Good News for the Bedraggled - and Burnt Out

Brennan Manning captures Jesus love for us, "not as we should be, but as we are, for we will never be as we should be".
One of the best books I have ever read! He makes it so clear how much we are loved and who we should emulate and worship.

Brennan Manning captures Jesus love for us, "not as we should be, but as we are, for we will never be as we should be".
One of the best books I have ever read! He makes it so clear how much we are loved and who we should emulate and worship.

Again Brennan Manning has woken me up as a christian and a Catholic. Reminded me who is most important in my life and will guide as I remember to let go and give all my problems, worries, and struggles to God

Over the years since Ragamuffin was first printed I have read it at least 5 times. It gets better with each reading. It is best read slowly and prayerfully to allow God's grace to soak in and satisfy.

This book was labeled in "good" condition and everything I have ordered through the store that is labeled good has exceeded my expectations, except this one. There was way too much underlining and commentary in it. I love the content, however. I had read the book before and wanted a copy of my own.

The main points of this book are good, and something Christians ought to be reminded of. That being said there are many things that are concerning that Manning writes. Because of this I would definitely not recommend it to a Christian without a good theological education lest they be led astray concerning certain things (self-sufficiency of God probably being the biggest thing).

The main points of this book are good, and something Christians ought to be reminded of. That being said there are many things that are concerning that Manning writes. Because of this I would definitely not recommend it to a Christian without a good theological education lest they be led astray concerning certain things (self-sufficiency of God probably being the biggest thing).

Must read for all not matter what belive path you follow. As a pagan I was suprised to find that many of the things said worked for me as well. This has been a God sent for my 78 year old mother. She has never felt "good enought" now she see that we are all "good enought" for God's love and grace. All of the negative Christian that spend so much time putting others down need to read this.

Brennan writes a very readable, thought-provoking case to the fact that grace is not just for Sunday or just a concept, it is a life-style. With many excellent quotes and a very breezy writing style, he reinforces the concept that grace is something that is a lifestyle, but too often, we it as an intellectual concept only.

Pass this along to your friends (and enemies).

At first I started to dislike this book. Grace is a wonderful thing, learning of the Lord is needed, but all of this seemed a little too much for me. Maybe I am a legalist or a moralist, but it seemed to cheapen grace. One line resounds in my head, "in heaven there will be prostitutes, con-men, and corporate CEO's." There will be certainly these people in heaven, for the grace of God has no limits on forgiveness. But the author presented them as acting in these sins. Just a little too much for me. But as I read, I did enjoy and needed the message of resounding love ringing in my heart. The book motived me and inspired me to preach more on the merciful love of God. The book was too unbalanced for me, but the message of love warmed my heart and soul.

The content of the book was great. I was disappointed that when I ordered the book, the description of the product was not clear. I did not realize that the book was mainly pictures without much writing. Also the binding was so poor, the book fell apart when I was only half way through in reading it.

This book has been life-changing for me. It has given me a totally new perspective on God's love, His grace and His mercy. I have read it twice in the last 2 months and plan on making it a regular part of my book reading rotation. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is either on the outside looking in, or on the inside and wondering if they are doing 'life' right. I am a Ragamuffin.

The Ragamuffin Gospel is at best, a secular attempt at trying to explain the effects of kowing and under standing the real one and only true Gospel. It should not be mistaken for the true gospel. In and of it's self,it is not the road to your personal salvation. Some critics POO POO it on the premiss that the reader might be miss led into thinking that it is a way to personal salvation.I contend that all roads lead to heaven, BUT " Strait is the gate and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life,and few there be that find it" Matthew 7 ;14. Thanks DBWerlein

My college-age daughter gave me the book and what a gift! It is one to re-read often! At least I need to be reminded of it's message. I am rarely beat-up or bedraggled but the book helps me to look graciously on those who are.

Give it 3 stars only because the films editing was so bad on moment rich has long hair the next its cut off then the very next moment its long again! Very distracting! But over all the movie had a great message that is we are all broken people and when we learn to embrace that brokenness that's when God can use us!

The Ragamuffin Gospel Visual Edition: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out
Book was shipped and was as adverrtised.
Book was shipped promptly.

I am sorry but this book just did not grab me and hold my attention. It was too easy to put it down and I am not normally willing to put a book down without finishing it. The author lost me several times.

The message and writing was superb. But the VISUAL edition is VERY hard to read (too much 'art' on page backgrounds.) Also, I found out this 'visual' book is merely 'excerpts' from the 'whole book'. I will be buying THAT in the future, though. This is a wonderful bit of bait, but not what I thought I was ordering.

I ordered this item in error not realizing what the "visual edition" actually was (distracting and cluttered).. What I was looking for was the 'regular' print/text edition which in fact I subsequently ordered and received. I plan to return the volumes ordered by mistake...

Far too often the truth of God’s grace has been polluted with legalism, rules and religion, hindering the children of God from the fullness of a life-giving, intimate relationship with their Creator-Father, and from receiving the acceptance and love purchased for them by Christ on Calvary.

The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning is a must read book that brings us back to this central truth of the Gospel of grace.

Filled with tangible examples from the Bible and our modern day world, the book propels us into a journey of encountering the Father’s passionate love for every person He has created, paralleling His desire that all come to Him through His Son Jesus.

Jesus’ immense suffering and sacrifice for us is the ultimate expression of that love and desire, shown in a way that could be called reckless and wasteful—giving His life in our place even though we fail to love Him day after day in so many ways, all of us continually facing the truth of our “ragamuffin” state.

I highlighted much throughout the book, especially in Chapter 8: Freedom from Fear. This chapter outlines various intricacies of fear’s poison in our lives, many we are often blind to.

The final section, a personal spiritual retreat, is a blessed addition to the book to help one enter more fully into the truth of God’s love and grace poured out upon us.

The only bothersome aspect of the book is the use of a few cuss words (which appeared not in the author’s writing but within quotations used for illustrations). Personally, I would rather the author paraphrased these additions without these words included.

Finally, the following quote from the spiritual retreat section perfectly summarizes the main premise and purpose of the book; furthermore, it clarifies the whole purpose every human being was made for by God:

“Is your relationship with Jesus marked by reckless love? Authentic Christianity, according to the Word, is this: It’s the thrill, the excitement, of falling in love with the risen, living Jesus Christ. He shows us the way to the Father, He pours out on us the Spirit of Pentecost—not so that we’ll be nicer people with better morals, but brand-new creations, human torches ignited with the flaming Spirit of the living God.”

I highly recommend this book!

** Disclosure: I received a free, review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. **

Manning looks at the idea that grace & faith are commonly used in Christianity more as a feel-good thought, talked up in theory rather than actually put into honest, daily practice by the average church-going Christian. Either that or they forget the very core basis of "faith", instead pinning their relationship with God to this need to do everything themselves, asking "What do I need to DO?"

Over the years, particularly in the era of the multi-million dollar "megachurch" scene, some churches have become so self-righteous that it seems they've completely strayed from Jesus' message of acceptance of ALL. This often leads newcomers to the faith, coming into a church circle (perhaps driven to seek God due to extreme hardships) to be taken aback by smug attitudes of high & mighty congregations in desperate need of a lesson in humility.

Manning states in his "A Word Before" section that he was inspired to tackle this topic for the people who are honestly seeking a welcoming place of faith and worship but are made to feel that they are not good enough for the Christian community. Well, come as you are, sinners, 'cause Manning assures us all us mortals are in the same boat: "It {the book} is for poor, weak, sinful men and women with hereditary faults and limited talents... It is for the bent and bruised who feel that their lives are a grave disappointment to God... The Ragamuffin Gospel is a book I wrote for myself and anyone who has grown weary and discouraged along the Way."

"A Roman Catholic scholar informed me that I had out-Luthered Luther." ~Brennan Manning

Now, given what Manning himself says in his intro, combined with what others have told me over the years about this guy, I thought this would be a perfect devotional piece for me as I am right in that sometimes "weary & discouraged" group he speaks of. Maybe this is on me, but I was hoping for more of a warm, low-key, conversational style discussion on theological topics. I found this book to be way more in the style of in-your-face preachy sermon... which is not really my cuppa tea.

Being the book nerd that I am though, I did appreciate his period use of fiction, both modern and classic literature, to illustrate his points. I also liked what he had to say about those who would harshly judge those they deemed unforgivable sinners: "These sinners, these people you despise, are nearer to God than you. It is not the hookers and thieves who find it most difficult to repent: it is you who are so secure in your piety and pretense that you have no need of conversion. They may have disobeyed God's call, their professions may have debased them, but they have shown sorrow and repentance. But more than any of that, these are people who appreciate His goodness: they are parading into the Kingdom before you: for they have what you lack -- a deep gratitude for God's love and deep wonder at his mercy."

For those interested, Manning also includes, at the back of the book, a "Guide For Reflection and Prayer", which gives readers bullet-point lists of spiritual activities to complete for each chapter of this book. Looking over the activities, many indicate that these should be done in group settings (such as prayer groups / bible study groups).

Salvation is not about what we can do for God, but about what He has done for us. Our acceptance and position before our Heavenly Father is not about earning his favor through our good works, but through faith and trust in Jesus Christ. His love and grace is not conditional. Brennan Manning outlines his thoughts about grace in his book, The Ragamuffin Gospel, sharing his personal convictions that many Christians in the world today do not fully understand the depth and the breadth of the love of God and how to live as loved. We live in a world with many standards which we feel required to meet or fear falling short of. Brennan says that we project those same standards onto the Father, creating standards and requirements for ourselves that God never set in place. As a friend shared with me recently, we get things mixed up. We often seek to serve the Father first and try to find acceptance through our service and good works, but that is backwards from the model that Jesus exemplified. He was loved and accepted first, and his service flowed out of that. That flawed thinking is what Brennan Manning is challenging us to leave behind through this book.

I was challenged to look deeply at my own life and question whether I am seeking to earn God's favor through what I am doing or whether I was living out my life of favor in love to the One who loves me infinitely. Was I living a life trust - believing that what the Father has said about his love for me is true. Brennan asked many poignant questions that made me think. Even if you don't agree with everything Brennan says, I would recommend this as a good read. It will challenge you to contemplate your position in our Father' eyes, what you believe about grace, and how you are living out that trust/belief. That would be time well spent.

Thank you to NetGalley and WaterBrook and Multnomah for providing an electronic copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions contained within are my own.

I was really excited to read this book after all of the great reviews and the outstanding endorsement written in the forward by Michael W. Smith.

I love this quote at the beginning of the book -- "The difference between faith as ‘belief in something that may or may not exist’ and faith as ‘trusting in God" is enormous. The first is a matter of the head, the second a matter of the heart."

The author talks about how something is radically wrong when the “local church rejects a person that is accepted by Jesus – when a harsh, judgmental and unforgiving sentence is passed on homosexuals; when a divorcee is denied communion; when the child of a prostitute is refused baptism; when an unlaicized priest is forbidden the sacraments. Jesus comes to the ungodly, even on Sunday morning. His coming ends ungodliness and makes us worthy. Otherwise, we are establishing at the heart of Christianity an utterly ungodly and unworthy preoccupation with works. “

I thought I would really love this book with its realistic view of what it means to be a Christian and calling out the hypocrites and false doctrine. “The God of the legalistic Christian is unpredictable, erratic, and capable of all manner of prejudices. When we view God this way, we feel compelled to engage in some sort of magic to appease him.”

Thank you to Brennan Manning for writing a book to overcome the myths of Christianity and show us what it truly means to be Christian.

I received a complimentary e-book of Ragamuffin Gospel Netgalley.com in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.

Since its original 1990 publication, The Ragamuffin Gospel inspired at least a dozen songs. The late Rich Mullions formed the Ragamuffin Band. Several books, poems, and paintings, and even a few bookstores carry the ragamuffin tag. The twenty-fifth-anniversary edition of Brennan Manning’s classic meditation on grace, The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out, is now available as an e-book. I took the chance to read it for the first time. English evangelical books weren't on my to-read shelf in the 1990s.

The gospel of God's grace for mankind is the key concept in this book, loaded with quotes and stories. The ragamuffins are the poor in spirit who, aware of their inner poverty and emptiness, threw themselves without hesitation on the mercy of God. They come undone, as they are. Manning would like to see us all becoming ragamuffins. These Christians do not complain about the feeble preaching and the lifeless worship of their local church. They are happy to have a place to go where they can mingle with other beggars at the door of God's mercy. Long prayers and big words do not suit ragamuffins. Ragamuffins know that they are the tax collectors and that refusing to admit would make them Pharisees.

Manning uses many examples from the gospels, Jesus' parables, authors like Bonhoeffer, Merton, C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, Dostoyevsky, and Henri Nouwen. Devotionals are added to the main part of the book to help you along your spiritual journey.

Title: The Ragamuffin Gospel
Author: Brennan Manning
Publisher: Multnomah
General Subject Matter: Christian Living, the Gospel
First Copyright: 1990
Type: Hardback
Price: US $19.99/25.99 CAN
ISBN: 978-1-60142-868-4

The purpose of The Ragamuffin Gospel is to provide the reader with a different image of an individual’s relationship with God in juxtaposition to the popular concept of God’s acceptance of individuals. The author gives us his purpose statement in the section he has entitled, “A Word Before.” The author states that the purpose of the book is to bring comfort to what he calls “the bedraggled, beat-up, and burnt out.”

The theme of The Ragamuffin Gospel is that salvation or redemption is not earned by anything that an individual can do. However, the author does not seem to have an understanding of the true gospel revealed in the Scriptures.

This book propagates a false gospel. The author was a defrocked Roman Catholic priest. He has written extensively on subjects that have been deemed to be heretical by main stream Christianity.

There are several problems within this book. I will list some problems without developing them either from the author’s viewpoint or from a Scriptural refutation.

In relation to salvation there is no mention of repentance, there is no reference to a new birth or regeneration as outlined in the Scriptures. The author promotes a type of special “sealing” that takes place during infant baptism.

Additional problems with this book include the author’s approach to redemption and sanctification from a psychological viewpoint. A major problem is the fact that Manning quotes from false teachers and philosophers such as Paul Tillich, Carl Jung, Beatrice Bruteau, Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton, Francis MacNutt and others.

An example of his false teaching is found on page 120 of his book where Manning states, “To evangelize a person is to say to him or her: you, too, are loved by God in the Lord Jesus.” (The Ragamuffin Gospel, 2nd edition, 2000, p. 120). This is not the gospel. It is not the way to evangelize those who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ. The gospel includes that fact that men are loved by God, but they are dead in trespasses and sins and must put their trust in the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary.

There was nothing about this book that I liked or could recommend. It is amazing that this book was published and more amazing that it has found a “reception” in mainstream Christianity.
________________________________________________
I received a free copy of The Ragamuffin Gospel for this review. I received nothing else nor was I required to give a positive review. This review is my own thoughts and opinions.

How many of us live with guilt and shame over things we’ve done in the past? We may worry that God is disappointed in us. How much of religion concentrates more on shame, blame and penance, rather than stressing what the “good news” truly is? That God loves us. All of us, just as we are. That’s what’s at the heart of The Ragamuffin Gospel.

