Ragamuffin Gospel,Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Upnd Burnt Out

by Brennan Manning

¿Se siente usted sucio, maltrecho y exhausto?

Muchos de los creyentes creen en la gracia de Dios, pero solo en teoría, ya que de alguna manera no pueden aplicarla a la vida diaria. Ellos continúan viendo a Dios como alguien que toma en cuenta nuestras faltas y éxitos, y son anotados en un libro para darnos una puntuación.

En su libro El evangelio de los andrajosos, Brennan Manning nos recuerda que esta manera de pensar está muy lejos de la verdad. Nosotros venimos a Dios mugrientos, sucios y abatidos, pero Dios nos hace sentar a sus pies, nos sonríe y nos hace enternder que somos su especial tesoro y que su amor incondicional arde por nosotros constantemente.

Al abrazar su gracia, entonces podemos disfrutar el verdadero gozo del evangelio, el cual toca a cualquier marginado. Este libro nos enseña

Que Dios nos acepta tal y como somos y no por lo que hacemos.
A entender el verdadero significado de la gracia de Dios y cómo aplicarla
El amor apasionado y obstinado que Dios tiene por nosotros
Este clásico escrito sobre la gracia y como alcanzarla ha cambiado a miles de vidas. Cambiar la suya también!

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Faith, Christianity, Religion, Christian Living, Theology

Paperback

First published December 1, 1990

About the author

Richard Francis Xavier Manning, known as Brennan Manning (April 27, 1934 – April 12, 2013) was an American author, friar, priest, contemplative and speaker.Born and raised in Depression-era New York City, Manning finished high school, enlisted in the US Marine Corps, and fought in the Korean War. After returning to the United States, he enrolled at Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania. Upon his graduation from the seminary in 1963, Manning was ordained a Franciscan priest.[2]

In the late 1960s, Manning joined the Little Brothers of Jesus of Charles de Foucauld, a religious institute committed to an uncloistered, contemplative life among the poor. Manning transported water via donkey, worked as a mason's assistant and a dishwasher in France, was imprisoned (by choice) in Switzerland, and spent six months in a remote cave somewhere in the Zaragoza desert. In the 1970s, Manning returned to the United States and began writing after confronting his alcoholism.

Reviews

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best way I can describe this book is to quote from it:

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"When I get honest, I admit I am a bundle of paradoxes. I believe and I doubt, I hope and get discouraged, I love and I hate, I feel bad about feeling good, I feel guilty about not feeling guilty. I am trusting and suspicious. I am honest and I still play games. Aristotle said I am a rational animal; I say I am an angel with an incredible capacity for beer. 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."

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"The gentleness of Jesus with sinners flowed from his ability to read their hearts. Behind people's grumpiest poses and most puzzling defense mechanisms, behind their arrogance and airs, behind their silence, sneers and causes, Jesus saw little children who hadn't been loved enough and who had ceased growing because someone had ceased believing in them. His extraordinary sensitivity caused Jesus to speak of the faithful as children, no matter how tall, rich, clever and successful they might be."

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"Whatever our failings may be, we need not lower our eyes in the presence of Jesus . . . we need not hide all that is ugly and repulsive in us. Jesus comes not for the super-spiritual but for the wobbly and weak-kneed who know they don't have it all together, and who are not too proud to accept the handout of amazing grace . . . There they are. There we are – the multitude who so wanted to be faithful, who at times got defeated, soiled by life, and bested by trials, wearing the bloodied garments of life's tribulations, but through it all clung to the faith.

My friends, if this is not good news to you, you have never understood the gospel of grace."

[Doreen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book changed my life. Some people may have trouble getting through it because it really challenged a lot of things that you may have held onto tightly for so long. But even if you don't agree with everything (there are a few things here and there), there is a tremendous amount of wisdom that can be gleaned from the author's insight. Upon reading this wonderful book, my eyes were open to a whole new world that I wasn't even aware that they were previously closed to. It knocked me around emotionally and spiritually in ways that I really needed. Now, I find myself less judgmental of others and more open to compassion to those that might be struggling with whatever trials they are facing.
"We see a lot of people and we make assumptions. We listen as their actions and lives speak but do we truly hear and understand what they are going through? Am i really listening or am I just assuming I know and tell em to suck it up?" - Paul Wright

This book teaches about grace. Most people think they know what that means, but it really doesn't show in their lives. I love this book and I hope every one, especially Christians, read it.

[Fergus, Weaver of Autistic Webs · Rating 5 out of 5]

RAGAMUFFINS - that's us!

Oh, I know that in the workaday world we can be robotic humanoids, but we are belied by our brief spontaneous outbursts.

(Whoops! Did You Say THAT!?)

You know what? There's a RAGAMUFFIN in you who's Itching to Break Away from the Yes-Men and Yes-Ladies and be HUMAN!!!

Yes you. Just like me - flawed, gorgeously flawed - and HUMAN.

You know, before the chemicals made me socially acceptable - back when you could dress me up but NEVER take me out - I was an Aspie Ragamuffin.

The meds? A long, sad story... I fought 'em inwardly!

