Grace for Shame: The Forgotten Gospel

by John A. Forrester

The Christian Church in the western world is skilled in ministering grace for guilt. And so we should be. The Christian message is the good news that Jesus Christ, by his sacrifice on the cross, has paid the penalty for our sin and removed our burden of guilt. But what about those who are burdened with shame? Does the Christian Gospel offer anything for shame? Well it turns out that once we begin to ask the right questions we discover that the Bible has a lot to say about shame. We discover that Jesus ministered (and still ministers) grace for shame as well as grace for guilt. And we, as pastors, are invited to participate with God in this broader ministry of grace-grace for shame, as well as grace for guilt. This book explores three questions: What is the nature of shame? What does the Bible have to say about shame? And what are the practical implications of this for the life of the church and for pastoral ministry? If you have ever puzzled over why the Christian Gospel doesn't seem to connect for some people this book may be for you. It turns out that the grace of God is richer and deeper than we, wearing our western-culture spectacles, may have realized. For people who are burdened more by shame than guilt, we have good news also. Are we willing to take a second look at the Scriptures, and consider this forgotten gospel?

Genres: Nonfiction

284 pages, Paperback

First published May 25, 2010

Reviews

[Wayne]

I have been reading on shame and honour for a number of years. What I liked most in the end was how he tried to bring together anthropological, psychological, theological and biblical issues to bear. His emphasis being on how all those come to bear on ministering to people in a Church context. It’s not a perfect book, but then that’s a shame inducing way to think about it. Maybe I just need to say I am finding it very helpful.

[Ben Cooper]

I had high hopes for this book, as I do think shame is a neglected issue (both theologically and pastorally). There are some helpful parts, but in the end it was quite frustrating.