I originally chose this book because of the title. “Ragamuffin” happens to have been one of my favorite words to use with my kids when they were young. As in, “take off that shirt, you look like a ragamuffin.” Maybe I thought something they were wearing wasn't suitable for going out in public, but did it alter them in my eyes? Of course not. And so it is with God. Regardless of what we’ve done – since we are all sinners – we’re still children of God and he still loves us. He chooses to bless us, rather than punish us. That’s God’s grace at work.

Brennan Manning’s writing is intelligent, persuasive and at times humorous. When he used the example of eating a ballpark hot dog on Friday to discuss Catholic guilt and sin I had to laugh out loud. I was raised Catholic and the hot dog story is hilariously familiar.

I began this book already convinced of what Mr. Manning stresses to us about God’s grace and love. I wanted to say, “You’re preaching to the choir here, buddy.” So it was a pleasant and encouraging book to read. The author uses plenty of scripture to make his point, which I won’t defend or examine in my review. I’ll leave that to the debaters who love to dispute all things spiritual – whether for or against. However, I’d suggest grabbing a copy of this book to find out for yourself. There’s a reason why this book is in its twenty-fifth year of publication. There is great comfort in knowing that God’s grace and love is ever present and generously given to everyone.

eBook Review Gal received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Isn't it interesting how often we hear the word "grace" float around Christian communities, yet so few of us really fully grasp what that word actually means? Not in a seminary definition kind of way, but in a very real, tangible, practical way? Like when we're completely beaten up by life, messed up big time, and ready to quit everything? And then Jesus steps in and offers the comfort, support and guidance that is the true definition of the word.

A little over 25 years ago, Brennan Manning wrote the first release of The Ragamuffin Gospel and the book has sold more than a million copies since. My copy, that I read just out of college more than a decade ago has gone on a missions trip somewhere (I often send my books out with no expectation of return, but with prayers they reach the exact right hands at the exact right times to do God's work) and I was totally excited to see the book's publisher release this anniversary edition.

I expected to re-read the copy and have it feel a little dated. I was so wrong. The language in the book is approachable and it reads like a conversation with a trusted mentor and the truths in it ring as true today, as they did two and a half decades ago.

The truth about fellowship: "Through table fellowship Jesus rightly acted out His insight into Abba's indiscriminate love - a love that causes His sun to rise on bad men as well as good, and His rain to fall on honest and dishonest men alike (see Matthew 5:45). The inclusion of sinners in the community of salvation, symbolized in table fellowship, is the most dramatic expression of the ragamuffin gospel and the merciful love of the redeeming God." p. 47

The truth about knowledge: "Sheer scholarship alone cannot reveal to us the gospel of grace. We must never allow the authority of books, institutions, or leaders to replace the authority of knowing Jesus Christ personally and directly." p. 30

The truth about faith: "Evangelical faith is the antithesis of lukewarmness: it always means a profound dissatisfaction with our present state. In faith there is movement and development. Each day something is new. To be Christian, faith has to be new - that is, alive and growing. It cannot be static, finished, settled. When Scripture, prayer, worship, ministry become routine, they are dead." p. 153

I could go on and on, but I think you'd be better served, friend, by buying your own copy rather than continuing to read my quote posts!

This 25th anniversary release of The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning is just like the original. I found this one of my more interesting and difficult reads of the last year or so. One of the more difficult things I had found was with the translations that were used when quoting the bible, who knew I was such a New King James Version adherent? When Brennan quoted scripture I found myself looking in my bible to find the translation that I am just more accustom to.

I found the read interesting because not only does he explain grace to those that really need the understanding but throughout the book I felt like he was simultaneously taking on the history of Christianity and the legalism that persist in the church today. I felt like he was a bit harsh in some criticisms but you also could not deny the truth of what was said. Finding and understanding grace is difficult for almost all Christians; I think if you are looking for a good explanation you will find it in The Ragamuffin Gospel.

This book was given to me by the publisher Waterbrook Multnomah.

"Many of us believe in grace, yet we live as if we still have to earn God's love."

I've heard about this book since college and never got a hole of a copy until now. This book is a must read for all. Brennan Manning reminds us that we all come to God as ragamuffins. There's no scale, some aren't better than others. We are all ragamuffins , yet He loves us and shows us His love.

In full disclosure, I am only about half way through. I sit down to try to buzz through it for review purposes, and find myself unable to. There is so much good Godly truth in each page, I want to savor and enjoy and let it marinate. Growing up in the church, its hard not to try to do it on my own. This book is a beautiful reminder that what I do doesn't matter at all. I can't ever be good enough. Praise God that He accepts me as I am, and loves me.

Definitely recommend this book to all who want to know more about the freedom of God's grace.

I recieved a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

It's been about ten years or so since I first read Brennan Manning's book 'The Ragamuffin Gospel'. Much has changed in my life with children growing up and moving out of the house, hardships and confrontations with more of the bitter parts of life. I'm reading the book differently the second time around, seeing sentences I might have overlooked before, and being drawn to more of his tender side. When you're younger and invincible, and when life doesn't smart so much, words come at you differently.

What would it be like to sit with Brennan Manning, and to hear him talk about compassion and generosity? To walk away from legalism? To slow down?

His book stands the test of time, as truth always has a habit of doing. This beautiful hardback edition, the 25th anniversary edition no less, is beautiful and a welcome copy for my personal library. I've already gone through two earlier paperbacks of Ragamuffin, having given them away. Proud to have my own copy again.

(i received this book free to review from bloggingforbooks)

The Gospel of Grace. It is the distinguishing factor between Christianity and every other world religion, yet is the most rejected concept in American Christianity. Because of this, Brennan Manning's book, The Ragamuffin Gospel, seems almost scandalous. Where is the hell, fire and brimstone? Where are the disciplines of a godly Christian? Where are all the shoulds and shouldn'ts of the faith?

Manning's book is not only informative. It is a work of art. Grace is not communicated exclusively in the content, but in Manning's style as well. His words drip with beauty and rawness, imbued with a gentle pastor's heart and a ragamuffin's soul. This isn't Christian literature for the masses, but neither were the parables of Jesus. If you are looking for ten practical steps to giving and receiving grace, I suggest you move on. If you are looking to get a glimpse at the essence of the intangible and infinite goodness of God, otherwise known as grace, you will fall deeply in love with this book.

This book is a dance and if you are willing to let go and allow it to sweep you delicately across the ballroom floor, then by all means, grab hold and dance away. Your soul will lilt and twirl and light with passionate grace. If you are looking for something less, something more cookie cutter and less penetrating, then spend your efforts elsewhere. How sad I would be for you, though, to miss out on this amazing work!

I was provided a copy of this book by Multnomah Books in return for my honest review.

This twenty-fifth anniversary publication emphasizes our need for grace, exhorting us never to forget thta we will always be needy people; it’s how God designed us, for we cannot welcome grace if we do not need it. This work is a deep look at grace: what it is and is not, who it is for, and why it is needed.

Manning drives home the point that we cannot save ourselves. This is not a shameful fact to be covered by more effort; it is rather a pitiful reality with a solution, God’s grace, already available.

Forgiveness and grace are not to be experienced once, after which we launch out on our own. Forgiveness and grace are to be like the air we breathe, a constant need and refreshment.

Manning’s writing is less conversational than is now popular, as it is more classic and less colloquial both in language and style.

This classic work is a powerful look at a timeless subject.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

I'm not the same person I was when I first read The Ragamuffin Gospel about 15 years ago, so I read the book with anxiety wondering whether it would still be for me. I closed the book with relief remembering that The Ragamuffin Gospel is for everyone that chooses to accept it.

What a relief to be reminded that what passes for Christianity in today's world isn't all there is to it. Not by a long shot. Brennan Manning makes no secret of his belief in Scripture and all the other things that people preach about, but he infuses it all with a sense of grace and compassion.

When I first read this book, I didn't know much about addiction. I didn't know that Brennan Manning was a recovering alcoholic. I live with a six years sober person, and I wouldn't hesitate to share this with that person because it's coming from someone who has walked the path. People who have shared their struggles are the ones who can help others live with theirs.

I discovered the music of Rich Mullins on Christian radio in the early 1990's through a song called Allrightokuhuamen. In 1993 he released an album called A Liturgy, A Legacy and a Ragamuffin Band. I've only now, twenty years later, understood the reference: to A Ragamuffin Gospel, by Brennan Manning, first published in 1990.

In A Ragamuffin Gospel, Manning speaks of God's amazing grace, of how God loves us based on His standards not our own, about how Christianity is a grace-laden mystery. Manning's theme is that we underestimate grace, we fail to understand that God loves us no matter what. It's a ragamuffin gospel, "written for the bedraggled, beat-up and burnt-out", for those who are weary and discouraged.

Manning's message hasn't been universally accepted. Many churches preach what has been called a "Jesus-plus" gospel: to be a proper Christian, you have to have Jesus and tithe your 10%. To be a proper Christian, you have to have Jesus and attend church three nights a week and twice on Sunday. To be a proper Christian, you have to have Jesus and pray for an hour a day.

This is a church that preaches the grace of Jesus but doesn't always practice it, and it's bringing Christians under condemnation for never being good enough. That's what Manning is saying: we will never be good enough on our own, but we are all good enough in Jesus. All we need is to accept God's grace. It's not that tithing, attending church or praying are bad--they're not--but they don't affect our salvation. God loves us unconditionally, and can't love us any more or any less.

And that's the Ragamuffin gospel. Jesus, and his grace extended to me and you. It's not what you do; it's Who you know. Recommended.

Thanks to Blogging for Books for providing a free ebook for review.

"My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it."

"Genuine self-acceptance is not derived from the power of positive thinking, mind games or pop psychology. IT IS AN ACT OF FAITH in the God of grace."

I had the opportunity to review The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out by Brennan Manning. I have wanted to read this book for quite some time, so when the opportunity presented itself, I was on it. I did a little digging to find out who Brennan Manning was and found that he had died just this year. He was born Richard Francis Xavier Manning, but he died Brennan Manning.

"To live by grace means to acknowledge my whole life story, the light side and the dark. In admitting my shadow side I learn who I am and what God's grace means."

What's a ragamuffin, you ask? I have the definition in the author's own words:

"Here is revelation bright as the evening star: Jesus comes for sinners, for those as outcast as tax collectors and for those caught up in squalid choices and failed dreams. He comes for corporate executives, street people, superstars, farmers, hookers, addicts, IRS agents, AIDS victims, and even used-car salesmen. Jesus not only talks with these people but dines with them--fully aware that His table fellowship with sinners will raise the eyebrows of religious bureaucrats who hold up the robes and insignia of their authority to justify their condemnation of the truth and their rejection of the gospel of grace."

"As a sinner who has been redeemed, I can acknowledge that I am often unloving, irritable, angry, and resentful with those closest to me...God not only loves me as I am, but also knows me as I am. Because of this I don't need to apply spiritual cosmetics to make myself presentable to Him. I can accept ownership of my poverty and powerlessness and neediness."
There are such wonderful quotes in this book that define the book, the Gospel of Jesus, and who we are. It's hard to pick just a few.

"We should be astonished at the goodness of God, stunned that He should bother to call us by name, our mouths wide open at His love, bewildered that at this very moment we are standing on holy ground."

If you only had one other book, besides your Bible, it should be this one. A book who defines YOU in the simplest of terms so that you can grasp who you are and how much God loves you.

"For Ragamuffins, God's name is Mercy. We see our darkness as a prized possession because it drives us into the heart of God. Without mercy our darkness would plunge us into despair - for some, self-destruction. Time alone with God reveals the unfathomable depths of the poverty of the spirit. We are so poor that even our poverty is not our own: It belongs to the mysterium tremendum of a loving God."

Manning calls out the church of North America, one who's preaching a nicey-nice Gospel that requires nothing of the believer except that if they believe they'll be rich, then God will give it to them. He calls out the Catholic Church for their doctrine of fear and of going to hell for every thought not of God. I was struck and agree with his quote on the matter.

"The North American Church is at a critical juncture. The gospel of grace is being confused and compromised by silence, seduction, and outright subversion. The vitality of the faith is being jeopardized. The lying slogans of the fixers who carry religion like a sword of judgment pile up with impunity. Let ragamuffins everywhere gather as a confessing Church to cry out in protest. Revoke the licenses of religious leaders who falsify the idea of God. Sentence them to three years in solitude with the Bible as their only companion."

Reading this book reminds me that the Gospel and God's ability to love me isn't logical. I can't grasp it with my mind. I think that's why my atheist friends can't understand my faith. It doesn't make sense to them. Well, the truth is, it doesn't make sense to me either, but that's what faith is all about.

"Those who have the disease called Jesus will never be cured."

One of the stories that touched me was the story found in John 8:1-11, where a woman is brought to Jesus and is on the verge of being stoned. When Jesus confronts her accusers, after writing in the sand, he turns to find them gone. He asks the woman where her accusers are and she replies that they have left without accusing her. Jesus doesn't wait for her confession or promise of repentance; he absolves her in her present condition and advises her to sin no more. That, my friends, is amazing grace!

"Authentic faith leads us to treat others with unconditional seriousness and to a loving reverence for the mystery of the human personality. Authentic Christianity should lead to maturity, personality, and reality. It should fashion whole men and women living lives of love and communion. False, manhandled religion produces the opposite effect. Whenever religion shows contempt or disregards the rights of persons, even under the noblest pretexts, it draws us away from reality and God."

If the question is whether or not I recommend this book. The answer is a resounding YES! And, as a bonus, Manning has included in the 2005 version of the book, an update 15 years after the original publication and 19 Mercies-A Spiritual Retreat, for a meditative devotion.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

If you don't believe in being saved 100% by grace hold on to your hats. Maybe this book isn't for you but then again I think this book is exactly for you! Manning has a sharp, no-nonsense approach to the most wonderful news of all. God loves you exactly as you are. You don't have to do a thing to earn His love or favor. He has given all to save you and He is pursuing you with his "furious love" as Manning so artfully phrases it. In the pages of this book you will meet a God who is far different from what a lot of us have grown up with. This God wants to save you. This God wants to make you whole. This God offers a forgiveness that transforms us for our own sake not to make us worthy of His love. Please take note of that last point. His forgiveness transforms you...You will not remain the same. This God's love is bigger than anything you could ever imagine. This God's love is enough. Period. End of story.