But now I've got a new Retirement Project, now that I'm galloping towards 80...

I WANNA BE A RAGAMUFFIN AGAIN -

And Dance Before God.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this book (written in 1990) thinking, "Okay, author, what are you going to tell me that I haven't read in the authors pumping out books after you?" I had planned to zip through it as quick as possible to check it off the list and put it on the shelf.

It didn't take too many pages for me to realize that this was not that kind of book. This is the kind of book you put on your "I need to reread this every few years so I don't forget how important the message is" shelf.

Brennan Manning's message could be summed up in three words: God is gracious. But don't let that sound cliche. The book teaches that we do not need to think about God as judge, God as condemner, God as needing to be appeased. God is happy just to have our company. God expects us to mess up more than we think we will. That's okay. God loves us anyway. And God knows that love is better motivation than fear anyway. And stop trying to be so self-righteous, because that only takes away from your trust in God. You're just a ragamuffin. Admit it and move on.

The story that will stick with me is the author's commentary on the parable of the prodigal son. The father, waiting for the wayward son to return, does not wait for the son to apologize and say he'll never mess up again before he is smothering him with kisses. All the son needs to do is show up. No eye contact, no speech, just two feet on the road home.

[Devin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was first introduced to Brennan Manning when I read his Above All: He Took the Fall and Thought of Me which is basically an exposition on Michael W. Smith's song "Above All." In that book, I saw some serious problems in his thought, but people assured me that I was simply misunderstanding what he had to say and that Brennan Manning really is a good guy who is faithful to what the Bible teaches. I was told that reading The Ragamuffin Gospel would accurately represent Manning's teaching. If this accurately represents Manning's teaching, he has bigger problems than just some faulty theology.

Being a college student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biblical and Theological studies, I wanted to critically examine this book and weigh everything Manning had to say against the biblical teachings, theology, and doctrine which I have come to find so precious to the Christian life. I was a bit put off when Manning said on page 17, "It [this book:] is not for the academics who would imprison Jesus in the ivory tower of exegesis." Unfortunately, many people would applaud Manning for "sticking it to the man" in saying this. Even more unfortunately, I agree that many divinity schools today put much emphasis on doctrine and theology but not on piety. This statement is only the first showing of his antiestablishment attitude.

Indeed, Manning does not like the "institutional church." He consistently compares learned church leaders to the Pharisees in Jesus' day. By the end of the book, Manning had told me that God's enemies are not the sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, or swindlers of 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, but Manning informed me that the biggest detriment to the church was anyone with a seminary degree who would dare say that there is any sort of life-change required in entering the kingdom of God. This plays into the doctrine of salvation he presented.

Manning does well to say that everyone is a sinner. Everyone is with sin and not a good person. He also does well to inform his readers that sin is people's main problem which prevents God from loving them. He does not do well to answer the question, "What is God's solution to this problem of sin?" According to Manning, God simply overlooks or ignores men's sin and accepts them for who they are. At one point, Manning goes so far to admit that this doesn't seem just according to man's idea of justice and claims that this "irrationality" is what makes God so glorious. This immediately disregards the 500-year-old doctrine of Penal Substitutionary Atonement which says that Jesus' death quantifiably paid for the sin of everyone who would be saved and holds that God's justice is satisfied because his wrath is poured out and that his mercy is displayed in pouring his wrath out on himself in the Son.

The sacred-secular split is another thing which Manning is clear to address. Toward the beginning, Manning speaks against it, saying that it doesn't exist. Later on, he admits that he thinks the gospel is irrational, a thought which he makes clear on page 207, saying, "My only prayer: May Jesus Christ convert us to the folly of the gospel." In book:Escape from Reason: A Penetrating Analysis of Trends in Modern Thoughts|148109] by Francis Schaeffer, the long trail of the sacred-secular split is traced from its very onset. In his book, Schaeffer writes of Soren Kierkegaard who said that the gospel required "a leap of faith" and that the Christian belief is not something that should be considered rational. Well, the irrationality of Christianity would then have no place affecting the rationality of math, science, politics, and literature, and so an irrational-rational split was created which lead to today's sacred-secular split. Manning's type of thinking is exactly what leads to the split which Manning dislikes so much.

In this book, Manning displays his lack of understanding much of church history. I was first alerted to this when he used the term "puritanical" in a negative light. Reading books and sermons by various puritans, anyone can see that these people had profound understanding of Scripture and of the Christian life, but Manning's understanding of them seems to be shaped more by The Scarlet Letter than anything they themselves wrote. Indeed, the sons and grandsons of Puritans were the ones who fought in The Revolutionary War and went on to for The United States of America. He also displays his lack of historical learning when he praises Thomas More for his moral fortitude when he faced his execution at the order of King Henry VIII. What Manning doesn't seem to grasp is that More was executed for his undying loyalty to the Roman Catholic Church (which at that time, the time of the Reformation, was quite corrupt) which Manning thoroughly decries elsewhere in his book.

