It’s probably wise to pause here a minute and answer a question that’s no doubt blinking like a “check engine” light. And far from some kind of sidebar, this is core: How can a person keep relapsing into the same destructive pattern of behavior? Or, to ask the same question using religious language: How can a Christian keep on sinning in the same way? Brennan Manning responded to this question in his classic The Ragamuffin Gospel. Manning was an ex-priest, sought-after speaker, acclaimed author, plus a card-carrying alcoholic. One of his more memorable benders happened after landing at Newark
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