This book was so good that I ordered a paper copy before I had even finished reading the ebook. Yep. And as soon as I finished the ebook, I ordered another paper copy to give away as a gift to friends. This review is going to be short; not because I don't have a lot I could say about the book, but because I don't know how I could put it into words.
As I started off reading this book, I had a slight notion that this could be one of those "health, wealth, and prosperity" types of messages. I mean, how can you write an entire book devoted to the single topic of grace without seeming to neglect the fact that God is also a just God Who does not allow sin to go unpunished?
Give this book a chance and read the first 25 pages with a heart that is desiring to hear the author's message rather than a suspicious mind looking for flaws (that is where, I admit, my mind often starts out when reading a new book, especially one that deals with anything theological). I am not asking you to throw out discernment; I am asking you to give the author an adequate amount of reading so that you can really get a feel for where he is coming from.
I think you'll not only be pleasantly surprised at the number of hits-the-nail-on-the-head statements you'll find, such as:

"As I listen to sermons with their pointed emphasis on personal effort- no pain, no gain- I get the impression that a do-it-yourself spirituality is the American fashion. [page 12]"

"I can be addicted to vodka or to being nice, to marijuana or being loved, to cocaine or being right, to gambling or relationships, to golf or gossiping. Perhaps my addiction is food, performance, money, popularity, power, revenge, reading, television, tobacco, weight, or winning. When we give anything more priority than we give to God, we commit idolatry. Thus we all commit idolatry countless times every day. [page 60]"

"Trust at the mercy of the response it receives is a bogus trust. [page 82]"

But you'll also be invigorated by the encouraging truths that are renewed in our minds and hearts:

"We must never allow the authority of books, institutions, or leaders to replace the authority of knowing Jesus Christ personally and directly. When the religious views of others interpose between us and the primary experience of Jesus as the Christ, we become unconvicted and unpersuasive travel agents handing out brochures to places we have never visited. [page 32]"

"The moment the focus of your life shifts from your badness to his goodness and the question becomes not "What have I done?" but "What can he do?" release from remorse can happen; miracle of miracles, you can forgive yourself because you are forgiven, accept yourself because you are accepted, and begin to start building up the very places you once tore down. [page 83]"

"The contagious joy of Jesus (only carriers can pass it on) infected and freed His followers. [page45]"

This is not just a feel-good book to remind us of God's consuming love, nor is it a heresy naming-and-claiming select verses out of the Bible. I am glad I chose to read this book despite my initial impressions. My pastor of 15 years had recommended this book to me, saying, "Read it; it will resonate with you." He was absolutely right. God is good; I serve the Lord and desire to follow Jesus Christ, not to merely fulfill religious traditions or expectations nor to prove anything to the world. I desire to follow and obey Jesus out of my deep love for Him and am extremely grateful that He first loved me. (1 John 4:19)

The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning was originally published 15 years ago, but its message to us is just as needed--maybe even more needed--today! The subtitle nails the essence of this book: Good news for the bedraggled, beat-up and burnt-out. Indeed it is.

Without realizing it, Manning's ragamuffin message has impacted much of my thinking for the past decade. Ever since I started working in a church, I have been more acutely aware of how many people feel like their beat-up, burnt-out status somehow disqualifies them for God's grace. The message they've heard is, "Get your act together, and then get yourself to God for help." As a result our societies are filled with the de-churched, and our churches are only left with those who think they have their acts together.

Manning's message is such a refreshing wake-up call! He speaks to those bedraggled de-churched people to assure them Jesus wants them just as they are. He came to meet with the messed-up and burnt-out, to show them Abba God's love. Manning also confronts the pharisaical view of far too many Christians who truly think God only helps those who help themselves, and who want people to make themselves worthy of God's grace.

This book was like a breath of fresh air. It clarified my frustrations with churchy people, and it renewed my passion for all the bedraggled, beat-up, and burnt-out to know the amazing, unconditional, unmerited, awe-inspiring grace of a All-Loving God!

Brennan Manning is a skilled writer (I loved his telling of “a routine situation that every Catholic of my generation had to deal with” KL 480-492 of 3173) whose pen drips with a passion for sharing the love of God with people. His central message is God loves ragamuffins (sinners, downtrodden, prostitutes, et al). He ends a compelling introduction by saying, “The Ragamuffin Gospel is a book I wrote for myself and anyone who has grown weary and discouraged along the Way” (KL 88).

Tweet This: The Ragamuffin Gospel is for weary sojourners following the Way http://goo.gl/hNavJX #RagamuffinGospel

Manning is a former Catholic priest turned ragamuffin evangelist who exudes a love for justification by faith. Reading Manning reminds me of Jesus's words to the Pharisees: great forgiveness creates great love. Manning knows he’s a great sinner and so he wades in the oceans of God’s love.

In effect, Jesus says the kingdom of His Father is not a subdivision for the self-righteous nor for those who feel they posses the state of secret salvation. The kingdom is not exclusive, well-trimmed suburb with snobbish rules about who can live there. No, it is for a larger, homelier, less self- conscious caste of people who understand they are sinners because they have experienced the yaw and pitch of moral struggle. (184-94)

See also: John Paul Ortiz’s Review of Tullian Tchividjian’s One Way Love and “The Infinite Love of Our Suffering Savior”

Reading The Ragamuffin Gospel brought to mind being surrounded by a firing squad. Manning surrounds you with gospel truth and pummels you with it, yet you feel alive after it’s all said and done. One last example, during an extended discussion of Jesus’s eating company in the New Testament, Manning says,

If Jesus appeared at your dining room table tonight with knowledge of everything you are and are not, total comprehension of your life story and every skeleton hidden in your closet; if He laid out the real state of your present discipleship with the hidden agenda, the mixed motives, and the dark desires buried in your psyche, you would feel His acceptance and forgiveness. (676)

That’s the kind of barrage of good news you can expect from Manning.

As with any writer, we have our differences. Manning seems more comfortable with mystic expression of Christian faith and also some sections had me scratching my head like at 812 seems to be saying there’s no room for talk of God’s divine justice or wrath. Especially for those who have been beaten over the head with law, Manning will provide healing through God’s gospel of grace and love. For those who are wearied, Manning will remind you God knows and loves you in the midst of your tiredness and failures.

Do you allow your feelings to control your perception of God’s love for you? Or do you trust his infallible and unbroken word? How would understanding the weight of God’s love for you change the way you live in this fallen world?

While most Christians would claim to believe in God's grace, it is the bedraggled, beat-up, and burnt out who truly appreciate it. These folks don't view God as a divine bookkeeper who keeps score of their failures and successes. Rather, they view God as one who loves them with a furious love. That argument lies at the heart of Brennan Manning classic book, The Ragamuffin Gospel.

Originally published in 1990 and released with an update in 2005, I had not read the book until now. The author gave me a fresh appreciation of God's relentless grace. Not only are we saved by grace, but we also live by grace. Throughout the book, Manning examines key passages of Scripture that speak of grace and presents them in a fresh way. He gives numerous examples from his own life and ministry.

The back of the book includes a new section, "19 Mercies: A Spiritual Retreat." The readings are arranged in the natural order of a growing relationship: come, encounter, serve, and trust. After reading the book, you could use the back section as a 19-day devotional to help practice and internalize the message of the book.

A very encouraging book and one I which I had read earlier in my life.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

This was a book packed with the truth of the grace of God. It is a good read that should be considered when thinking about what the grace of God really means. This particular book is the 25th anniversary edition because it has remained in print all of these years. That says something. No matter your denomination, I think it would be good for all Christians to be challenged by this book.

I struggle often with grace and I believe I am only beginning to understand what it truly means to live in His grace and grow in His grace. This book is insightful to my growth. There were many sections of this book that just made me take a pause so that I would just worship God for His goodness to us. It was truly a blessing.

I received a copy of this book at no charge for the purpose of and honest review.

If you have never read a book by author, Brennan Manning, this one is an excellent start. From start to finish he will have you hooked with his message of ultimate and ever-reaching grace. In the Ragamuffin Gospel, Manning restates what all Christians know: that justification is by grace through faith. What he points out in each of us is the need to add more to that statement. Can't I work for my salvation? Isn't God wanting me to do more, be more, try harder?

The answer that the book points out and what we are truly in our heart of hearts know is that we don't earn our salvation. It may make us feel better to strive for greater accomplishments, but at the end of the day our walk begins when we acknowledge that no matter how "good" we are, we can't do this on our own.

As Brennan Manning so eloquently states, "Do you live each day in the blessed assurance that you have been saved by the unique grace of our Lord Jesus Christ? After falling flat on your face, are you still firmly convinced that the fundamental structure of rality is not works, but race? Are you moody and melancholy becasue you are still striving for the perfection that comes from your own efforts and not from faith in Jesus Christ? Are you shocked and horrified when you fail? Are you really aware that you don't have to change, grow, or be good to be loved?"

If you think you've got it all under control, if you know that you don't, if you just need a reminding of how very awesome our God is in despite of our failings as human beings: read this book. It will envelope you in the true and unending love that God has for each of his people.

I received a free copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Company in exchange for an honest review.

My Thoughts On The Book: I read the original version of this book several years ago and it truly touched my life. I found the message of Manning's book is The Gospel, pure and simple..."God loves you, no strings attached". Once I read through the book I knew without a doubt that not only does God love me but He is pleased with me and His saving grace is always there for me. That I find absolutely amazing. Even if you think you completely understand what Grace and Love are all about there will be something for you in this book. This book will challenge the very way you look at God. I used the book to teach a study on Judges and noticed that the language was a bit different, but still understandable. If you have yet to read this book, you need to. If you are a pastor it is a great book to add to your library. My question for you now is, what are you waiting for?

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book from Zondervan Publishing Company and B & B Media Group. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.* Thank you for allowing me to participate in this review.

"The Ragamuffin Gospel" by Brennan Manning is an excellent read for anyone discouraged, beat up, or weary of life. The author shares from his personal experiences and biblical examples of people who suffered the same afflictions. The book is around 215 pages, contains 11 chapters, and covers such topics as:

1. Jesus spent plenty of time with society's down and out.
2. God's kingdom belongs to people who are not trying to impress others or bring attention to themselves.
3. Getting honest with ourselves draws us closer to God.
4. We can become so preoccupied with ourselves that we miss the wonder of life.
5. Spending time in prayer slows us down and teaches us what is really important and what is merely urgent (and not important).
6. The way we treat others is the truest test of of our faith.
7. We ought to attract to the church because of the fun in being a Christian.
8. Freedom in Christ frees us from peer pressure and others' expectations.

There are other good points - read the book for yourself to discover more. The narrative flows freely and reads as if the author is in the same room with you.

Read, enjoy, and be encouraged and challenged to yourself as someone special to Jesus Christ, so much so that He came to earth to die for our sin and be raised from the grave, is now home with the Father, and will some day come back for His own!

Recommended.

Reflections on The Furious Love of God...

A selection from Ch. 1, 'something is radically wrong.' Is God a righteous judge who rewards good and punishes evil?

I believe the Reformation actually began the day Martin Luther was praying over the meaning of Paul's assertion that the gospel reveals the righteousness of God to us - it shows how faith leads to faith. In other words, the righteous shall find life, through faith (see Romans 1:17). Like many Christians today, Luther wrestled through the night with this core question: How could the gospel of Christ be truly called "good news" if God is a righteous judge who rewards the good and punishes the evil? Did Jesus really have to come to reveal that terrifying message? How could the revelation of God in Christ Jesus be accurately called "news" since the Old Testament carried the same theme, or for that matter, "good" with the threat of punishment hanging like a dark cloud over the valley of history?

But as Jaroslav Pelikan notes: Luther suddenly broke through to the insight that the "righteousness of God" that Paul spoke of in this passage was not the righteousness by which God was righteous in himself (that would be passive righteousness) but the righteousness by which, for the sake of Jesus Christ, God made sinners righteous (that is, active righteousness) through the forgiveness of sins in justification. When he discovered that, Luther said it was as though the very gates of Paradise had been opened to him. ~ Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel

Ragamuffin Gospel is quickly becoming my second favorite book (after Mike Yaconelli's Messy Spirituality), which means I will be rereading this book in the future.

I really like Brennan Manning's style of writing and the way he connects with the reader throughout the book. You never feel like he is on a pedestal because he lumps himself together with everyone, even exposing some of his own weaknesses in this book.

"Sadly, the meaning of meal sharing is largely lost in the Christian community today. In the NEar East, to share a meal with someone is a guarantee of peace, trust, fraternity , and forgiveness -- the shared table symbolizes a shared life" (Kindle location 630).

In chapter five, he talks about the loss of wonder in our lives. "Creation doesn't calm our troubled spirits, restore our perspective, or delight us in every part of our being" (Kindle location 1021).

I loved the section that talked about the power of media. "Grace abounds in contemporary movies, books, novels, films, and music.... Most people understand imagery and symbol better than doctrine and dogma. Images touch hearts and awaken imaginations.... Troubadours have always been more important and influential than theologians and bishops" (Kindle location 1075).

I highly recommend this book.

For a while, I've been wanting to read Brennan Manning's `The Ragamuffin Gospel' and so I was excited to be able to receive a free review copy from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

I had high expectations after reading Manning's `Abba's Child' and having heard good things about `The Ragamuffin Gospel'; I wasn't disappointed. There were so many things I liked in the book that I ended up typing out seven pages of notes. Rest assured that I'll only mention some of these pints that I found helpful in this review!

Something I've been thinking about a lot over the last few years is that we are all a work in progress, something that I haven't always fully realised. Manning described it like this.

'There is a myth flourishing in the church today that has caused incalculable harm: once converted, fully converted. In other words once I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, an irreversible, sinless future beckons. Discipleship will be an untarnished success story; life will be an unbroken upward spiral towards holiness.'

I've realised lately that although I'm willing for people to know about specific areas of struggle that I have, it is still very awkward for me when people actually observe some of these traits.

As Manning wrote:
'You know, in spite of the fact that Christianity speaks of the cross, redemption, and sin, we're unwilling to admit failure in our own lives.'

The book also made me realise that Jesus understands my struggles and has compassion for me in my difficulties. He offers grace and forgiveness so that I don't need to live under a mantle of shame:

I found it helpful to be aware of the following in my own life:
'We fluctuate between castigating ourselves and congratulating ourselves because we are deluded into thinking we save ourselves. We develop a false sense of security from our good works and scrupulous observance of the law. Or we are appalled by our inconsistency, devastated that we haven't lived up to our lofty expectations of ourselves. The roller coaster ride of elation and depression continues.'

Manning says much to remind me that I don't want self-improvement to become too much of a goal for my life. I want my focus to be on who God is, not on what I do or don't do.

The book made me realise that instead of focussing on myself and my own faults, it would be better to focus on all that the Father has given to me. I want the days when I fail to be opportunities to recognise that the mercy of my Father is not dependent on my success, and that I'm saved by grace and not by my own efforts.

The book made me want to use every failure as an opportunity to remind me that I don't have it all together, and that only God's grace can save me.

I also liked this quote:
'My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it'

I want my deepest awareness of my identity not to be of someone who messes things up, but of a child of God, deeply loved by him.

I've shared some of what I found most helpful in the book. I also discovered many great quotes from other authors within the book.

I did find some parts of the book more helpful than others. There were some sections that I didn't fully understand, or at least couldn't personally relate to. If I'd scrutinized the book more closely I may well have found some parts that I didn't fully agree with. However, I would rate this book five stars, due to the extremely helpful explanations of what it means to live as Abba's Ragamuffin.

To quote the late Brennan Manning, "God loves you the way you are, not the way you should be. Because nobody's the way they should be." Some may accuse Manning of leaning too much on the side of grace. This read is a reminder that yes, there is a holy law we don't measure up to, but grace is the great equalizer that ought to leave us all in awe of God's fierce love for us. This is a must read for a Christian who sees their need for grace.