Finally, Manning is a heretic, and he knows it. Manning consistently lists "condemning the heresy of universalism" among negative responses to his message. When relating the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Manning says that the Samaritan is a "heretic." He doesn't go on to mention the cultural, historical, and theological differences between Samaritans and Jews which would have earned such a title for the Samaritan, but Manning moves on to his next point, leaving the reader thinking that heretics are just people with different opinions about scripture who the church refuses to help. If there was any doubt that Manning isn't making an attack on established ecclesiastical institutions, Manning addresses the negative responses to his book in the appendix entry "The Scandal of Grace: Fifteen Years Later." He doesn't say that such an overwhelmingly negative response from learned churchgoers and seminarians is an evidence that, in fact, might be wrong on some points, but he says that it is evidence of just how hard it is for stuck-up, whitewashed, pharisaical Christians to accept his version of the gospel of grace.

Underlying this entire book is a prideful attitude that anyone who objects to his message is wrong and that he is right. He claims toward the beginning of the book that he reads Scripture without any preconceived notions affecting his interpretation, but, if I haven't made this clear above, Manning has many preconceived notions; indeed, everyone does. This book sits next to The Shack in that it has some very heart-warming stories of men confronting sin and understanding the love of God, but the theological sacrifices one has to make to appreciate the entirety of this book are not worth the read.

For a more organized and articulate critique of this book by someone else, click here.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are interested in the Christian faith but find it self-righteous and restricting, this book might be a refreshing change of pace. This writer definitely refrains from judgement, and makes the case for self-acceptance of your own frailty and affirms that God eagerly takes on "special cases", and he proves we all somehow fall in that category. It is a humble book that gently puts it arms around those who have failed miserably in their faith and yet still want to try to find their way toward their Truth.

[Barnabas Piper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, all the recommendations I received for this over the years were correct with a bullet. What a magnificent book. Some books teach. Some books inspire. Some books reveal. This did all that, but what it really did was help me love Jesus more and know the love of Jesus more. I loved Manning's bluntness and ability to incisively get to the heart of grace and God's love.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book did not pass my 100-page test. I desperately wanted to love it, and it started out seeming so promising. I was worried about the gimmicky 19-step program addendum tacked onto the end, true. And I was worried when I looked on Amazon and saw that the author seems to have made something of a cottage industry of spin-off volumes and workbooks and so forth. The profile of the author, too, seemed a little cheesy and weirdly evasive. Still I tried to put all of that aside and keep an open mind, as I'm always eager to hear about grace, and that seemed to be what this was about.

Well alas, everything good he had to say about the topic seemed to be said in the first 25 pages, and then periodically reiterated. And aside from that, everything there is to say of this nature about grace has already been said better and more eloquently and with more humbleness by Martin Luther or one of his disciples.

Manning, on the other hand, set to work right away on alienating me and creeping me out. I was already starting to get a nasty "Oprah Book Club" vibe off of him, and then on page 48 (in my edition) he dropped in a massive, massive overshare that may have made me throw up in my mouth just a little. I've read far more disgusting things in books (not to mention online) but the random way he just tossed this anecdote in there creeped me out. I felt, honestly, a bit violated to have this "TMI" thrown at me out of nowhere, for no particular reason other than shock effect. At that point, I began skimming, then speed-skimming, to see if it was going to get any better, any less gimmicky or more deep and interesting. It didn't.

At some point I caught him using the term "inner child" and the book was officially dead to me.

Mannning is definitely of the "Jesus was a closet socialist/Jesus was a hippie misfit" school of thought. He beats you over the head over and over again that Jesus likes dropouts (like himself, an ex-Franciscan) and addicts (like himself, a recovering alcoholic) and prostitutes, and lepers. All of this is neatly decontextualized of the actual Gospel context, so unless you know a decent amount about the New Testament you are helpless to refute his various assertations and are likely to just go with them, even when he is seriously erroneous. Manning seems to really have it in for educated people, theologians, people who aren't poor, and especially for the archetypical "upstanding matronly woman." As an educated and decidedly matronly woman I got the impression that he felt Jesus' love and acceptance extended to me, but only grudgingly. Twould be better were I a reformed hooker or some other kind of "leper." As they say, when you have re-created God in your own image...you have committed blasphemy.

Dude even shares an anecdote meant to demonstrate we are to "loosen up." Yes, he told me to "loosen up." This is so junior high school, where being the smart, good kid is "bad" and being the smartaleck, underachiever is "good." I expect more from my Christianity than this upside-down world contrarianism, thank you very much.

[J.S. Park · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's a test for you: While reading this book, were you stirred with compassion or contempt? It will speak volumes about how much you get God's grace.

While not agreeable on every point, Brennan Manning has written one of the most down-to-earth classics of Christian literature. There is a lot to love here amidst some of the shaky theology, and though critics jump in through those cracks with plenty of complaints, there is no denying the wonderful power of the cross in Manning's work. He has drawn a picture of grace bigger and better than any modern Christian author has even remotely attempted.

