PASSION FOR US..HIS FEROCIOUS LIGHTNING STORM DESIRE TO COMMUNICATE WITH HIS CREATION..US..A LOVE THAT MAKES US WANT TO THROW OURSELVES INTO ITS FIRE AND BECOME CONSUMED BY IT.. OUR INTELLECT CANNOT SAVE US. ONLY A FIRESTORM LOVE FOR GOD. IN THE WORDS OF A DEEP THINKER, "WE ARE CALLED TO LOVE PAINFULLY-WITH RISK OF DISAPPOINTMENT AND WITH DISAPPOINTMENT FULFILLED. LOVE MUST HOPE, TRUST AND ENDURE WHEN WE DON'T SEE HOW." THIS WHAT RUMI FELT AFTER GETTING A GLIMPSE OF GODS LOVE AND THEN LOSING IT WHEN HIS RATIONAL, THINKING, INTELLECTUAL MIND TOOK OVER AGAIN.. "YOU GO TO BED CRYING AND WAKE UP THE SAME. YOU PLEAD FOR WHAT DOESN'T COME UNTIL IT DARKENS YOUR DAYS. YOU GIVE AWAY EVERYTHING, EVEN YOUR MIND. YOU SIT DOWN IN THE FIRE, WANTING TO BECOME ASHES, AND WHEN YOU MEET WITH A SWORD, YOU THROW YOURSELF ON IT." AND THEN WHEN FOUND AGAIN.. "TAKE ME TO THAT PLACE WHERE NO ONE CAN GO. WHERE DEATH IS AFRAID AND SWANS GO TO PLAY. ON THE OVERFLOWING LAKE OF LOVE. THERE THE FAITHFUL GATHER EVER TRUE TO THEIR LORD." THIS BOOK, BY MAKING YOU AWARE OF HOW BROKEN YOU REALLY ARE, WILL HELP YOU FIND COMPASSION IN YOUR HEARTS FOR OTHERS IN YOUR FAMILY OR CHURCH WHOSE LIVES ARE BROKEN. THIS BOOK WILL SHATTER A LOT OF YOUR CONCEPTS AND REMOLD YOU NEARER TO THE HEARTS/GODS DESIRE.. SOME THOUGHTS BY RUMI ON HIS STATE OF MIND WHILE DRAWING NEARER TO GOD, NOT YET A TRUE BELIEVER, BUT GETTING THERE... " ONLY NOW AND AGAIN DO I SUDDENLY SIT UP FROM MY DREAMS TO SMELL A STRANGE FRAGRANCE. IT COMES ON THE SOUTH WIND, A VAGUE HINT THAT MAKES ME ACHE WITH LONGING, LIKE THE EAGER BREATH OF SUMMER WANTING TO BE COMPLETED. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS SO NEAR, OR THAT IT WAS MINE !! " READ MY LIPS. READ THIS BOOK..... WAKE UP TO THE STRANGE FRAGRANCE ON THE SOUTH WIND, THAT LONGING IN YOUR HEART FOR SOMETHING THAT IS MISSING..IT IS THE ESTACTIC CALL FOR THE ALL CONSUMING PASSION OF A GREAT LOVE.. FOR GOD..
Rating:
Summary: The Heartbeat of the Gospel!!
Review: I read Abba's Child in 1993 and I can't remember honestly any other version of the Gospel prior to this discovery. What it did for me was restore the eternal sense of childhood to my soul that I had somehow lost in all my years as a perpetual failure at trying to live up to the "doctrines of men". I sent a copy to my sister in Arkansas and I wrote in the cover "for the Prodigal who returned it was the Robe, Sandals and the Family Ring". I have thanked Brennan till he is probably sick of hearing it. Thank you seems inadequate for such pure treasure as this. I will be grateful to Brennan till I'm dead and then after that, we'll all be in the land of Children anyway. That land where we will all simply be nothing more than "Abba's Child". As important as the Ragamuffin Gospel. An absolute must read.
Rating:
Summary: Under Conviction
Review: If you are one who doesn't understand how radical God's love must be, Manning will straighten you out. I'm learning that God's love is ferocious and tenacious. As a Christian, our love is intended to be the same. We are called to love painfully - with risk of disappointment and with disappointment fulfilled. Love must hope, trust and endure even when we don't see how. But we are the ones who let us down the most. By bringing me to a greater awareness of my brokeness, this book helped me in a struggle with how to be compassionate to those who's lives have been broken - who have been rejected and cast out by family, friends and even the church. Lesson one, whether you believe it or not, you ARE broken - and your sins are not less than anyone elses. This is basic Gospel that is forgotten by many Christians (discerning by our actions).