Brennan Manning is a skilled writer (I loved his telling of “a routine situation that every Catholic of my generation had to deal with” KL 480-492 of 3173) whose pen drips with a passion for sharing the love of God with people. His central message is God loves ragamuffins (sinners, downtrodden, prostitutes, et al). He ends a compelling introduction by saying, “The Ragamuffin Gospel is a book I wrote for myself and anyone who has grown weary and discouraged along the Way” (KL 88).

Tweet This: The Ragamuffin Gospel is for weary sojourners following the Way http://goo.gl/hNavJX #RagamuffinGospel

Manning is a former Catholic priest turned ragamuffin evangelist who exudes a love for justification by faith. Reading Manning reminds me of Jesus's words to the Pharisees: great forgiveness creates great love. Manning knows he’s a great sinner and so he wades in the oceans of God’s love.

In effect, Jesus says the kingdom of His Father is not a subdivision for the self-righteous nor for those who feel they posses the state of secret salvation. The kingdom is not exclusive, well-trimmed suburb with snobbish rules about who can live there. No, it is for a larger, homelier, less self- conscious caste of people who understand they are sinners because they have experienced the yaw and pitch of moral struggle. (184-94)

See also: John Paul Ortiz’s Review of Tullian Tchividjian’s One Way Love and “The Infinite Love of Our Suffering Savior”

Reading The Ragamuffin Gospel brought to mind being surrounded by a firing squad. Manning surrounds you with gospel truth and pummels you with it, yet you feel alive after it’s all said and done. One last example, during an extended discussion of Jesus’s eating company in the New Testament, Manning says,

If Jesus appeared at your dining room table tonight with knowledge of everything you are and are not, total comprehension of your life story and every skeleton hidden in your closet; if He laid out the real state of your present discipleship with the hidden agenda, the mixed motives, and the dark desires buried in your psyche, you would feel His acceptance and forgiveness. (676)

That’s the kind of barrage of good news you can expect from Manning.

As with any writer, we have our differences. Manning seems more comfortable with mystic expression of Christian faith and also some sections had me scratching my head like at 812 seems to be saying there’s no room for talk of God’s divine justice or wrath. Especially for those who have been beaten over the head with law, Manning will provide healing through God’s gospel of grace and love. For those who are wearied, Manning will remind you God knows and loves you in the midst of your tiredness and failures.

Do you allow your feelings to control your perception of God’s love for you? Or do you trust his infallible and unbroken word? How would understanding the weight of God’s love for you change the way you live in this fallen world?

While most Christians would claim to believe in God's grace, it is the bedraggled, beat-up, and burnt out who truly appreciate it. These folks don't view God as a divine bookkeeper who keeps score of their failures and successes. Rather, they view God as one who loves them with a furious love. That argument lies at the heart of Brennan Manning classic book, The Ragamuffin Gospel.

Originally published in 1990 and released with an update in 2005, I had not read the book until now. The author gave me a fresh appreciation of God's relentless grace. Not only are we saved by grace, but we also live by grace. Throughout the book, Manning examines key passages of Scripture that speak of grace and presents them in a fresh way. He gives numerous examples from his own life and ministry.

The back of the book includes a new section, "19 Mercies: A Spiritual Retreat." The readings are arranged in the natural order of a growing relationship: come, encounter, serve, and trust. After reading the book, you could use the back section as a 19-day devotional to help practice and internalize the message of the book.

A very encouraging book and one I which I had read earlier in my life.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

This was a book packed with the truth of the grace of God. It is a good read that should be considered when thinking about what the grace of God really means. This particular book is the 25th anniversary edition because it has remained in print all of these years. That says something. No matter your denomination, I think it would be good for all Christians to be challenged by this book.

I struggle often with grace and I believe I am only beginning to understand what it truly means to live in His grace and grow in His grace. This book is insightful to my growth. There were many sections of this book that just made me take a pause so that I would just worship God for His goodness to us. It was truly a blessing.

I received a copy of this book at no charge for the purpose of and honest review.

If you have never read a book by author, Brennan Manning, this one is an excellent start. From start to finish he will have you hooked with his message of ultimate and ever-reaching grace. In the Ragamuffin Gospel, Manning restates what all Christians know: that justification is by grace through faith. What he points out in each of us is the need to add more to that statement. Can't I work for my salvation? Isn't God wanting me to do more, be more, try harder?

The answer that the book points out and what we are truly in our heart of hearts know is that we don't earn our salvation. It may make us feel better to strive for greater accomplishments, but at the end of the day our walk begins when we acknowledge that no matter how "good" we are, we can't do this on our own.

As Brennan Manning so eloquently states, "Do you live each day in the blessed assurance that you have been saved by the unique grace of our Lord Jesus Christ? After falling flat on your face, are you still firmly convinced that the fundamental structure of rality is not works, but race? Are you moody and melancholy becasue you are still striving for the perfection that comes from your own efforts and not from faith in Jesus Christ? Are you shocked and horrified when you fail? Are you really aware that you don't have to change, grow, or be good to be loved?"

If you think you've got it all under control, if you know that you don't, if you just need a reminding of how very awesome our God is in despite of our failings as human beings: read this book. It will envelope you in the true and unending love that God has for each of his people.

I received a free copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Company in exchange for an honest review.

My Thoughts On The Book: I read the original version of this book several years ago and it truly touched my life. I found the message of Manning's book is The Gospel, pure and simple..."God loves you, no strings attached". Once I read through the book I knew without a doubt that not only does God love me but He is pleased with me and His saving grace is always there for me. That I find absolutely amazing. Even if you think you completely understand what Grace and Love are all about there will be something for you in this book. This book will challenge the very way you look at God. I used the book to teach a study on Judges and noticed that the language was a bit different, but still understandable. If you have yet to read this book, you need to. If you are a pastor it is a great book to add to your library. My question for you now is, what are you waiting for?

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book from Zondervan Publishing Company and B & B Media Group. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.* Thank you for allowing me to participate in this review.

"The Ragamuffin Gospel" by Brennan Manning is an excellent read for anyone discouraged, beat up, or weary of life. The author shares from his personal experiences and biblical examples of people who suffered the same afflictions. The book is around 215 pages, contains 11 chapters, and covers such topics as:

1. Jesus spent plenty of time with society's down and out.
2. God's kingdom belongs to people who are not trying to impress others or bring attention to themselves.
3. Getting honest with ourselves draws us closer to God.
4. We can become so preoccupied with ourselves that we miss the wonder of life.
5. Spending time in prayer slows us down and teaches us what is really important and what is merely urgent (and not important).
6. The way we treat others is the truest test of of our faith.
7. We ought to attract to the church because of the fun in being a Christian.
8. Freedom in Christ frees us from peer pressure and others' expectations.

There are other good points - read the book for yourself to discover more. The narrative flows freely and reads as if the author is in the same room with you.

Read, enjoy, and be encouraged and challenged to yourself as someone special to Jesus Christ, so much so that He came to earth to die for our sin and be raised from the grave, is now home with the Father, and will some day come back for His own!

Recommended.

Reflections on The Furious Love of God...

A selection from Ch. 1, 'something is radically wrong.' Is God a righteous judge who rewards good and punishes evil?

I believe the Reformation actually began the day Martin Luther was praying over the meaning of Paul's assertion that the gospel reveals the righteousness of God to us - it shows how faith leads to faith. In other words, the righteous shall find life, through faith (see Romans 1:17). Like many Christians today, Luther wrestled through the night with this core question: How could the gospel of Christ be truly called "good news" if God is a righteous judge who rewards the good and punishes the evil? Did Jesus really have to come to reveal that terrifying message? How could the revelation of God in Christ Jesus be accurately called "news" since the Old Testament carried the same theme, or for that matter, "good" with the threat of punishment hanging like a dark cloud over the valley of history?

But as Jaroslav Pelikan notes: Luther suddenly broke through to the insight that the "righteousness of God" that Paul spoke of in this passage was not the righteousness by which God was righteous in himself (that would be passive righteousness) but the righteousness by which, for the sake of Jesus Christ, God made sinners righteous (that is, active righteousness) through the forgiveness of sins in justification. When he discovered that, Luther said it was as though the very gates of Paradise had been opened to him. ~ Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel

Ragamuffin Gospel is quickly becoming my second favorite book (after Mike Yaconelli's Messy Spirituality), which means I will be rereading this book in the future.

I really like Brennan Manning's style of writing and the way he connects with the reader throughout the book. You never feel like he is on a pedestal because he lumps himself together with everyone, even exposing some of his own weaknesses in this book.

"Sadly, the meaning of meal sharing is largely lost in the Christian community today. In the NEar East, to share a meal with someone is a guarantee of peace, trust, fraternity , and forgiveness -- the shared table symbolizes a shared life" (Kindle location 630).

In chapter five, he talks about the loss of wonder in our lives. "Creation doesn't calm our troubled spirits, restore our perspective, or delight us in every part of our being" (Kindle location 1021).

I loved the section that talked about the power of media. "Grace abounds in contemporary movies, books, novels, films, and music.... Most people understand imagery and symbol better than doctrine and dogma. Images touch hearts and awaken imaginations.... Troubadours have always been more important and influential than theologians and bishops" (Kindle location 1075).

I highly recommend this book.

For a while, I've been wanting to read Brennan Manning's `The Ragamuffin Gospel' and so I was excited to be able to receive a free review copy from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

I had high expectations after reading Manning's `Abba's Child' and having heard good things about `The Ragamuffin Gospel'; I wasn't disappointed. There were so many things I liked in the book that I ended up typing out seven pages of notes. Rest assured that I'll only mention some of these pints that I found helpful in this review!

Something I've been thinking about a lot over the last few years is that we are all a work in progress, something that I haven't always fully realised. Manning described it like this.

'There is a myth flourishing in the church today that has caused incalculable harm: once converted, fully converted. In other words once I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, an irreversible, sinless future beckons. Discipleship will be an untarnished success story; life will be an unbroken upward spiral towards holiness.'

I've realised lately that although I'm willing for people to know about specific areas of struggle that I have, it is still very awkward for me when people actually observe some of these traits.

As Manning wrote:
'You know, in spite of the fact that Christianity speaks of the cross, redemption, and sin, we're unwilling to admit failure in our own lives.'

The book also made me realise that Jesus understands my struggles and has compassion for me in my difficulties. He offers grace and forgiveness so that I don't need to live under a mantle of shame:

I found it helpful to be aware of the following in my own life:
'We fluctuate between castigating ourselves and congratulating ourselves because we are deluded into thinking we save ourselves. We develop a false sense of security from our good works and scrupulous observance of the law. Or we are appalled by our inconsistency, devastated that we haven't lived up to our lofty expectations of ourselves. The roller coaster ride of elation and depression continues.'

Manning says much to remind me that I don't want self-improvement to become too much of a goal for my life. I want my focus to be on who God is, not on what I do or don't do.

The book made me realise that instead of focussing on myself and my own faults, it would be better to focus on all that the Father has given to me. I want the days when I fail to be opportunities to recognise that the mercy of my Father is not dependent on my success, and that I'm saved by grace and not by my own efforts.

The book made me want to use every failure as an opportunity to remind me that I don't have it all together, and that only God's grace can save me.

I also liked this quote:
'My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it'

I want my deepest awareness of my identity not to be of someone who messes things up, but of a child of God, deeply loved by him.

I've shared some of what I found most helpful in the book. I also discovered many great quotes from other authors within the book.

I did find some parts of the book more helpful than others. There were some sections that I didn't fully understand, or at least couldn't personally relate to. If I'd scrutinized the book more closely I may well have found some parts that I didn't fully agree with. However, I would rate this book five stars, due to the extremely helpful explanations of what it means to live as Abba's Ragamuffin.

To quote the late Brennan Manning, "God loves you the way you are, not the way you should be. Because nobody's the way they should be." Some may accuse Manning of leaning too much on the side of grace. This read is a reminder that yes, there is a holy law we don't measure up to, but grace is the great equalizer that ought to leave us all in awe of God's fierce love for us. This is a must read for a Christian who sees their need for grace.

I was raised a Baptist, believing that I had to work for the mysterious gift of Grace. Though I was in church every Sunday (and much of the rest of the time the church doors were open), I never once heard any kind of explanation about what Grace actually is. "By Grace are ye saved" was a near constant message, along with the strong suggestion that Grace wasn't free, but had to be earned. It seemed an unsteady plank we needed in order to walk over Hell. This plank could disappear in the wink of an eye if we did any of the 10 million things that tick off a wrathful god.

This book turned my understanding right around. I thoroughly recommend it.

When I first decided to read this book I thought, "Well, I'm feeling pretty empty and dull, but I'm not sure I'm a ragamuffin, exactly." After beginning to read, I realized I was "bedraggled, beat-up, and burnt out." Not that this book makes you feel badly about yourself. Rather, it shows you that you are not as perfect as you think you are, but that's OK, because the Gospel is not for perfect people. Some of the things Manning said struck me as odd or against what I was used to. That, too, is OK. It never hurts to challenge yourself, especially when you realize that whether or not you agree with the way he sees things in every case, the fundamental truth of his message in this book is true.
It is, I will point out, set up more as a devotional than a book of theology. You should not read it through in a few sittings, but rather, read a chapter every day or two or three and let the words percolate. It's life-altering. But that is not to say it isn't theological. It restores to the worn-out Christian the basic truths of the character of God, and that in itself is theology.
I recommend this book to anyone: anyone who has more legalistic leanings but a teachable heart; anyone who has too-liberal leanings with an ability to take the truth. It will teach you, if you let it.

I would highly recommend Brennan Manning's "The Ragamuffin Gospel." It is truly one of the best books that I have ever read - and I very much am looking forward to reading Manning's memoirs next (look for my review on "All is Grace" in the coming weeks). I was fortunate enough to be provided a copy of "Ragamuffin" in a special re-release directly from the publisher for review purposes. You can pre-order a paperback copy for under $16 at the store.com (http://www.the store.com/Ragamuffin-Gospel-Bedraggled-Beat-Upnd-publication/dp/B003HZWI1O/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1323467227&sr=8-2) or directly from the publisher at [...]

My favorite chapter was titled "Something is Radically Wrong." He contrasts the two accounts that are listed back-to-back in Luke's Gospel. The Bible reads, "Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, 'Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.17 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it'" (Luke 18:15-17, ESV).

Manning writes, "[But then] a rich young man comes to Jesus, asking what he must DO to inherit eternal life. He wants to be in the spotlight. It is no coincidence that Luke juxtaposes the passage of Jesus and the children immediately preceding the verses on the young aristocrat. Children contrast with the rich man simply because there is no question of their having yet been able to merit anything. Jesus' point is, there is nothing that any of us can do to inherit the kingdom. We must simply receive it like little children. And little children haven't done anything. The New Testament world was not sentimental about children and had no illusion about any pretended innate goodness in them. Jesus is not suggesting that heaven is a huge playground for Cajun infants. Children are our model because they have no claim on heaven. If they are close to God, it is because they are incompetent, not because they are innocent. IF they receive anything, it can only be as a gift" (26-27).

The author goes on to suggest, "Jesus sat down at table with anyone who wanted to be present, including those who were banished from decent homes. In the sharing of a meal they received consideration instead of the expected condemnation. A merciful acquittal instead of a hasty verdict of guilty. Amazing grace instead of universal disgrace. Here is a very practical demonstration of the law of grace - a new chance in life" (29).