Let's get this out of the way: Brennan Manning talks about sin. He does not ignore it. Any critic who says so is selectively reading. His story of Max the lying drunk is horrific; it is exactly what sin does to an unrepentant fool. Manning's work is also largely reactionary to the stifling legalism of modern churches. Of course he overwhelms with grace. So did Jesus. If so much grace bothers you, it's possible the book is aiming right at your uptight moralism, just as it did mine.

I was thoroughly challenged on much I had believed about God's love. I always knew the immensity of God's wrath. The Asian community emphasizes more fear and respect for authority than almost any other culture in the world. It has shaped the Asian-Christian church to near-unbearable imprisonment. The book was literally a breath of fresh air for me. Manning makes a razor sharp focus on God's grace because he assumes you have been exhausted by legalities. Of course this can backfire; it will make you uncomfortable if you violently uphold sound doctrine, or if you don't have a healthy fear of God. If you're expecting a balanced work, go pick up a brick of systematic theology. This work makes ONE case. I hope that's okay for some of you doctrine-loving seminarians (I am one).

Manning is talking to real live people with real problems who do not need one more exegesis on all the Greek permutations of an aorist verb. He speaks to broken people drowning in their sinful filth. Like the kind of people Jesus ate with. I loved how Manning spoke to people with real struggles. Doctrine should never be cold and calculating. Please gut check yourself on that, as I did while reading.

There is much to disagree with as well. Concepts of self-love and inner-child and unqualified tolerance are a bit trite and even counterproductive to his writing. He plain stumbles through some of these ideas. But to write him off simply because you find that "detestable" is a little strange. Even arrogant.

When we hear of God's grace, do you feel compassion or contempt? The Ragamuffin Gospel will draw you to one or the other. I can almost guarantee that if you feel contempt, you might be the same way with others, or you will defend yourself about it. In other words, Manning may have achieved his goal: to bring you out of your safe church brain and into the heart of Jesus. As he calls it, the Second Journey. We'd be wise not to shut that down so fast.

[Dixie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a bedraggled, beaten up, messy ragamuffin. I am a former ministry junkie with a bad habit of seeking to please almost everyone and desperately trying to hide my sins from those who expect me to be clean and white-washed as they are. I have fallen and fallen again. Mostly I failed myself. Thank God. It was time for that old life to disappear!

And it was time for me to read this lovely book. I stopped many times to wipe my eyes, to pray for forgiveness and acceptance of mercy and grace and to open my heart to more. It was time to fully accept my ragamuffinness and let God love me anyway. Though I have known this to be true, I had forgotten that the gospel was for me even after salvation was assured.

Through the book, the picture of the Prodigal Son story spoke to me again in a new way. I am currently estranged from my children because of my ragamuffinness. They are refusing to associate with me until I "stop sinning." But my eyes are on the streets as I drive along, my eyes never stop roaming the crowds in stores in hopes of seeing one of them. I want them to drive up and come home to me. But I came to realize in reading this book that I was hoping to "clear the air" when and if they do show up. Now I know that my only response will be gratitude, openness and kisses of kindness and thankfulness. I have no right to ask for more from them or from Abba. I will say, "All is forgotten. Come into the house."


This book will be a gift I give to those I love and those who need my love. I'll likely buy a dozen copies just to keep on hand for anyone who seems to need a cool drink of living water from the Master Himself. he says come, all you who are burdened and ladened heavy with life.

I will come back to The Ragamuffin Gospel again and again when I need that living water to wash over me. I am grateful to Brennan Manning for penning this book. The Spirit still moves in illuminating the purity of God's grace. May it always be.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good book! I really cannot believe it’s taken me this long to get around to it.

[Jenn Raley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have no quarrel with the message of this book. For Christians who are weary of feeling judged and striving to be perfect, Manning's message that God loves us all, no matter what, is an important message.

I just wasn't very impressed with the writing. It was apparent to me that Manning is a really good speaker, and that most likely this book is a conglomeration of stories he would tell as he traveled around to various speaking engagements.

However, the way the personal stories and anecdotes were woven together with observations and exhortations was slightly inartful. Particularly kludgy was the way Manning referenced passages and quotes from other authors - sometimes they were credited within the text and sometimes not; sometimes the may have been genuine, and sometimes probably not. (There was one Thomas Merton quote that could not be found via Google except for the version from this book!)

This is a good book if you need a spiritual pick-me-up, but not if you're looking for deep thinking or strong writing.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a confession to make. Sometimes when I sing songs of worship in church, I wonder why we do this. Is it necessary to tell God over and over how great He is? Isn't it better to go straight to the sermon and learn how to obey God and lead Godly lives?

Now I know why we sing. We sing because God is not just floating above us, He is in us and it is by his grace that we can sing. We sing because there is no point learning how to do good works when it is grace, not works, that saves us.

This book is about the gospel of grace. It tells the message of what Jesus Christ is all about. God knows all my sins, but instead of being a petty bookkeeper counting them one by one, He forgives me. In fact He forgives me even before I repent, so if I hope to gain forgiveness by repenting, I am being a fool. Instead, real repentance is an act of gratitude, to thank God for accepting me with all my flaws, failures and weaknesses. By grace I can accept myself because God accepted me first. Hence there is no reason to deny any of my sins, and every reason to honestly admit them so I gain a better idea of how much God has forgiven me for.

