Ragamuffin Gospel

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.

I love this cd its awesome everyone I let hear it buy it

good

Very inspirational.

This is one of the best books I have ever discovered in my life. This Audio version is great but I would have liked to hear Brennan Manning's voice instead. That would have made it even better.

I've heard tons of people talk about this book, so, of course, I had to read it. As a young person in his middle 20's, I think I'm a little outside of this book's target audience. Not that there really is a "target" for most Christian books, I just felt his examples and wording a little "old" for me. Also, the whole emphasis on grace got a little long after a while, in my opinion.

Other than that though, this was a solid book for both believers and non-believers.

I just read the ragamuffin gospel by brennan manning. It is an encouraging book for those of us who call ourselves believers. Yes, we are all indeed ragamuffins in need of a Savior. Thanks for writing this book for us to be encouraged by. You can tell that much research was put into the writing of this book. Easy to read, but yet still deep enough to make you think.

~I received this book free for review from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group, and was not encouraged in any way to give a positive review.

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.

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.

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