So what "tables" are our churches setting? Is their a difference between being attractional and being invitational? Is it the church leadership, ministry, or program that is expected to send the message or should it be the church - the people who make up the church - who are scattered all over the community and primarily entrusted to be "grace-ful"? Do we believe that the gospel is enough so much so that we are willing to go anywhere and do almost anything?

Official Book Description: A Furious Love Is Hot on Your Trail!

Many believers feel stunted in their Christian growth. We beat ourselves up over our failures and, in the process, pull away from God because we subconsciously believe He tallies our defects and hangs His head in disappointment. In this newly repackaged edition--now with full appendix, study questions, and the author's own epilogue, "Ragamuffin Ten Years Later," Brennan Manning reminds us that nothing could be further from the truth. The Father beckons us to Himself with a "furious love" that burns brightly and constantly. Only when we truly embrace God's grace can we bask in the joy of a gospel that enfolds the most needy of His flock--the "ragamuffins."

Are you bedraggled, beat-up, burnt-out?

Most of us believe in God's grace--in theory. But somehow we can't seem to apply it in our daily lives. We continue to see Him as a small-minded bookkeeper, tallying our failures and successes on a score sheet.

Yet God gives us His grace, willingly, no matter what we've done. We come to Him as ragamuffins--dirty, bedraggled, and beat-up. And when we sit at His feet, He smiles upon us, the chosen objects of His "furious love."

Brennan Manning 's now-classic meditation on grace and what it takes to access it--simple honesty--has changed thousands of lives. Now with a Ragamuffin's thirty-day spiritual journey guide, it will change yours, too.

Includes New 30-Day Spiritual Journey Guide

Official Author Biography: Brennan Manning is a Korean War veteran and former Franciscan priest who lives in New Orleans , Louisiana . A native of Brooklyn , Manning earned degrees in philosophy from St. Francis College and in theology from St. Francis Seminary. His books include The Signature of Jesus and Abba's Child. Still traveling widely, Manning continues to write and preach, encouraging men and women everywhere to accept and embrace the good news of God's unconditional love in Jesus Christ.

Brennan Manning discusses the love of God in a very personal way. The key word here is "personal." He does not spend time analyzing the original terms or the background of passages referring to the love of God. Instead, he works to help the reader understand the love of God in a sense that is meaningful. Not to discount the value of a good word study, but if I were to sit and explain to my son that I love him because of physiological happenings in my brain that make me experience a euphoria that in turn compels me to treat him with care, that would mean absolutely nothing to him. On the other hand, if I were to show him regularly that I love him simply because he is my son, that would mean a great deal more. God has done this in the giving of His Son and in blessing us continually.

Manning shows why we should live our lives in the fact that the Gospel is about love. Jesus preached it, and the apostles after him preached it. Too often we try to start a Christian life with work. This can be destructive if one does not fully realize, as much as is humanly possible, the scope of God's love for us. Someone can start their walk with Christ not understanding this and slowly fall away. If one serves God out of a sense of obligation rather than out of a sense of joy, the fire that was once bright may fade away.

Manning admits that some might consider his book one-sided. "Brennan goes on and on about Abba, Jesus, radical grace, compassion, and the furious love of God, but says little about morality." I got a sense of this, but as I read I realized that writing in this fashion was needed to help the reader fully comprehend the depth of God's love.

The book had a profound affect on me, and I think this affect would have been lessened had he qualified everything with phrases like, "You've got to work hard. God wants you to be totally obedient." One of Manning's major positions is that God loves us no matter what we do, and in order to help us see that, Manning need not dwell on the fact that we must be obedient. Everyone knows this; even the unfaithful. What some don't realize, even faithful Christians, is that God loves us unconditionally. We may not believe we think this way, but our behavior says differently sometimes.

We often work our fingers to the bone hoping to win God's favor more and more. Manning illustrates how this cannot be done. He refers to the story of the prodigal son and how the father did not say, "You better get to work if I'm going to forgive you." As Jesus was illustrating, our relationship with God is the same in that He is always ready to forgive us no matter what. Obedience is necessary and Manning does not disregard this fact. He simply works to help the reader see that God already loves us and by serving Him from that vantage point, our Christian lives can be filled with the joy our Father originally intended.

"The American Church today accepts grace in theory but denies it in practice." Grace is one of the most foundational elements in Christianity; in fact, grace from the Lord is probably the most noticeable difference between Christianity and other religions. Grace, an unmerited gift from the Lord, is the central message of Jesus. The church ought to be a refuge for broken men and women and a "hospital for sinners."

Churches in America have lost sight of grace. Distracted by self-righteousness and neo-legalism, the Church has forgotten to love. Even in our attempts to do good works, we are perpetuating legalism instead of accepting God's grace. When we push away the destitute, we push away Jesus who constantly surrounded himself with outcasts. Why is it easy for the social outsiders to accept grace? They are not too proud to accept a free gift.

God's grace should transform your life. Being loved so unconditionally by God ought to move you. God loves me. Why do I seem to lose that truth throughout the day? I am always worried I am doing something that has upset God, but in reality there is nothing I can do that will lower God's love for me. Conversely, there is nothing I can do that will increase God's love for me. No one can love me more than God.

Brennan Manning, a self-confessed lowly sinner, eloquently writes about the wonderful world of grace. Anyone who feels like they have lost sight of the amazing grace of God ought to read this book.

"Do you really accept the message that God is head over heels in love with you?"

I have heard of this book since I first became a Christian but never read it. I have heard Rich Mullins talk about how God used this book to change his life.
Let me say one thing: This will make super-religious people mad, angry, and probably want to burn the book. Because the book talks about grace alot. It talks about the love of God alot. Grace makes us nervous. We think we have to earn the love of God and that is a lie.
This book has helped me process errors in my thinking of God.
You must read this book and give it to newer Christians so they can have a biblical view of teh gospel of Grace.
According to Brennan Manning, we are all ragamuffins: broken, dirty, burned out. but here is the good news: Jesus died for ragamuffins, not the perfect.
My suggestion: read this book, read it again, and buy it for someone else.
I recieved this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Waterbrook Multnomah for giving me this book. I will recommend this book to many!!!

I have just finished rereading Brennan Mannings book The Ragamuffin Gospel. I first read this book about five years ago, when I first accepted Christ and began my tenure at S.F.A. I didn't realize how much of this book shaped my spiritual formation.

After growing up in a very legalistic, works based church the simple yet profound message of grace rattles my core. Throughout the book Manning shakes you with gentle words and gripping stories out of your legalistic mindset.

Rich Mullins, who gives a testimony at the beginning of the book puts it this way:

"It did what the gospel can't help but do: It broke the mere "moralistic religiosity" in my life and revived a deeper acceptance that had long ago withered in me."

To begin the book, Manning says that the Church today, "accepts grace in theory, but denies it in practice." He then goes on to give example after example of ways in which grace has been shown to him and how he has attempted to show grace to others. For some reason, the numerous examples never detract from the read. Stories of the mentally handicapped Amish kid who kisses Manning on the lips to the crooked smile wife whose husband contorts his lips to kiss her capture the way in which we should see grace.

It's hard for us to accept grace, show grace, whatever, that's not new, but The Ragamuffin Gospel certainly sheds fresh and timeless light on the subject, with practical ways to display grace to fellow ragamuffins. I not only recommend this book to everyone, but also encourage all fellow believers to read this book at least once in their lifetime. I consider it a classic.

I have been a fan of Rich Mullins, the Christian singer and songwriter, for a long time. I only discovered later that Mullins named his Ragamuffin Band in honor of Brennan Manning's book. After reading the book (including a testimony by Rich Mullins) I realize that the author and the musician are kindred spirits.

In an afterword, Brennan Manning claims that his book has led to his criticism. His detractors have clucked that Manning is "a heretic, schismatic, universalist, and cockeyed optimist." Frankly, he has committed only one sin which has been the proclamation of the grace of God in Jesus Christ. One critic claims that he has "out-Luthered Luther." In a world of Christian books which promote spiritual laws, principles, and action plans, a book on God's grace is extremely refreshing.

We are saved by God's grace alone. Accepting that grace leads to lives of gratitude and humility. The enemy of grace is the self-satisfied. These folks can be satisfied with their own righteousness or even their own sin. Relying on the love found in Jesus Christ leads to lives of gratitude and humility. When we reject the nominal for the deeper, we begin to follow God's calling in our lives.

Although Manning has disagreements with the Roman Catholic church (he is a former priest), he is greatly influenced by its history and teaching. He also is influenced by the twelve step program of Alcoholics Anonymous. The book is filled with great illustrations from church history, literature, and his personal experiences. The appeal he makes to his readers is passionate. He makes strides to show the goodness of the gospel. He plays especially on the emotions of the reader. He also intends the book to be read devotionally. One of the last chapters actually has prayer exercises for the reader.

I loved the book. Of course, I am not a hostile audience. I know that my life depends on the manna of God's grace. To the person just beginning in faith, I don't know if I would recommend this book. Manning understands himself simply as a redeemed sinner, but many ragamuffins that I know would still feel out of place here. They would probably long for the earthiness and colorful language of Anne Lamott. Whether intentional or not, Manning's audience appears to be church folks who finally get it. They realize that they are really ragamuffins in the hands of a merciful God.

Finally, the book is a bit dated. Some of the illustrations which were current in the 1980s when the book was written don't read well in 2008. Nonetheless, I heartily recommend this book.

Just as in Jesus' time, many religious sorts today live by the letter of the law, rather than the Spirit - rendering Jesus' message largely ineffective.
Manning reminds us that Jesus set us free from living our lives according to a bunch of rules, - he paid the price for our sins; past, present and future so that we could live under the perfect law of freedom.
With scripture, anecdotes and personal stories he exposes the lies and tactics that we use on ourselves, or that are foisted on us by others that ultimately serve to manipulate us, or bring us back into that position where we live by the letter of the law rather than by the Spirit.
And most of all Manning helps us to see ourselves through God's eyes and understand the immense and unfathomable love that he has for each of us. And in doing so we no longer need to "act" righteous, but instead can admit our faults and struggles comfortable in the knowledge that Jesus' loves ragamuffins and that the goal of Christianity isn't to put on a facade of righteousness, but to acknowledge our struggles and truly understand and appreciate exactly why Jesus died for us. (And he points out that ironically, when churchgoers hide their shortcomings they actually create an atmosphere in which those most in need of Jesus - those with big problems - feel out-of-place).
This book is a must for those who struggle or have always recognized (or at least suspected) that many of those spit-and-polished people at church have more problems then they let on. And for those who are tired of kicking themselves and are ready to embrace Jesus' love and finally declare once and for all that there is no condemnation in Christ.
It should also be noted that Manning in no way encourages sin, but shows that accepting God's free gift without question is the first step toward living the best life that we can and facing our struggles without guilt and self-loathing.
And excellent book!

The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning is truly a contemporary Christian classic. This book has truly changed thousands of lives, and affected thousands more thereby, including my own. Brennan asks us to take a long and hard look at the grace of God, and then helps us to apply it to our daily lives, through honesty. The simple truth of this book is that the lives that we are living, are not really about us at all. Our lives are meant to be a reflection, and expression, of the story of God. And we do this best when we are honest about who we are, and are grateful for what God has done, and is doing, for us in spite of ourselves.

Mr. Manning challenges much of the hypocrisy and high-mindedness of many in the Christian world. We all continue to stuggle with besetting sins throughout our lives, and yet we dare not speak of these things. And we look down with contempt upon those who do. The grace of the gospel and my reliance on Christ's forgiveness is what enables us to go through this life with our struggles. Christ has done the work. My part is to just be honest about that.

It is very refreshing to read that God is ok with my acknowledging what he is already aware of: I am a sinner. I am broken. I stumble. And yet God still loves me.

The conflict with this book and this life-style is that it can give some a license to sin. One can decide that since I am a sinner and God still loves me, I may as well stop trying so hard to defeat sin and just accept it, almost welcome it, so that grace may be even more boutiful in my life. This is not what the bible teaches, nor is it what Mr. Manning encourages us to do.

The power in this book comes fromth my acknowledging the reality of my sin and accepting the reality of God's love and acceptance of me. I am a sinner. God loves me furiously. Both are true. Together. Now. As I am.

This is a wonderfully written book that will challenge your thinking and lighten your load. For those who are struggling to believe that God loves them because of the guilt that you feel over sins in your life, this book is especially powerful.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

What a book! Everything from the cover to Manning's writing was superb! Grace, a much misunderstood word, is the subject of Brennan Manning's classic The Ragamuffin Gospel. I was excited to read this book (it was also my first book to read penned by a former priest) due to the fact that it is considered a classic of the religion genre and it did not disappoint!

The best chapter in my opinion is Chapter 2- Magnificent Monotony. Manning describing the works of God by looking at the universe and holding a dime at arm's length and knowing how many stars you covered up, the perfect distance from the sun and at the proper axis is the earth and the oceans at the correct depth takes the created works of God to a different level, one that makes the mind move at a thousand miles an area as we consider how vast and how great our God is!

Ragamuffin is geared, admittedly so to those that are burned out and worn out by religion, showing the offer of grace and mercy of Jesus to each person (and is biblical) as opposed to the legalistic formula so many in the American church pursue.

This book and Brennan Manning himself is not without controversy, especially by the voices of many protestants. Claims of being a universalist, heretic, and other names have been hurled at him because of his stance on grace. Manning addresses these claims in a chapter called "The Scandal of Grace" and was written 15 years after first having this book published. Is he or isn't he? I think not, it is just that this topic of grace being written about is still trying to be completely understood by many, including Manning's critics.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah in exchange for a review.

So many of my friends have read this book and reread this book. It has taken me till now to read it. It was well worth the wait. I have read many, many, many, Christian "self-help" books, and many i have questions and went "huh?" or "what did i just read?" or "seems i've heard all this before..." But this book was a challenge. It was hard to dig deep inside of myself and admit certain things to myself. But I did it. In order to have a better relationship with God, there are some things that I am going to have to understand that are difficult. But with God's grace and mercy, I can get through them, and this book helped me see that. No matter how broken and torn we are, God's grace and mercy is ALWAYS enough for us.

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.

The Ragamuffin Gospel, written by Brennan Manning, is a great survey of the unconditional grace offered in Christianity. The book is not a revised interpretation of the gospel message, but rather a survey of the original significance. The author addresses the Western, works-oriented salvation message and the legalistic requirements some claim to be the gospel. He concludes every individual is tainted by sin and has nothing to offer God in return for grace. The term "ragamuffin" refers to those who belief God would never forgive them. This book aims to free these people from this mindset, allowing them to move past their regret and shame.

The author firmly believes love is at the heart of the Christian message and will precede correct actions. Using his own life story, in combination of other testimonies and biblical passages, he traces the important influence of grace on the sinner's conscience and lifestyle. Manning concludes "Christianity is not primarily a moral code by a grace-laden mystery; it is not essentially a philosophy of love, but a love affair." This updated edition, along with the included study guide, is well worth the read.