Because it is grace and not works that saves us, I am no better than the worst sinner. Who am I to judge the smokers and the drug addicts when Jesus accepts them to His table? The gospel of grace calls us to forgive and not to judge, for I cannot reject the one that Jesus has accepted. Jesus' words are not to be used against others, but to be taken personally. There is no reason for me to be jealous about those who lead sinful lives yet receive salvation on their deathbeds, for I am no better than them in Jesus' eyes. At the same time, I am not inferior to those who are more holy or more pious than me, for all our works are insignificant compared to God's grace.

To respond to grace, we have to first appreciate it. Grace is everywhere – in nature, movies and people – and it is time for me to stop taking things for granted and to instead open my eyes to wonder at God's grace in commonplace events. Everything is a gift from God. Because I am so unknowledgeable and insignificant, I have no right to impose myself on others. Instead I should learn from others and hear what God has the grace to teach me through them. Look at the world with an open mind and remember that God, no man's law, is first.

Next, we have to be honest with ourselves. I have always struggled with the commandment of not worshipping false idols, because I know that there are many things that I place above God, like food, work or books. Rather than face my guilt, it is so much easier to pretend that I make none of these my idols. But Manning says, "When we give anything more priority than we give to God, we commit idolatry. Thus we all commit idolatry countless times each day." In essence, he knows that he sins, but instead of guiltily avoiding it, he accepts it. Accepting our weaknesses and our inability to overcome these weaknesses makes us dependent on grace to deliver us out of them.

Then we have to trust. We have to trust that the Lord is all-loving and all-forgiving and that he accepts our failures. We reject grace and stop trusting in God when we are unable to let our guilt go. When we are too tired to say anything more than a short, shallow prayer, we have to trust that God accepts, forgives, and is delighted that we even tried. Real trust is not dependent on a response from God. I recently struggled because God didn't seem to be speaking to me, but now I see that this is perhaps a test from God – will I still trust when I can't hear Him? I thought I was doing something wrong, but now I realise God just wants me to wait patiently and He will, by grace, speak to me one day. Trusting God does not mean trusting that He will give us lives free from suffering, but that He will enable us to triumph over suffering. It does not mean that we will stop sinning, but that all things, even sin, will be used for God's good plan.

Finally, we have to love God. We will never be able to love Him as much as He loves us, but He understands. All He asks is that in our own puny ways, we try to love Him in gratitude to Him loving me first. We show gratitude by reading the Bible to understand Him better, and by being generous and compassionate to others, for Jesus says that what we do for the least of His brothers we do for Him.

Grace gives us freedom from the fear of not impressing anyone, even ourselves. Knowing that God accepts me in spite of everything, I am free to be who I am. Because I am nothing compared to Jesus, I can worship freely as well because I have nothing to lose.

I have been wondering about the narrow gate of heaven and the wide gate of hell, and how this can be reconciled with the grace that is extended to all. I think that perhaps though grace has been extended, I still need to accept it. When I remain guilty and refuse to accept God's forgiveness, when I judge others, or when I read the Bible and pray to make God like me more, I reject grace. When I hold people to the conventional methods of worship at my church, I reject the grace that accepts the people behind all forms of worship. When I think that my faith is solid and that I am spiritually mature, my acceptance of God's grace which transcends all understanding dies. It is so easy to reject grace, that is why the gate is narrow. It is like God says "Here is eternal life" and I say "I don't want it".

It is so easy to sin. While I was reading this book, I felt so overwhelmed with God's forgiveness that I couldn't help passing on this forgiveness to everyone around me. When a political leader made a misguided comment, I forgave him amidst the flurry of criticism around me. Then I thought, why can't everyone be as forgiving as me? Why are they so sinful?

That's when I realised my forgiveness had turned into condescension. I started out forgiving in gratitude to God, but ended up forgiving because God says that is how we show gratitude. I had turned from living by grace to living by works. In trying to accept God's grace, I rejected it.

But that is where grace comes in. No matter how much we try to sin, we always end up sinning. Our self-centred human nature compels us to sin. But God understands. He tells us, "Repent, trust in me, and I will teach you to accept my grace."

In future days, I will turn away from God again and again. I will reach spiritual low points when my heart feels apathetic, my life feels empty and God's voice seems absent. But each time, God's grace will carry me back.

I went into this book feeling uncomfortable. I felt like one of the complacently successful people that, as Manning warns in the preface, the book is not meant for. I certainly did not feel bedraggled, beat-up or burnt-out. But as I read, I realised how truly poor in spirit I am, to the extent that I don't even know it. It amazes me that as a Christian from birth I have never understood the central message of God's grace before, and I thank God for showing me - through grace, of course - this book. I pray that He will continue to humble me so that I can truly appreciate the goodness of His grace.

