With much ease and confidence, believers casually use any one of a myriad of different adjectives to describe the grace of God, yet all too often, without invoking a genuine sense of wonder or amazement. In this wonderfully written book, The Ragamuffin Gospel, Manning surgically peels back the layers of our own internally constructed theology about God’s grace, until finally exposing it’s cynical and at times, faithless core. Do we truly trust the grace of God to cover all of our sins? Our past, present, and even future blunders? Does He really summon us into His loving embrace even after we’ve burned through relationships, been financially irresponsible and reckless, rude and manipulative, even destructive and self-seeking?

Sharing from the perspective of a recovering alcoholic, Manning unearths his own life experiences as a testimony of the fact that the gospel comes to us all, first and foremost, as the good news of God’s love for us as we are. Without shying away from the necessity for true repentance, Manning asserts that it is only when we are totally honest with ourselves about our status as ragamuffins before God that His grace can start to work within us. With tenderness and clarity, Manning opens the door to all of those wounded, guilt-ridden and bedraggled individuals who have kept God at arm’s length, to experience afresh, or for the first time, the wondrous, enduring, and amazing grace of God.  

This timeless message is key to experiencing God through the gift of His grace. Not by works or habitual Christians traditions, but simply by breathing in the truth of His acceptance of us, and His gentle summons to throw off weariness and anxiety, and to rest in His presence. With sincerity and a touch of wit, Manning restores the colours and depth to the portrait of grace, allowing us to revel in the truly miraculous work of the Cross. 

Buy the book here.