Before I bought this book I was rather confused by all the conflicting reviews. I already knew I would agree with most if not all the book based on my research but I couldn't wrap my head around what the negative crowd was saying about it.
I get it now after rejoicing my way through the book- They stopped reading at about chapter 2 and never progressed to where Manning speaks of repentance, holiness and changed lives. He may not always use the catchy, modern or church-y words but he does not paint a gospel where God ingnores sin. Once we have been washed in Jesus blood there is no sin to see anymore.
Most folks are ignorant about exactly when and how our sins are dealt with. All they have is a vague notion about the cross and something about repenting. Every sin you will ever commit, that which makes us guilt before God's law, was nailed to the cross and washed away with Jesus blood. Colossians 2:14 (so it's God's word not just Mannings ideas)

In the epilogue to Ragamuffin Gospel, "The Scandal of Grace," Manning informs the reader that one of his Roman Catholic critics told him that he "had out Luthered Luther." I don't know that you can "out-Luther" Luther --- but Manning is at least close here.

If you let it, this book will take you through a path that not many people go on. You'll go to Spiritual AA.

Manning, a recovering alcoholic himself, describes the faith life of a Christian as really only a recovering sinner ever could. He is upfront about his disease. He knows that he isn't God. He knows that He doesn't even deserve to sneeze in God's direction. He shows the most comfortable Christian that they are still a sinner even though they have a nice family and go to church every Sunday. He goes even farther. He makes sure that you know that if you're not actively involved in being empty, in being a ragamuffin, that you're not living the Christian life as it was intended to be lived.

In short, he tells you what a Ragamuffin is - it's a sinner-saint. It is someone who has no right, no claim, and no worth who is passionately and wildly embraced by a savior.

The book is a great choice for a devotional read. It will bring not only a new perspective on your current place before God, but it will show you that your ultimate place is with God, singing in the joy of His free grace.

It is a message of grace for anyone brave enough to consider themselves one of God's ragamuffins.

Honestly, I teeter-tottered on this book.

Some parts stirred my soul even to tears with the truth of the Gospel. Others furrowed my brow, leaving question marks in the margins. Sometimes this was all within the span of a single page.

Upon reflection, I've come to this conclusion:

For believers (for sons and daughters of God), the essence of this book should strike a beautiful chord in our hearts and minds. I like Manning's words:

"He is the only God man has ever heard of who loves sinners... Through no merit of ours, but by his mercy we have been restored to a right relationship with God through the life, death, and resurrection of His beloved Son."

Wow. Beautiful chord.

That said, I have discovered the source of my uneasiness: context.

Manning shares a part of his background in chapter two: "Growing up Catholic in the late 1930s and 1940s and 1950s, my central preoccupation was sin. Sin was everywhere. It consumed us and dominated our consciousness."

Inside Manning's context, a commentary on grace is a necessity. But as a recent college graduate living in a culture already inundated with a secular form of grace and love (and practically no concept of sin), words on grace seem to further the lopsidedness here.

We are sinful beyond belief; the Lord is gracious beyond belief. We must hold both of those truths in our minds at once.

Stylistically, Manning's work reads easily but sometimes rabbit trails a point or leaves dangling stories. I wonder if Manning wouldn't chuckle and agree.

"In these pages," he writes, "I have stuttered and stammered in a halting attempt to hint at the shattering reality of the furious love of God."

Mission accomplished, Mr. Manning. This is a classic book well worth reading.

This was a book recommended to me during my second round of going to college by a fellow student. I found Manning to be a wonderful writer who is eager to share what he has learned from our Lord and Savior with others so that they too can realize what grace truly means.
For me, this book came at a time in my life when I was doing battle against my own ideals and my own failures as a Christian. I understood that I am saved by grace but I did not fully embrace that and still felt much guilt. Ragamuffin Gospel clarified the grace of Jesus Christ for me.
I recommend it for Christians and non-Christians, anyone who has experienced broken spirit, contrite heart, and failures within. Jesus did what He did for you and me "while we were still sinners". He didn't place any requirements on being saved...we do not have to become "good enough" to be saved. It is by grace through faith alone...and this book emphasizes that fact.
A wonderful encouraging reminder.

Brennan Manning writes a text regarding the merciful love of God. This book leans heavily on the side of grace and might even tempt the reader to believe any implications of embracing sin. However, this text also refers to freedom from performing and finding grace & mercy in Christ...which should propel the believer to living an abundant life of the yolk that Jesus promises is not burdensome.

This reviewer would caution the reader(s) to read in light of the truth of the gospel, not in light of "loving God and doing what we want."

The text can clearly be refreshing, but may also be a little to "free" for those raised in a staunch, traditional church context.

Like any book, aside from the scriptures, there are things to glean from this text and things to sift through.

I received this book for the purpose of review from Multnomah Publishers.

I've heard about this book for a while, so when I got the chance to review it, I jumped at it. And I'm so glad I did. Brennan Manning's The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out is my favorite book I've read so far this year...and maybe for several years before that.

Good news, grace, gospel...all of these are things I am hungry for. This book has them in abundance, repeating over and over again the message of the undeserved love and grace of God.

I highly recommend this book to anyone in need of a reminder of or even an introduction to a God of mercy, grace, love, and sovereignty.

I received a free copy of this book from Multnomah Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Few books have influenced and impacted authors, musicians, and creative-type people that The Ragamuffin Gospel. Manning has been quoted by nearly everyone at one point or another. This book is simply tremendous. Manning digs into topics in such an open and honest way the reader feels like their having a conversation rather than reading a book. The books itself is a Christian Classic. The words offer encouragement and conviction, yet always prompting the reader to go on for "just a few more pages." No review would ever do this book justice, and if you don't own this book I recommend going out and buying it immediately. If you do own this book I would recommend giving away a copy to someone you know who needs it.

I'm supposed to let you know I received this book for free from Multnomah in exchange for an honest review.

Brennan Manning's book Ragamuffin Gospel is refreshing and I am thankful to Waterbrook/Multnomah for the free copy to review.

There were actually several parts of the book that lined up with the sermons I was preaching. It was a great reminder of God's grace and the unbiblical rules we have placed on ourselves. Manning believes and explains how much of Christianity has become rule-centered Pharasaical religion. His book preaches God's grace. It was a refreshing reminder. Though it may be a little too therapeutic, leave too many unneeded personal examples, and have a little different theology than me, I would still recommend it to others as a though-provoking read. I am sure that this book will continue to encourage many in the years and decades to come.

I had the privilege of reading The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning. What a great reminder of the grace we have in Christ! It is a wonderfully written book that shares some of Mannings's most personal moments. The Ragamuffin Gospel is a great read for anyone wanting to know about Christ and His love for us.

I loved the style that Manning wrote in and I love how he used personal examples of his own faith walk. This book was such an encouragement to me and reminded me over and over how true the Gospel really is.

I recommend this book to high schoolers, college age, and adults. Its message is timeless and can reach anyone.

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.

Let's clear a few things up before I proceed with a review:

* Brennan Manning is not a universalist.

* Brennan Manning believes in hell and believes that those who reject God's grace will invariably go there.

Are we okay now? Everyone feeling better about their day? Great, let's move on. In 'The Ragamuffin Gospel' Manning tackles the issue of grace for what it is and describes it as something both infathomable and tangible. He acutely attacks the smug idea of grace through works - which many may condemn verbally but practice physically or intellectually. He makes great points, and while some may attack his stance as watered-down or too easy, Manning backs his points with scripture, wit, and common-sense.

He also states...

* God is not a score keeper on good works.

* God's love for the broken is not predicated upon our reciprocation.

* Repentance as a believer doesn't come from wanting to be forgiven, but from already being forgien and understanding that we are already healed.

* God's love is not dignified, and His love breaks our worldly rules of what can and should be.

* How trusting God is essential to Christ-like living.

* How understanding the necessity for grace will change our world view.

At the end of the day, your God-view and world-view will determine whether you enjoy this book or not. If God, to you, is someone Who keeps score and checklists of rights and wrongs, you will hate this book. If you are someone seeking grace and mercy from God and would like to change your view on those around you, Manning's book is just what you need.

This is not Manning's "take" on the Goodnews. It is Manning showing us what the Goodnews was intended to be from the beginning - as other writers and pastors have seldom done before; and that - go figure - is that grace is good news for any who are willing to stand beneath it and open their eyes to it.

To all of those out there who hate the idea of God giving grace to us without condition when we fall at His feet - please get a life and wake up to the fact that your world of "theology" is smaller than God's attributes of grace giving.

Psalm 25:8 - to me, this is the good news. "Good and upright is the Lord, therefore he instructs sinners in his ways." He doesn't instruct the righteous, the religious bureaucrats, the spiritual suburbanites in their well kept neighborhoods with white picket fences. He instructs the sinners. This is grace. Afterall, what would be good about the good news if God was simply a righteous judge who rewarded good and punished evil? It's good news. "Through no merit of our own, but by His mercy, we have been restored to a right relationship with God through the life, death, and resurrection of His beloved Son" (Manning, p. 20-21).

As someone who has known the Lord since childhood, I fully recognize that I often need a bit of the Gospel 101. I can read the newest books, the Christian bestsellers. And, I like doing that. But, sometimes...sometimes you just need a refresher course to be reminded of what amazed you about the gospel early on and what can still amaze you.

Grace. Furious love. Forgiveness. Wonder.

Brennan Manning's The Ragamuffin Gospel is like that for me. It isn't new. And, the content in it isn't new. In fact, it's a couple thousand years old. But, it's not old in the "been there done that" sorta way--despite illustrations that are dated (e.g., Woody Allen films and the Cosby show...classics but dated...and lots of little stories sprinkled throughout that remind me of ones an old school pastor might use). Reading it during this season of my life, I've had to remind myself to put down my pen and stop underlining. If you underline whole sections, it negates the point, doesn't it? And, it makes for a messy page.

The book itself is not the end all. But, the story of Jesus is. Want to be reminded of it?

[I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing for this review. I was under no obligation to write a positive review. These opinions are my own.]

Brennan Manning, in an honest (yes, sometimes it even seems rough and abrasive) and authentic look at grace, writes one of the best interpretations of the Gospel of Jesus Christ I've read. He speaks of grace as a gift, yet doesn't shy away from what it costs. He speaks of following Christ wholeheartedly, yet not falling into a rut of legalism and religious rhetoric. He keeps us mindful of some of the tension in the Christian life (Jesus is the lion and the lamb, Christians must lose their lives to find life, the Cross was life, etc.), and reminds us that grace is not some wishy-washy concept that can be nailed down. Grace is complex. It is God's passionate pursuit of us until we literally "find" him.
Not a good book (I don't think) for someone wanting to understand the basics of Christianity. Rather, Manning provides a fresh perspective for those who are weary in their faith journey, who need to see their faith, again, through the eyes of another.

This is the seminal book by Brennan Manning, whose writings have blessed me more than any other author. No one else has expressed as clearly, eloquently, or forcefully, the depth of God's grace for us and how our identity is rooted in simply being the object of God's love. No one and nothing can shake that identify. The Ragamuffin Gospel gets me re-rooted in that basic truth every time I read it.

The Ragamuffin Gospel, written by Brennan Manning, who wrote Abba's Child, which turned teen-friendly in Posers, Fakers, and Wannabes, writes with those burnt out on life and searching for God past the religious pomp and circumstance haywire in mind. He writes to reclaim God as a lover, as a fierce lover, or as he terms it,a furious love for us. With that as his approach, he spends a lot of time writing about the grace God extends to us, even when we feel like we don't deserve it or want it. He does a good job clueing his reader into how God views us, his beloved creation.

My critique is for his writing style. He quotes a lot of other writers in this book, and sometimes he doesn't make the connection clear and I would get lost. The language he uses I'm not always familiar with, an old school vocabulary of sorts. He also spends so much time drawing out his arguments, that once you get it, you're only partway through his argument. He has a great message, but his delivery style was hard for me to get through.

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.

I opened the cover to this book, filled with a lot of skepticism. I was pretty certain that I was about to endure 200+ pages of hollow, feel good, Christian cheerleading. The title put me off more than anything else. 'Ragamuffin' is a word I associated with old ladies who had weathered the Great Depression -- the same old ladies (sweet though they were) who, with their toughness, scared me when I was a little kid in the 1960s. 'You look like a complete ragamuffin,' they would say as we stumbled in from a day playing in the woods. What?? I had NO idea what Raggedy-Ann dolls and muffins had to do with how I looked!
Even as a grown adult, I have kept a dislike for the term that Manning likes to use to describe so many of us. But, as I turned the pages of the book on a train ride from New York to Boston this winter, I found that sometimes the message is greater than the aesthetics of language.
This book is a wonderful reminder of God's Grace. Much more than cheerleading, this book highlights a mistake we often make in our understanding of God...and corrects it. Sometimes it is so easy to feel that we are not good enough, or that we must somehow 'earn' our place in the heart of God. But Brennan Manning reminds us that this is not the way of God. The One Who Loves Us accepts and Loves us just the way we are...as <cringe> ragamuffins. (If you don't know what that means -- read the book. You?ll be glad you did.)

I read the original version of this book over 4 years ago and it changed my life. I am so excited to see this book reissued.
The message of Manning's book is The Gospel, pure and undefiled...God loves you, no strings attached. Not only does God love you but He is pleased with you and His saving grace is always there for you.
The book helped me out greatly because I was in a spiritually abusive situation at the time I read this it and it helped me to realize that there was nothing I could do to earn God's love. Many Christians accept God's Grace freely when they first dedicate their lives to Him. They then spend the rest of their spiritual walk trying earn that love and forgiveness (which we can never do).
Brother Manning's book is a refreshing Oasis in a Christian world full of works-oriented deserts.
Even if you think you completely understand what Grace and Love are all about there will be something for you in this book. This book will challenge the very way you look at God.
Included in this book is a foreward by Contemporary Christian Music giant, Michael W. Smith, plus a 10 year's after update by Manning, a study guide.
If you have yet to read this book, what are you waiting for? If you read this book a long time ago, now is the time to re-read it.

I read Ragamuffin Gospel and was inspired. I read the negative reviews and was amazed. Have people forgotten that the first commandment is to love God. We really, in our present human condition, find it difficult to cultivate love for someone who has little love for us.
Manning's message is that God loves you in your broken condition. If we take that to heart we can begin to love God the way we should. "Nobility abliges". Then we walk in willing obedience to the Word of God. Sounds simple because it is.
I was raised in legalism and know how it functions. The negative reviewers are so steeped in it that they can't see the forest for the trees. Legalism always functions through or by fear. I detect fear in their reviews. Afraid of what the message of unconditional love will do if people embrace it. God takes the chance but they can't. He is the One Who is vulnerable, not them.
Read the book, embrace it, live in the knowledge that you are loved extravagantly and wrecklessly. Then and only then can we really live as New Testament Christians, not sour critics of beauty.

This book is an exceptional read for anyone who wants to draw nearer to God. Although I have read some criticisms of The Ragamuffin Gospel that seem to insist Manning is not hard enough on sinners, perhaps Jesus was not hard enough on sinners, either.

I take back that perhaps.. I know Jesus was not hard enough on sinners. I think the message Manning is trying to get across is that we are all sinners. None of us, in all our self-righteous fury, can say that we walk even a day without sin. Yet God sent His son to die for us- not just die, but suffer agonizingly, brutally beaten, shamed, tortured, and mocked- for us.