[Nile · Rating 2 out of 5]

I must first say that I agree with some of what Manning says and the underlying premise that we are all filthy, wretched sinners and there is nothing we can do to change that. The issue I take is that you can take this and go two ways:
1. Christ's blood removes my sins and the Spirit dwells in me to give me power for victory in sin, a desire to do battle with sin, and freedom in failures because I know that it was due to my reliance on self rather than Christ.
2. Christ's blood removes my sins and now I will limp along. The final two chapters are entitled "The Victorious Limp" - "The biblical image of the victorious life reads more like the victorious limp." pg182 and then "A Touch of Folly" - "Does it not require a fair bit of lunacy to listen to the loony tunes of the ragamuffin gospel?"

He has gems like: "many of us pretend to believe we are sinners. Consequently, all we can do is pretend to believe we have been forgiven." pg136
"If we weren't sinners and didn't need pardon more than bread, we'd have no way of knowing how deep God's love is." pg 188

Also, there are sooo many stories that do not seem to tie into what he is saying and he only tells a small portion of each one so that I don't really know what he is talking about. Honestly, I think I really did not like his writing style. There was more storytelling than him speaking on his own behalf and random, unreferenced stories outnumbered biblical foundations 10:1 (estimation). Example on page 54 - monk runs from tiger, climbs down a rope from a cliff, sees jagged rocks below, mice chewing the rope above, and a strawberry half way. "If he had been preoccupied with the rock below (the future) or the tiger above (the past), he would have missed the strawberry God was giving him." After multiple readings, I cannot tell you how this fit into what was written before or after this.

[S · Rating 2 out of 5]

I probably would have eaten this book up in college. Would have given it 5 stars and raved about it. But, then, I didn't actually read that much of my Bible back then. Now I read it. All if it. Not just the pretty parts. And I've discovered a multidimensional God who is bigger and more complex than Manning's half-realized sweeping claims at logic and truth. I'm grateful for a loving God. I'm grateful to be saved by grace. But Manning's version of God is a 2 dimensional fairy tale.

[Nathan]

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. Thank you for a book well worth reading.

[Olivia McKain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gosh it is so hard to put into words what “The Ragamuffin Gospel” has meant to me in my life. I try to reread it every year because, as my sister and I joke, that’s about how long it takes for us to forget everything it says. This year I listened to the audiobook. Quick shoutout to Spotify free audiobooks, but I digress. Something about hearing Brennan’s words read to me made me tear up at almost every chapter.

As someone whose default belief is that I need to earn love from the Lord, and pretty much anyone else I interact with, “The Ragamuffin Gospel” has continually spoken to a place of deep need in my heart. Brennan invites us to be honest about our weaknesses and shortcomings, our ragamuffin status, so that we can truly accept how far the Lord’s love reaches for us. I’m thankful for the way the Lord has ministered to me through this book for so many years and would recommend it to everyone!

“One night a dear friend of Rosalyn’s named Joe McGill was praying over this passage in John: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God…. The Word was made flesh, he lived among us…’ (John 1:1, 14). In the bright darkness of faith, he heard Jesus say: ‘Yes, the Word was made flesh. I chose to enter your broken world and limp through life with you.’
On the last day, when we arrive at the Great Cabin in the Sky, many of us will be bloodied, battered, bruised, and limping. But, by God and by Christ, there will be a light in the window and a welcome home sign on the door.”

[Daniel · Rating 1 out of 5]

A feel-good gospel. Many of the points put forth in the book are unbiblical and contribute little towards the discipleship of God's people. Beyond these things, the book gets incredibly redundant after the first couple of chapters. I read this as a part of a small group bible study. While it did provoke discussion, it was generally to refute something Manning had said.

[Brian Eshleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going soft in my reviews. This is my second five-star review in a row. But I think I stored more in my quote bank than I left behind and have got to find room for Brendan Manning at the table of people I want to have dinner with. That's an accomplishment for 240 pages. He would probably like that I made some new friends on Goodreads over statuses from his book that I was eager to share.

[Donald Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG what a great book. This is a simple philosophy, based upon the idea of Grace, of Christianity. It is all positive, kind, tolerant, patient, loving. The concept of LOVE is examined and explained in a way that opens a new vision of the truth of the Christian message or philosophy. The theory here is a wholesale avowed rejection of much of what the Christian Churches seem to say is Christianity. This work is well documented and supported by bible references, is consistent and logical. The book is an inspiring look at this popular religion in a fresh and meaningful way to explain a purpose in life. A very good little book, in simple language and thoughtful construction.

[booklady · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book about the Gospel which has encompassed so many different faith traditions drawing all the threads together in one beautiful creation. The Ragamuffin Gospel has given me a lot to think about and work on in my spiritual life.

What I’m focusing on now is what Manning pointed out as, ‘the greatest sin: to do the right thing for the wrong reason.’* We are all sinners and ‘many of us even pretend to believe we are sinners. Consequently, all we can do is pretend to believe we have been forgiven. As a result, our whole spiritual life is pseudo-repentance and pseudo-bliss.’