Rating:
Summary: Profound, Challenging, Convicting and Delightful
Review: It's been a decade since Brennan Manning wrote ABBA'S CHILD, and the book as a whole is every bit as fresh and powerful in the 21st century as it was in the 20th. In the intervening years, many Christian authors have added an "amen!" to Manning's message about the need for authenticity and vulnerability before God and other people. His, however, is one of those rare books that stands up to repeated readings. The addition of a thoughtful study guide, written by the author, should make this particular edition attractive not only to new readers but also to longtime fans. Manning begins by beckoning Christians to come out of hiding, the place to which we retreat out of shame or guilt in the misguided belief that God is berating us as harshly as we are berating ourselves. In that place of hiding, we further nurture our false self, which the author calls "the impostor" --- also the title of the chapter that has generated more responses than all the other chapters combined, Manning writes in the preface to the revised edition. Apparently, it's an image that resonates with a lot of readers. Our masks, our pretenses, our hypocrisy, our outward displays of saintliness, Manning contends, rob us of the thing we crave the most: intimacy with God the Father. That intimacy is far more attainable than we can possibly imagine as we refuse to come out from hiding and expose our true selves to God, to other people, and most of all, to ourselves. It is only when we shed our false identity and accept the unconditional love of our Abba --- our heavenly "Daddy" --- that we can experience the passionate love relationship with Him that we have long craved. Manning's gift as an author lies in his often brutal honesty about his own failures. That's what sets his works apart from those of so many other Christian leaders, the ones who preach authenticity but admit only to their prettier and pettier and less frequent "mistakes." Manning is unafraid to expose in print his own sins, including those that are ugly, major and chronic. As a result, he has earned the right to speak into the lives of people who need to be equally transparent with God about the ugly, major and chronic sins they try so hard to keep hidden. Now for the "I wish he hadn't written that and I suspect he does too" part: Manning uses the term "inner child," which was a whole lot more acceptable in the early '90s, although there were plenty of us who cringed whenever we heard the phrase even back then. And while it may rankle our present-day sensibilities, it's easy enough to get past. But newcomers to ABBA'S CHILD --- particularly those who are unaware that the original text is 10 years old --- need to understand the context of the time in which it was written. "Inner Pharisee" is another term that might sound a bit dated. However, since the inner Pharisee is still very much alive and kicking and doing its dirty work in us --- don't ask me how I know this --- that phrase probably warrants continued usage. Those who have come face to face with their own brokenness --- and those who need to --- will find both comfort and hope in ABBA'S CHILD, particularly through its many memorable anecdotes and illustrations, such as the story of the "rabbi's heartbeat" --- which became the title of another Manning book that was released earlier this year. Saturated with the themes of God's grace and love, ABBA'S CHILD is one of those treasured books that manages to be profound, challenging, convicting and delightful, all at once. --- Reviewed by Marcia Ford
Rating:
Summary: Abba's Child
Review: Once again Brennan Manning has hit the nail on the head and pierced my heart. For monthes I did my best to read this book but could not. Every word hit me to the core and made me think. Manning has the ability to speak to your heart and make it past all of our defences, opening us up to God's amazing love for us, as broken as we are. In this book he looks at the imposter that we place over our real self to hide from all of the pain and sadness in our lives. Manning reminds us that we were all created special by God and that His love is more than we need. Manning calls for us to understand the imposter and to accept it as part of us, a part that Jesus loves unconditionally and desires for it to accept His love and forgiveness. Manning is wonderful at getting the reader to understand God's love and leads you to God's feet where you can't help but surrender and love Him. Anyone struggling with who they are and realize that teh imposter is alive and well in their lives needs to read this book.
Rating: 
Summary: back to basics
Review: Refreshing,comforting, and down to the ground in simplicity. Especially written for those folks dug down in theological mediocrity or battling guilt from repeating "the same ol' sin again and again".
Reminds us of our God of endless compassion, who is not surprised by our mistakes, and constantly is begging us to get up on His lap one more time.
Rating:
Summary: Abba's Child
Review: This book has kept my heart changing for months. Not to mention it has changed my life. I wish I could give Brennan a big hug...
Rating:
Summary: A book for the downtrodden
Review: This book is a must-read for anyone from an abusive background, with low self-esteem, or anyone who has struggled with false ideas of what it means for God to be our "Father". This book truly challenged my ideas of who I am in Christ and what I mean to God. Manning focuses on believers status as the beloved of God, that our "Abba" Father loves us, flaws and all, and even cherishes us. "Being the beloved is our identity, the core of our existence," Manning says.
Rating:
Summary: A book for the downtrodden
Review: This book is a must-read for anyone from an abusive background, with low self-esteem, or anyone who has struggled with false ideas of what it means for God to be our "Father". This book truly challenged my ideas of who I am in Christ and what I mean to God. Manning focuses on believers status as the beloved of God, that our "Abba" Father loves us, flaws and all, and even cherishes us. "Being the beloved is our identity, the core of our existence," Manning says.
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