As Manning poetically points out, Jesus was aware of our sinful natures, aware of our present sins and even our future sins, when he undertook this labor of love for us.

Matthew 9:9-13 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"

On hearing this, Jesus said, It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. but go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.'* For I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners."**

*Hosea 6:6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.

*Micah 6:8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

**Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.

**1 Timothy 1:15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-of whom I am the worst.

I am a person who struggles daily that shame and guilt over my sins, negativity and unacceptance of self-righteous, holier-than-thou Christians, make stumbling on my walk with God easier. The Ragamuffin Gospel has drawn me nearer to God and to the realization that Jesus does offer forgiveness for even me.

Brennan Manning's The Ragamuffin Gospel has influenced many people since it was first published in 1990. Among these are several Christian musicians, including Michael Card, Michael W. Smith, and most notably, Rich Mullins, who named his band The Ragamuffin Band. Manning's book puts forth the idea that we are all ragamuffins (broken, wounded, sinful, hurt, imperfect, etc. people) and God loves us because he is God. There is no getting yourself ready to present yourself to God, just accept his love for what it is and confess your sins. The main passage of scripture comes from the story of the Prodigal Son. It's a good message, and I believe it is presented well in the book. I had the opportunity to hear Manning speak several times during grad school and his simple message of God's love was consistent with The Ragamuffin Gospel.

The current edition of the book was published 15 years after the original. It references the fact that Manning and his ideas/theology have come under attack by various other Christian/Catholic groups. I don't know enough about all his sources to accurately judge it either way. Additionally, this edition contains a section titled "19 Mercies: A Spiritual Retreat".

I received this book from WaterBrook Multnomah in exchange for an honest review.

I recently finished reading The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning. It was a timely read for me as I've been struggling with constant fear of failure, and never-ending reminders that I'm not good enough. Manning's book reminds the reader of a pivotal truth - that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of grace, not works, available to each and every ragamuffin that will choose to accept it.
Manning begins with an anecdotal response to a sermon - "that airhead didn't say one thing about what we have to do to earn our salvation". He explains how our culture's "work your way to success" mentality has sculpted in us an incorrect view of salvation - that we have to be good enough so that we are pleasing to God and can thus be saved. While, as a Christian I know this is not a biblical teaching, it is something that I tend to fall prey into to believing. I found the book to be a refreshing reminder of truth, and an encouragement for my soul.
Manning contrasts the true God of grace with the invented god of legalistic Christianity. He explains how viewing God incorrectly compels us towards works at appeasing him, and gives us great fear when we fail, as inevitably we must. This is exhausting, frustrating, and ultimately prevents us from knowing and loving God for who he is. Manning continues to explain the true gospel (which he calls the "Ragamuffin gospel") and invites Christians to "loosen their halos" and live in freedom, with adoration, repentance and thanksgiving, as a result of the grace they have been given, not because of a checklist or as an act of duty.
I thought the author did a thorough job addressing an issue that is common to Christians who have grown up in church, with lists of do's and don'ts. He reminds us that the gospel that leads to the salvation of souls is not based on performance or merit, but is about grace given to the least of these. I loved the way he used the story of the prodigal son to make the point that Christ loves us as we are. Luke 15:2o says, "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him." Manning reminds his reader, throughout the book, that God loves us and runs to us with grace - even when we are a long way off.
I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

As the author of The Exiles Next Door I'm very familiar the need for grace. Brennan does an unsurpassed job of first showing us what Grace really looks like and second, showing us that it's okay for us to admit we're all in desperate need of it. God knows you, he knows how you've messed up, and he wants YOU to know that he's taken care of all that in Jesus and he just WANTS you. Brennan teaches us that God pursues us, chases after us, loves us. Are you ready to drop the pretending and accept the gift of grace he has waiting for you? This book will help.

Are you a sinner or status seeker? This is the question that I keep asking myself while reading the book. Brennan Manning describes status seekers as those who maintain a pious and right living at the expense of missing the joy of Christian life. He refers to this behavior as "elder brother syndrome" based on the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15 (p. 57). Status seekers are so preoccupied with winning God's favor by religiously performing spiritual activities. They perceive that doing religious duties will enhance their spiritual self-worth. Absent in their spiritual construct is the idea of surrendering to the grace of Christ. Status seekers miss the true reality that we are broken. Therefore, they live under the mask of hypocrisy.

On the other hand, if we perceive ourselves as sinners, we openly accept the reality that we are weak, but God is strong. We are not ashamed to let God know that we are broken. We do not have to wear a false face. In fact, by being honest about who we are, we are being set free from our necessity to prove our spiritual self-worth. In the gospel, we read the story of a sinful woman who unashamedly kissed Jesus' feet. She did so because "she had accepted the truth of her utter nothingness" (P. 87). Getting honest about our nothingness enables us to experience the richness and the depth of God's grace (Ephesians 3:17-19).

Manning spends almost the entire of the book describing the intensity of God's love and very little on morality. One may question whether he is advocating "cheap grace." Does Manning ignore Paul's instruction for righteous living (Romans 6:18)? Not at all. Manning strongly believes that ragamuffins make better servants than moral legalists. They would not sit down to be served, but they would kneel down to serve. They would complain less because they understood that they too often fail to be good servants (p. 214).

Manning has helped me re-learn the meaning of God's grace in my life. He helps me see the shallowness of my moralistic living. For many years, my understanding of a Christian life is defined as accepting Jesus and doing the right things. My moralistic living has turned me to be like the "elder brother." It has robbed me the joy of Christian life. In fact, it has caused much tension and much irritation to my wife and children because of my preoccupation of being right. It is like a spiritual rebirth for me. I tasted anew God's grace. I am grateful that Manning took the pain of sharing his imperfect life in writing this book, and doing so, he liberates others like me. I would rate Manning's Ragamuffin Gospel 5 star.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Blogging for Books review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

The “Ragamuffin Gospel” is an expose’ of pure, unadulterated grace. In a world where we have watered down and humanized God’s greatest gift to man, this book is like a lighthouse pointing the way back. This is the best book I have read on grace. I look forward someday to meeting its author, Brennan Manning, and when I do I will fall down to the floor and kiss his feet. “How beautiful are the feet of him who brings good news!”

The Ragamuffin Gospel is my all-time favorite book. It changed my life. I say this with no hyperbole and with the utmost sincerity. From the first page, this book began to transform me -- my thinking, my relationships, and my faith. I felt immediately drawn to Brennan through his vulnerability and humility. He seems to exude love and meekness. He is a spiritual savant with a gift for storytelling and for engaging the heart through wisdom. He also has an expansive vocabulary and writes with a depth that often requires you to re-read and take a few moments to let it sink in.

I recommend this book to people more than any other. For anyone who is seeking to find or learn about God, I recommend The Ragamuffin Gospel to them. For anyone who is seeking to find or learn about their own identity, I strongly recommend The Ragamuffin Gospel.

For those who ever felt like they were at the bottom of a barrel with no where to go, not even up, there is hope. The Grace of God is for Ragamuffins, like me, like you, like everyone. It is ok to be who we are, sinful, sorrowful creatures. Brennan came to speak at my school (Southwest Baptist University) and will most likely never be invited back because his message was so radical to this Southern Baptist Convention associated school. Incredible!
The impact that this book continues to have on me has come in 3 ways: the first was a very "rebellious" attitude to the church institution. I bucked at any sort of tradition, saying that it wasn't necessary to be loved by God. Second, I came to realize that being rebellious like that wasn't being "real." I like what another reviewer said about this book not encouraging sin. The tendency to read the book and become complacent is a common occurance; however that is not it's intent. Don't fall into that trap. Thirdly, I am learning to love people just where they are without exception. It is hard, it is not natural. But that is where Christ comes through, supernaturally, to make us better. If you want to get to the heart of Christianity, please read this book through completely and often, search your heart, pray. You'll come to find the real answer to "what would Jesus do?"

My dad recommended that I read his copy of this book after I went through a very tough time during my junior year of high school. Brennan Manning writes in a way that you can totally relate to him. Even though he is a famous author and speaker, he is a normal human being. Even though he is a Christian, he makes mistakes.

In this wonderful book, Manning describes a ragamuffin--someone who knows that they've done wrong and knows that they can never be good enough for God, but accepts that they don't have to be perfect; God loves us anyway. Manning does a great job writing about God's love for us, and stresses His love throughout the book.

When I was done reading this book, I contemplated for about 15 minutes all that I had read, and I began crying. It's almost unbelievable to think that God loves all of us, no matter what we do, say, or think. He wants all of us to come to Him and accept His gift of grace.

This book is for anyone, even high-schoolers like me, that need reminding of God's love for us.

While I have not read the full version of The Ragamuffin Gospel, my appetite to do so has been seriously whetted by this abridged (but so colourful and vivid) version released in '05. Manning is brilliant in his combination of doctrine, story-telling, and encouragement to those of us who feel "unholy". Seldom have I experienced such "meat-and-potatoes" writing condensed into so few words.

As for the visual aspect of things, the artwork/photography is simply mind-blowing. I could get lost in some of those pictures. Key quotes were drawn out of passages and mixed so flawlessly into amazing art, bringing the passages and quotes even more to life. Kudos to Charles Brock for finding the essence of each passage and making it even more vivid through pictures.

I highly reccommend this book, especially to people who enjoy reading brief, meaningful, power-packed passages, and have an appreciation for graphic artistry.

I was introduced to this book by a dear freind and after I got it from the library I immediately started reading. I never made it past the "Forword" and tears were falling from my eyes.
I was raised Catholic and I am most thankful for my parents and the way they raised me in my belief's. But for the longest time I was living under the Law and Condemnation of my sins. You see, as Catholics we were taught that we should keep the Ten Commandments. Much later in life, I read in the Bible that there was only (one) person who ever kept all the commandments of God, and that person is Jesus Christ.
I haven't finished the book yet, but so far Brennan Manning is showing me that Jesus loves me right where I'm at, with all my weaknesses and shame. It's not about me trying to earn God's Grace and forgivness. But it is all about the finished work of Jesus on the cross. In the first two chapters of Ephesians, it tells us that we were predestined, chosen, redeemed, forgiven, adopted as son and daughters, we have an inheritance, and we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.
How could we ever add anything to a gift like that.
All too often, we as Christians, try to add to the work of Jesus by our "good deeds". The Bible does say "work out your salvation with fear and trembling, but if you read John 6:29 Jesus said "this is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent". And also in I John 3:23 and this is His commandment; that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another. And most important of all is Romans 11:29 for the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. God gave us the (gift) of His Son to take upon Himself (ALL) of our sin and shame. He became sin that we might become the righteousness of God through Him. SO, this is God's "gift" to us and when we believe in and put our trust in the gift of God, we become a new creation, we now have the Holy Spirit living inside of us. And God can not and will not revoke this gift or calling.

"The tendency in legalistic religion is to mistrust God, to mistrust others, and consequently to mistrust ourselves. Allow me to become personal for a moment. Do you really believe that the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is gracious, that he cares about you? Do you really believe that he is always, unfailingly, present to you as companion and support? Do you really believe that God is love?"
With these words Brennan Manning challenges us to ask ourselves if we really believe. Are we willing to cast aside our action steps, our striving human effort, and make room for the God who is present, gracious, and who does care for us? Read this book and find out why you should.

The Ragamuffin Gospel is a book for the faint of faith - to help them realize that their very weakness makes them strong in what matters most: God's grace. In this profoundly spiritual journey, Brennan Manning takes us to the heart of the Gospel, and helps us to rediscover its powerfully timeless message of Grace. The heart and soul of this book can be found in its final page: "... Christianity is not primarily a moral code by a grace-laden mystery; it is not essentially a philosophy of love, but a love affair."
In a truly spiritual book, tables of content are meaningless; this is a spiritual book. The most valuable sections are perhaps the sections entitled "A Word Before" and "A Word After." It is in these sections that you leave the mind of the author, and touch his heart - his soul. This is the beauty of this book - it is not a book to be read, analyzed, and understood; it is meant to be experienced, felt and lived. This is a book about turning our eyes off ourselves, and the challenges of the moment, and turning ourselves towards God, and God's solution for all times.
A profoundly moving, spiritual stroll through the back-ally of Christianity, this book calms the soul and strengthens the traveler by lightening their load. God works, so I don't have to! So simple; yet so powerfully transforming. This is a deeply theological book crafted by a true pastor. Its theology is so pure that it is not noticeable; it is the theology of grace. If it fails to touch you, read the book again, this time concentrating on your own feelings, not your thoughts.
This book will challenge you if you embrace the author's premise. If you want to do the work for your salvation, this book will fail you. If you want to experience true Christianity, then embrace the message of this book and trust in God's grace. Let it fill your heart and soul and set your spirit free.

Author of The Gospel Truth: An Exploration of the Gospel of Paul

Be prepared to put aside prejudice and the American way when you pick up a copy of The Ragamuffin Gospel. Manning's book hits hard with the grace and love of a God that loves us, as believers, beyond our wildest expectations. As he points out at one point in the book, God's love is almost embarrassing.

This book is a good practical guide to the outworking of grace in the life of the believer. It's not for everyone; some will find it's anti-religious bent offensive. At the same time, it is by no means a wishy-washy book. Most of the offense one could take from it would be in the form of conviction. It is offensive in the same way that the gospel itself is offensive - a good way.

This is one you'll want to return to year-by-year to shake off your natural desire to earn God's love by your works. Manning reminds us that God's love can't be earned because it is purely gift.

When I received this book, I had recently been through an unexpected and unwanted divorce. I had made many mistakes over the previous decade of my life and at times was overwhelmed with feelings of inadequacy. While reading the introduction statements from Michael W. Smith and Rich Mullins, before I ever even got to the first chapter, I had tears streaming down my face. Just remembering it brings tears to my eyes even now. At least every chapter had something in it that spoke to me fresh the love and grace of God. Rather than having the effect of thinking it was ok to sin, I dared to rest on the promise of God's love and forgiveness which has brought peace that passes all understanding. I have truly felt free from the power of sin out of the great motivating love of Abba.

I grew up in a fairly legalistic environment spiritually. It didn't change much when I grew up. Having the fear of the Lord is a good thing, but it's not so good when it keeps you from really getting close to GOD. This book helped me to see things GOD's way a little more and helped me to forgive myself. If GOD can and has forgiven me, I guess I can, too! This book gives a honest look at a man of GOD that has failed in many ways. While never making light of his sins, he shows that it is the getting back up on your feet, repenting, and moving on that is the important thing. GOD is a loving Father who just wants us to go running back into His arms no matter what we've done. This book shows us what "Abba Father" is all about.

Before heading off to college, I purchased Manning's "Abba's Child" by the recommendation from my pastor. I have read a decent amount of books on the unconditional love of God and His grace, and this is not one of my favorites. I had to keep telling myself to pick up and try again.

What I didn't like about this book was Manning's lack of his personal story. I was expecting to hear about the author's own life and how he has seen grace, heard from a first person point of view.