Brennan Manning, the author of The Ragamuffin Gospel was an ordained Catholic priest for many years. Although I do not know what happened in his spiritual journey, at some point along the way he broke with the Catholic Church. And yet his writing remains very catholic, i.e., universal. He quotes the saints as well as renowned Christians of all denominations.

It is so unfortunate there is currently this divide between Catholics and Protestants in terms of reading one another’s writings. So much could be learned from each other within a spirit of mutual support and exchange and this could lead to even greater brotherly love for the People of God. The troubles Manning describes with institutional religion cross denominational lines. In that sense he is meeting a genuine need through his books. He reaches out to those who still want to believe but have not encountered Christ when they came to a Christian church.

Manning's pastoral approach to the Gospel is beautiful but he doesn't give any practical ideas for the organization. His focus is one-on-one: active-listening, total forgiveness, real presence ... being Jesus to and seeing Jesus in the other. Mostly we-I-want models for parishes or quick fixes and he is telling us that what we are searching for is a ‘Who’ and He is Christ. Probably I am oversimplifying his message, but this was the central point to which he seemed to keep returning.

As I said in the beginning, he has given me a lot to ponder and to take to prayer. And of course there's that ‘doing the right thing for the right reason’... I suppose I could spend rest of my life working on my motives...

Some other quotes I liked:

‘In conversation, the disciple who is truly poor in spirit always leaves the other person feeling, My life has been enriched by talking with you. This is neither false modesty nor phony humility.’ (p. 81).

‘When we give anything more priority than we give to God, we commit idolatry. Thus we all commit idolatry countless times every day. Once we accept the gospel of grace and seek to shed defense mechanisms and subterfuges, honesty becomes both more difficult and more important. Honesty involves the willingness to face the truth of who we are, regardless of how threatening or unpleasant our perceptions may be.’ (pp. 85-86)

‘When a man or woman is truly honest (not just working at it) it is virtually impossible to insult them personally.’ (p. 86)

‘The way we see other people is usually the way we see ourselves. If we have made peace with our flawed humanity and embraced our ragamuffin identity, we are able to tolerate in others what was previously unacceptable in ourselves.’ (p. 157)

“Be still and acknowledge that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) is not merely a pious suggestion, but a divine injunction. 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—and for some, self-destruction. Time alone with God reveals the unfathomable depths of the poverty of our spirit. We are so poor that even our poverty is not our own: It belongs to the mysterium tremendum of a loving God. (pp. 220-221).

* Manning attributes this quote to T.S. Elliott

[Abby Burrus · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know, there are some books that you read and think, "I've got to own my own copy of this." And this is definitely one of those books for me. Some books you can read over and over, and never get tired of, and they'll always be relevant in some way. I think this will be one of those books for me.
Lately I myself have been learning about grace. A concept which before I didn't think much of, a basic Christian principle. But guess what? I never knew as much about grace as I thought I did. And I think it is something I'll always be learning about.
Honestly, I just... What can I say about this book? It is potent and powerful. And yes, scandalizing. And while I don't agree with every single statement, it does contain powerful truth. So, if you're bedraggled, beat-up, and burnt out, pick up a copy of this.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started out this book expecting to really like it, since I agree with (what I think is) Manning's basic premise: that God loves everyone without exception, without anyone having to earn it, and if we truly understood that we would live differently. I quickly got frustrated, though, with both the writing/organization of the book and Manning's glossed-over theology.

Manning uses a lot of stories to illustrate his points, but only sometimes is the source of the story clear. Sometimes it's no more than a joke (not always a kind one) and sometimes it's made up to illustrate a point, but when he tells you nothing but "One day Suzanne..." it's not clear if Suzanne is a real person he knows or a fictional example. This muddiness allows him to make it seem like life plays out exactly like he says it does, even if the stories are of his own invention.

He also frequently — and I mean very frequently — uses block quotes from other authors and from his own writing with no attribution other than an endnote, so that it starts to feel not that he's supporting his arguments with well-turned phrases from others but that he's actually building the bulk of the book out of pasted-together passages from other places.

What most frustrated me, though, was Manning's sloppy exegesis and theology. He says in his follow-up that he's been attacked for not talking enough about sin and morality, but that's not exactly my issue. He conflates God's love with salvation to such an extent that, though he alludes several times to the fact that he doesn't believe in universalism (everyone goes to heaven) it's hard to know what else to take away from the book. Manning includes a long list of quotes from Paul about grace, but conveniently ignores Jesus' own words about the sheep and the goats. At times he even quotes things like Jesus saying, "Unless you become like a little child..." but ignores the fact that Jesus is making a distinction — one could even say a threat — that not everyone will "inherit the Kingdom." In the afterword, Fil Anderson shares Manning's assertion that "when each of us stands before the Lord, He will ask us one thing and one thing only: 'Did you trust Me when I told you that I love you?'" That's the closest we get to Manning admitting that he doesn't think everyone will get into heaven, but it's not even in the main text and it's not supported by Scripture.

