Title: The Ragamuffin Gospel

Author: Brennan Manning

Pages: 215

Release Date: 1990

Ease of Reading: Medium

Nonfiction

The Ragamuffin Gospel is a book all about grace. This is because Brennan argues that Jesus is all about grace. It's a very easy reading book, yet I found myself dog earring many pages because there were points I wanted to come back and consider. Examples:

Like a child:

It is important to remember the Jewish attitude toward children in first-century Palestine if we are to grasp the full force of Jesus' teaching here. In the present day, we tend to idealize childhood as the happy age of innocence, insouciance, and simple faith, but in New Testament times the child was considered of no importance, meriting little attention or favor. "Children in that society had no status at all - they did not count". The child was regarded with scorn

For the disciple of Jesus "becoming like a little child" means the willingness to accept oneself as being of little account and to be regarded as unimportant.

Jesus had a home?

Thorough biblical research indicates that Jesus either had his own home in Capernaum or at least shared one with Peter, Andrew and their families. Undoubtedly in his ministry as an itenerant evangelist, Jesus often slept on the side of the road or stayed with friends. "The Son of man has nowhere to lay his head" (Matthew 8:20). But we may have taken this statement too literally. "It is difficult to understand how Jesus could have been accused of entertaining sinners (Luke 15:2) if he did not have some kind of home in which to do so."

More blessed are the sinners? (I think there's a blog floating around on this)

These sinners, these people you despise are nearer to God than you. It is not the hookers and thieves who find it most difficult to repent: it is you who are so secure in your piety and pretense that you have no need of conversion. They may have disobeyed God's call their professions have debased them, but they have shown sorry and repentance. But more than any of that, these are the peope who appreciate his goodness: they are parading into the kingdom before you: for that have what you lack - a deep gratitude for God's love and deep wonder at his mercy.

And sinners we are:

The spiritual future of ragamuffins consists not in disavowing that we are sinners but in accepting that truth with growing clarity, rejoicing in God's incredible longing to rescue us in spite of everything.

Impressing who? On saying grace:

She lowers her eyes and says contritely, "There's not much to tell. I say grace before meals."

Haughtily, I reply, "You say grace before meals! Isn't that nice, Madam. I say grace upon waking and before retiring, and grace again before reading the newspaper and turning on the television. I say grace before ambulating and meditating, before the theater and the opera, before jogging, swimming, biking, dining, lecturing, and writing. I even say grace before I say grace."

That night, soggy with self-approval, I go before the Lord. And he whispers, "You ungrateful turd. Even the desire to say grace is itself my gift."

The subtlety of religion

The choice usually presented to Christians is not between Jesus and Barabbas. No one wants to appear an obvious murderer. The choice to be careful about is between Jesus and Caiaphas. And Caiaphas can fool us. He is a very 'religious' man.

And there are other points. In the end, I don't agree with everything he says. I do feel he's heavy on grace (and apparently he felt that way to an extent too, since that's what the "Word After", the afterwod addresses). However there is certainly enough thinking material here to make it an interesting and thoughtful read.