What also caused anger in me was when Manning attempts to quote God Himself, making Him sound aggressive and even somewhat emotionally abusive. On page 138, Manning states that God whispered, "You ungrateful turd", in response to the author's moment of spiritual pride.

Manning's dance around the heresy of universalism frustrated and annoyed me because the book is centered around God's amazing grace and yet he refuses to really address it seriously. He also states that faith is a gift, causing more confusion. Because of these two points, I wish Manning would have clearly broke down his views on the subject and skipped the random mini essay explaining why he's pro-life.

Despite these frustrations, he comes up with a story or a quote that is often worth the price of the entire book. For instance, on page 64, Manning reminds his readers of the passage in Mark 10 where Jesus, after a long day of traveling, blesses the children individually at the request of their parents. Manning includes a commentary of this story from his friend, Robert Frost. This page-long passage caused me to put the book down and marinate in the moment, in the warm, comforting feeling it gave me.There's another flawless story in chapter 7 about a man named Max in an AA meeting which gave me the chills.

However frustrating Manning's writing can make me sometimes, he slightly makes up for it in perfect, sentence-long insights. Here are a few gems among dozens:

"When our inner child is not nurtured and nourished, our minds gradually close to new ideas, unprofitable commitments, and the surprises of the Spirit." (p.65)

"The more complex and emotional the image of God becomes in the Bible, the bigger He grows, and the more we approach the mystery of His indefinability." (p. 102)

"The way we see other people is usually the way we see ourselves" (p. 157)

Overall, I can express gratitude for this book, its insights, stories, and one-liners, and frustration for its occasional tangents, wording, and even Manning's portrayal of God (which was probably meant to impress). I think it's definitely a keeper as a reference for quotes, but I am unlikely to pick it up for a full read again.

Note: I received this book for free in exchange for writing an honest review as part of the Blogging For Books program from Walter Multnomah Publishing Group.
[...]

I read this book years ago and decided to re-read it. Manning reminds us that we are all sinners but that God loves us knowing this. This book is a great inspiration to all who read it. I will save my copy and continue to re-read it thru-out the years to remind me that we should all rely on God's unconditional love and for us to give that love to everyone else we meet daily.

FTC disclosure: I re-read my book that I bought years ago.

This book is excellent...it really does open one's eyes to God's beautiful grace and kindness. Manning does not make light of sin at all. His approach is to get off the back of the sinner (there are plenty of "christian" finger pointers out there for every sinner) and turn the sinner (you and me) to the loving face of God. For the first time in my life I have understood "grace." I finally understand that God understands. I finally understand that I can be broken AND approach God. I don't need to fix myself up to be with Him, I can truly come just as I am. And since I can come as I am, I am enabled to give that same grace to others, and be a forgiving, loving person. That is living as Christ would like us to live...

This book was a divine and timely appointment for me. I needed to be remained of the ferocity and incendiary love of Abba Father.
I think I got lost and forgot about Jesus complete and all encompassing salvation that He purchased with His own life just for me!!
I am buying this book to reread.

I grew up in an abusive, legalistic church, who stressed a life of utmost holiness as most pleasing to God, therefore my ultimate goal in my walk with Christ is to overcome sin. Unfortunately the more I try, the more I see my failures and my peace and joy in God fluctuates with my personal performance.
The Ragamuffin Gospel seeks to destroy the worldview of God that Christendom has created: You are saved by immense and passionate grace and mercy, but once you accept it, God has a checklist of sanctification and service that you must repay. Why would a God of unsearchable riches suddenly do a 180 and expect us to deliver a checklist of personal effort? Our "spiritual leaders" reinforce these lists often comprised of: Do your daily devotions, or God won't speak to you / Pray longer and harder or God won't know your heart / Do more service for church, you're not doing enough for God, you're spending too much time on yourself / If you don't have it all together, God can't use you, etc. etc.
Brennan Manning vehemently believes that God absolutely hates sin (as the other reviewers here focus on as their primary view of God), BUT, God's grace and mercy abounds all the more. IT IS THIS UNFATHOMABLE AWE OF EXPERIENCING AND KNOWING JESUS' LOVE THAT INSPIRES AND STRENGTHENS US TO FLEE FROM SIN, NOT OUR OWN RESOLVE.
A MUST read for anyone who has been raised in the modern institutional church.

An easy, entertaining and, at times, poignant read and a must for anyone who wants to experience the "real" Jesus of the Gospel. One of the most personally important books I have read and one that provides both great comfort and promise. Manning tells us that Jesus expects us to come as we are, admit to him (and ourselves) who we are, and accept God's grace. As a Christian, I have struggled with my sin, expecting that "re-birth" led to a sinless life. I too have expected God's blessings to flow to me because of my good works (or that those same blessings stop when I sin). Manning reveals the true gospel message of unconditional salvation and shows us the fallacy of legalism and conditional love preached in so many churches today.

From the moment you open Brennan Manning "Ragamuffin Gospel" you are entranced. The late Rich Mullins wrote the forward, with a story that touches any heart-- how Manning changed his life. Right away, you know this book will change you.
Manning brings new life to a old subject--understanding how God loved us enough to die for us. We are all "ragamuffins," degenerates, sinners, not worthy of the love of God, right? No! We are sinners and ragamuffins, but because of the blood of Jesus, God sees us as perfect and beautiful. Manning illustrates that in his gentle ability to tell a story, stories that we see ourselves in. And those stories help us understand the unconditional love of God.
Manning has an impressive ability to draw you in. The concept of God's grace is sometimes hard for Christians to confront, because it brings forth every weakness and fault we have. And the author has been there. As a former alchoholic, he understands rejection and failure with the best of them. As we read about Manning weakness and the candor with which he speaks of them, our own weaknesses don't seen so difficult to overcome. Manning teaches us how the blood of Jesus covers those weaknesses and God doesn't even see them once He has forgiven us. What a feeling that is! And the author is a master at bringing us to that feeling, a master at drawing you inside yourself to learn more about what is there.
For all those that wonder where God is, they will find Him in the pages of this book. And as a ragamuffin myself, I saw a glimpse of who God is.

Dear readers,
I was browing the web looking for a page of brenning manning and his works, so I came to the store hoping to find a link. I started reading the reviews and most agreed with me that this is a great book. But I am going to say it is only a book. Manning is not presenting any deep theological message. He is not explaining away the worlds problems. He doesn't suggest that he knows all there is to know about God. What he does is present the gospel to those who need to hear it. He is real because he has been there.
I myself do not claim to know much. I would not be able to argue with you about the ins and outs of modern christianity. I do not know debates or answers to a lot of questions. But what I do know is the love of God.
Mannings book, if you read it just for the knowledge in the book, you will probably miss it. You must be in the shoes of Manning. You have to had been at the bottom, not just a one who doesn't know Christ, but one who has. We are ragamuffins. I know that is made clear in the bible. But grace is so amazing because while we were still these ragamuffins Christ died for us. You could argue all day about who Christ died for and how I don't know anything, but all I need to know is the love of God.
Why do I write this review? Honestly I do not remember everything that was said in Mannings book. But God was convincing me of his love for me at the same time I picked up this book. It was a source of encouragement to know that i was not the only one who felt this way. I ask you just to be real with yourself and God and allow him to convince you of his love. Not from a book or a sermon or anything else. I promise if you seek for that you will find it. Thank you.

Furious Longing was the first Manning book that I picked up and I fell in love with the profound simplicity of Brennan's writing. Furious was the doorway to what God was intending to do with Ragamuffin. Sheesh, what an adventure that is turning out to be.

Ragamuffin easily tops the rest of the books from 2011. Well, it might be tied with another but you'll find out about that soon enough. But without a doubt, I'll be revisiting this book for many years to come. Thankful to God for the journey that book brought me on with Him.

You can find more of a review here: [...]

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.

Great read! The Holy Spirit is so awesome in leading those Christ loves into truth! Through reading scripture and a rich Christian experience, I had already come to many of the same conclusions Manning does in his book. Thus, it was refreshing and validating to see that Manning came to the same conclusions about how God really sees us. Being a father helped me understand how much Abba loves me, because I know how much I love my own children. "If earthly fathers know how to give good gifts to their children, how much more does our heavenly father give good gifts to his own children?"

This book is simple yet will redefine and reignite the grace and mercy of God in Jesus Christ to everyone who reads it. Brennan has a great understanding of the grace of God through his own personal struggle that God brought him through and it is clear that he has experienced himself the intense love of God for the sinner. He explains who he wrote the book for - the struggles, the dirty children, the ones who have not been wanting to keep going at times - the tired and beaten. We've all been there - we've all been poor (unless we've been so proud as to not accept our poverty and dispair) and Brennan displays in this book the intense love that God has for us, avaible to us in Christ, when we struggle and are dirty kids before him. It has nothing to do with false or degrading humility but everything to do with accepting our frailty, depravited, sinfulness and struggling and realizing that we stand before a holy, mighty, loving God as struggling, dirty children. The amazing truth is that He knows this is how we are, He died for us while we were like this and He calls us to come to Him just as we are. This book presents the freedom of the gospel of Jesus Christ, renews why He died for us and the truth found if we accept and follow Christ, and the grace given to us through Jesus' cross. This is a must read and be ready for God to work in your heart and your mind to set you free to live captured by the furious love of God.

As I roll along in my personal journey towards or away from God, one thing that's a touchstone is the often heard answer to 'Why do we love God?', 'because he loved us first'.
I suppose it's debatable, maybe we do, maybe we think we should or wish we could.
I think I can see the love of God in Jesus, and I'm encouraged to move in that direction.
Ragamuffins, maybe more than others, might be forgiven for thinking that there is a compassion deficit operating in the world; perhaps the gospel of love has it's strongest attraction there. Correctives to the deficit have come along periodically in history.

The hope is that the response to his love (the power of the holy spirit?) will give us the joy of life, the complete immersion in the living waters, the victory.

Christians, more than others perhaps, insist that God is love.

For the rest, many turn to Machiavelli, or prefer Justice.

When I say 'wonderful', it seems to have little power; but Rich Mullins' music has filled me with wonder. He has done a foreward to this edition (and worked with Brennan Manning elsewhere).

I hope none will be offended if I close out with this from Graham Gouldman of 10CC:

Too many broken hearts have fallen in the river
Too many lonely souls have drifted out to sea
You lay your bets and then you pay the price
The things we do for love, the things we do for love

Communication is the problem to the answer
You've got her number and your hand is on the phone
The weather's turned and all the lines are down
The things we do for love, the things we do for love

Like walking in the rain and the snow when there's nowhere to go
When you're feeling like a part of you is dying
And you're looking for the answer in her eyes
You think you're gonna break up
Then she says she wants to make up

Ooh you made me love you
Ooh you've got a way
Ooh you had me crawling on the floor

A compromise would surely help the situation
Agree to disagree but disagree to part
When after all it's just a compromise
Of the things we do for love, the things we do for love
The things we do for love

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.

There is just something that stays with you when you read a book by Brennan Manning. Before digesting the Ragamuffin Gospel, I had never heard of the author. After reading the book, I was challenged to remove God from the box I had put him in, and I was drawn to explore more of Manning's writings.

The Ragamuffin Gospel isn't just another book that will fill you full of God's expectations, and cram your "to do for God" list full of activities. Nor will the Ragamuffin Gospel remind you of all the Christian things you should be doing for God, and thusly make you feel insecure because you aren't religious enough.

No, the Ragamuffin Gospel kindly, gently reminds us that God is there for us even when we fail, feel like dirt, have bad days, etc.

The Ragamuffin Gospel is counter-intuitive too much of modern Churchianity. It is "burden-lifting", and not "burden-heaping."

My appreciation for the message in this book is overwhelming and resurges if I simply glance at its cover. The writing is intelligent, creative and engaging: Brennan paints a masterful picture of a loving God who reaches out for even (and especially) the worst of us.
To explain why this book spoke so beautifully to my heart, as the saying goes, "the taller you stand the farther you fall". I was for most of my young adult life a devoted and sincere Christian; I loved God and enjoyed His constant presence, was active in college Christian fellowship groups and mission trips and had intended on a life of mission work overseas. But during the year after I graduated from college, unforeseen circumstances - and weaknesses I didn't even know I had - cancelled my plans to "work for God".
Within the next year alone, my disappointment, feelings of being suddenly lost in world in which I'd previously thought to know my place and purpose, and a sudden sense of complete worthlessness left me reeling. I went from being what one might call a cookie-cutter Christian, admired as "shining with the light of Jesus", to struggling through severe depression, abusive drinking, eating disorders and unhealthy relationships. I contemplated suicide and often lied in bed crying with grief over what I thought must be God's deep, deep disappointment in me.
When I was introduced to The Ragamuffin Gospel by a dear friend "who knew me back when", I felt an inexplicable sense of relief after reading just a few pages. I felt I was engaging in a conversation with that rare type of person -- someone who understood how I felt, and better yet, had a sincere answer and hope to share.
In this book, Brennan tells many stories of people he has encountered along with other anecdotes that provide honest emotional moments to which each ragamuffin can relate. The author writes with a sincerity, which the reader comes to understand through his story, that stems from his also having to face inadequacies and disappointments with courage fueled by God's mercy.
This book will not be useful to anyone unaligned with the Christian faith, as its message is very Christ-centered. And for those whose faith is Christ-centered, Brennan points out in his foreword that this book is not for the Christians "who live only on the mountaintop and have never visited the valley of desolation." His proceeding illustrations of Ragamuffins includes this to which I most identify, "It is for the bent and the bruised who feel that their lives are a grave disappointment to God."
My copy of this book, like my spirit, has faded, been tattered and used. I will read it again and again -- it is truly enriching food for the soul.

This is, without a doubt, the best book your gonna get for your buck with the exception of the Bible itself. Manning has made a book for the ages here. I first recommended this book two years ago. It is still my highest recommendation. I'm not joking about this...it is high time for you to get this book.
We either don't know or sometimes forget just how much God loves us all. This book drives this point home in the most remarkable ways. If you want to know freedom, if you want to know love, look no further than these pages...Manning tells us where to get these things by introducing us to the only guy who can give them.
Get this book.

The book is amazing; I don't need to rehash the transforming power it has; that is noted by millions. I am forever changed...

The insights derailed my entire view of my relationship with God. It created in me a willingness to forgive myself...fully. And to fall happily into Abba's loving arms.

However, having been programmed and driven by dogma and fear for so long prior to reading, I often lived to "make up" for my mistakes. I created an identity out of fear of failure, and out of "proving" to others that I was "good". The book removed that need and drive, and for that I am ruined. I no longer have ambitions to prove anything to anyone. In some ways...I'm much lazier. But the peace and freedom of rest found in knowing who I am in Christ and TO Christ, is far better than the losing battle I valiantly fought with myself for two decades before...

Read this book if you're ready for true peace.

As I read this book, I was conflicted in my reactions. I alternated between jotting words of wisdom I found it it into my personal journal, and desiring to label it a work of Pop Psychology and 12-Step Catholicism. Then it dawned on me: This is precisely the great theme of the book. People are ragamuffins before the holy and loving God. We are often well-intentioned but weak, frequently wrong but sometimes right. It is GRACE that recovers us and gives us value, and it is God's grace shining here and there in this volume that makes it worth reading.