So does Manning believe that we need to care for the least of these? It's not entirely clear. At one point he tells the story of a woman who told him she felt called to work in a soup kitchen, and he chastised her that she had invented this calling because she didn't think that being a mother was enough, something I found weird to say the least. Of course, Catholic theology ties together the idea of God's love and mercy with the importance of living out one's faith, but Manning, who is virulently anti-Catholic in this book, would reject that as being legalistic and living in the Law (even though it's not at all the same as saying you can save yourself through your works). And so he necessarily has to avoid touching on any of the Bible verses that threaten his personal theology extrapolated from Paul's words about grace.

I do think that Manning has a lot of good things to say about God's love and our difficulty with comprehending it. I think that, had he been willing to take some of the seeming contradictions from Scripture on rather than ignoring them, I would have been willing to listen. But in his personal anger toward Catholicism and his fear of anything seeming to contradict his beliefs, he put together a book that I found primarily exasperating.

[Jim Dressner · Rating 4 out of 5]

"In these pages, I have stuttered and stammered in a halting attempt to hint at the shattering reality of the furious love of God." So the author describes his intent and provides an apt, one-line summary of the book.

Written against the backdrop of the author's legalistic upbringing (as well as all-too-frequent encounters with judgmental Christians), this book effusively champions the grace of God. Sometimes the writing soars; occasionally it stumbles; but it always retains its sincerity and its heart. While it is easy to quibble with the author on some points, he makes a persuasive case for God as an eager-to-love parent who is thrilled with his children.

Well worth reading--and probably re-reading every few years.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up and Burnt Out. And, I don't care what anyone says, ALL OF US are ONE of those at one point or another in our lives. If you are shaking your head "not me" then please read this book to have the rose washed off your frames. :)

I was reading this book when I read The Shack and there are element and themes that are similar in both books, but this one is not listed as a work of fiction (be cause it is not).

[Faye · Rating 1 out of 5]

Blah....

If I had read this 5 years ago, I would have appreciated it, probably. But since then, I've done a lot of Bible reading and studying and ... I just can't agree with some of Manning's statements and thoughts and Theology.

[Eric Reidsma · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found it very difficult to read, it lacks structure and seems to go around in circles. The sin doesn’t matter theology reminded me of the Rob Bell "there is no hell theology". I didn’t like it.

[Oceana Reads Co. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am happy to report that I am a ragamuffin!

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that there were a lot of important messages and things to ponder in this book. Manning starts off the book by talking about faith.

He says "Most Americans would define faith as the belief in the existence of God. In earlier times, faith had to do more with one’s relationship with God and rather, if one trusted in God." The first is a matter of the head, the second is a matter of the heart. The first can leave us unchanged, the second leaves us intrinsically changed.

He talked about a lot of things that made me pause and assess my own beliefs and how they aligned (or didn't) to the Good News.

"Hypocrisy is the natural expression of what is meanest in us all."

"Indecision means that we stop growing for an indeterminate length of time. We get stuck. A sad Christian is a phony Christian and a guilty Christian is no Christian at all."

"The Christian with depth is the person who’s failed and learned to live with it. Procrastination is perhaps the worst, most damaging sin of all."

On the downside, I did notice some Scripture being twisted to suit his narrative. Manning recalled that in Mark 10:13-16, the story where the disciples were trying to turn away the children whose parents wanted them to see Jesus, that he "silenced the [disciples] with a withering glance," even though the actual Scripture passage never mentioned the "withering glance."

I'm not sure if he was imposing his own views of Jesus' words for us to "become like little children" or whether his beliefs can be directly extracted from Scripture and I think this would be confusing and/or misleading for someone who doesn't have an extensive background in biblical knowledge.

For being a book on the Christian faith, there was very little reference to Scripture in this book. The book mostly centered around anecdotes from the author's own life as well as those collated from outside sources. This book seems to be Christian light, the Young Life of outreach books, not so much intended for longtime believers but for ones who are dabbling in the faith but are unsure whether or not to make the jump. If this is Manning's intention, I'm not sure how successful this book will be in being the impetus to cause a reader to make a declarative decision about their faith.

[Miriam · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author does help his readers understand God's grace. For some (as I see from so many 5 star reviews) this has been life changing. I have read several other books on grace which I would recommend before this book. For me, this message was not new.

However....I found the writing style boring, the content repetitive, and the illustrations at times confusing. More importantly though I had a growing uneasiness as I went through the book which initially I found it difficult to put my finger on. Despite the subject matter being grace, I felt increasingly condemned! Manning points out how the church has often failed people by being overly judgmental and not showing grace, but I am a part of the church and strongly identify with it. Where are his examples of churches trying to get it right? There is an individualistic feel to the book, but I am part of the body.

More of my uneasiness comes from his avoiding talking of the seriousness of sin, the need for repentance and discipleship. He presents only half of the gospel, which is not the gospel at all. In his efforts to make everyone, regardless of their past, understand that they are accepted by God's grace, Manning seems to condone sins which the Bible clearly condemns.

And finally his comments on science I found shocking, and ignorant. Manning says to the effect, "The more you understand science the less you wonder at the God of creation". As a scientist the exact opposite has been true for me. The more I have understood science, the greater my wonder and worship of the God who created it all.