Product Description

In his sequel to The Ragamuffin Gospel bestselling author Brennan Manning shows how true and radical trust in God can transform our lives

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #30087 in Books
• Published on: 2002-07-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 190 pages

From Amazon.co.uk
We suffer from the disease of melancholy, the sickness of self-hatred, the darkness of doubt. Yet, author Brennan Manning sees the place of our worst despair as a tangible starting point for the remedy: a ruthless trust in God. In his sequel to The Ragamuffin Gospel, Manning pries us loose from our shame, our mistakes and our doubts, and encourages us to let go and trust God--ruthlessly.

It's been 40 years since author Brennan Manning was "ambushed by God"--and on the far side of despair himself. As a gutter-alcoholic who was completely broken, he found an unshakeable trust in the love of Christ for him as he was then--not as he could be, or is now.

Authenticity with God is critical in developing this trust relationship. In his own inimitable voice, Manning tells us, "Raw honesty with Jesus about our doubts and anxieties, our lust and laziness, our shabby prayer life and stale religiosity, our mixed motives and divided hearts, is the risk we take in the certainty of being acceptable and accepted. It is the full and mature expression of invincible trust". Over the years, this trust ripens into confidence, and bears certain fruit, such as gratitude to God. But it is not always easy, he admits. "Ruthless trust is hanging tough in the dark nights, when we are plunged into desolation but know that absence of God is only apparent".

For author Brennan Manning--and for us, if we choose--ruthless trust is not just a concept, it's a way of life. As Manning observes, "Ill winds may blow, more character defects may surface, sickness may visit, and friends will surely die, but a stubborn irrefutable certainty persists that God is with us and loves us in our struggle to be faithful". Now, that's ruthless trust. You won't fail to be moved. --Cindy Crosby

From Publishers Weekly
Manning, the Catholic-priest-turned-itinerant-evangelist who penned The Ragamuffin Gospel, perceptively addresses the intricacies of trusting God, arguing that to trust in God is to bring God joy. He distinguishes this from intellectual assent to Christian teachings and proposes that when Christians add hopeAthe belief that God will do them goodAto faith, then they trust. He acknowledges the problems of evil and pain that make trust difficult, but calls readers to trust God despite these circumstances. The God in whom Manning urges trust is both transcendent in glory and immanent in Christ. Manning suggests that gratitude is the prerequisite to trust, and grateful trust becomes the antidote to both self-flagellation and self-pity. Because the trust he proclaims is so complete, so perfect, Manning calls it "ruthless." The term ragamuffin, made famous in his earlier title, refers to the brokenness and spiritual poverty of people who need God. Although the titular word threatens a too-precious approach, Manning is in fact intellectually strenuous, and the book highly readable; he tells stories and draws upon religious writers from medieval saints down to such present-day authors as Philip Yancey, Dallas Willard, Frederick Buechner and Richard Foster. (Foster provides the foreword.) Fans of those authors should also appreciate Manning's work, finding his call to ruthless trust both commanding and challenging. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
The ragamuffin in this author's mind is anyone whose low self-esteem and feelings of worthlessness keep him or her from trusting the love of God and the power of a supportive community. The humble author, raised Catholic and given little affection or attention by his parents, has used his pain to create a Christian path for himself that resonates with many readers and students. In this lovely audio, he transcends an unpolished Brooklyn accent by gently putting an arm around his listener and offering the same path. While he doesn't ignore the problem of recognizing sin, his invitation is without bluster and righteousness. The program is an inspirational three hours that all Christian seekers will love hearing. T.W. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

One of Manning's Best
Brennan Manning writes in Ruthless Trust that "trust is our gift back to God." Throughout the book, he identifies reasons why we may have problems trusting God and many more reasons why God is completely trustworthy.

Through autobiographical accounts, stories, quotes, and by drawing from his extensive learning and his tried and tested relationship with God, Manning targets the reader's relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Manning drives the point home that we are loved unconditionally and enormously by God. He emphasizes that we are loved as we are today with all of our weaknesses, imperfections and mistakes. He writes that what gives God pleasure more than anything in creation is a believer trusting that he or she is loved.

Manning's thrust encourages the reader to experience the presence of the Lord in the present. He affirms to us that we do not need to worry about the past or fret the future because our Soul's Sufficiency is with us in the now.

One of the obstacles to trusting God that people face, says Manning, is that we have a distorted perception of God. In this book, he presents a true image of the welcoming, gentle God who died on the cross to be with us.

Manning attacks some of the false images of God that have been presented by the religious over the years. At one point in the book, he summarizes his belief regarding this distortion of God's image:

Thirty-seven years of pastoral experience with Catholics, mainline Protestants, evangelicals, fundamentalists, Seventh Day Adventists, blacks, whites, Asians, and Hispanics tell me unmistakably that many a believer's perception of God is radically wrong. (72)

Manning effectively leads the reader to comprehension of a true image of our God. The God Manning writes about draws us into his presence daily with love and kindness.

Another problem that Manning addresses is the plague of low self-esteem among Christians. He argues that low self-esteem keeps Christians wallowing in guilt and shame and prevents the full acceptance of Christ's redemption. Manning also decries the tone of low self-esteem and insecurity that often underlies religious messages. He shares how such messages condemn listeners and push them from intimacy with the Lord:

From personal experience I can testify that the language of low self-esteem is harsh and demanding; it abuses, accuses, rejects, finds fault, blames, condemns, reproaches, and scolds in a monologue of impatience and chastisement. (16)

Unfortunately, many Christians, like Manning, have been the object of such assaults that lead to self-analysis and doubt in our righteousness in Christ. Manning writes that such messages are in sharp contrast to the words of life continually coming from God.

Manning doesn't imply that Christians should ignore sins; rather, he strives to help us acknowledge our flaws and brokenness, so that we can confess our sins and accept ourselves as Christ does-without condemnation or accusation but with gladness of heart.

He points out that in too many cases in the North American church our obsession with self has led to self-hatred. His words in this book lead us from self-consciousness to God-consciousness. As we turn to God and gain an accurate image of him, we learn that we can trust him through joy and through trials.

I think for all earnest readers, the end result of reading Ruthless Trust will be a stronger willingness and desire to trust God. Through the process of reading the book, readers will find themselves being drawn into the intimacy of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and that is an outcome to be celebrated.

Not For Everyone
Manning is very, very angry at the Catholic Church. As a Catholic convert (and someone who sees both truth and beauty in the Church, as flawed as its memebers--and leaders--can be), I had a difficult time getting past his diatribes against Catholicism. Throwing out every vestige of 2000 years of Christianity isn't the way to reach our culture, but it's a tremendous way for Christians of all stripes to become irrelevant. Manning has some good things to say, but the books I've read also seem to be a chance for him to tap into limitless reserves of anger at the Catholic Church. For me, that kind of unresolved rage gets in the way of the other points he's trying to make about having some kind of "authentic" Christianity.

I still buy yellow bananas!
Anyone out there battling fear, doubt, confusion, worry?
Are we doomed to a tiny shack in heaven far away from our disappointed Savior? Hardly, as Brennan states: "There can be no faith without doubt, no hope without anxiety, and no trust without worry." Brennan doesnt come up with any dazzling new insights but concrete nod your head reminders. Jesus doesn't give us a crystal ball to tell the future. The poor Israelites in the desert had to gather manna for each day not for the week. Day to day trust that manna would appear again. This book is very easy reading and full of stories of people Brennan has met. Written by a fellow sinner, you'll be able to relate to a lot of the battles Brennan fights each day.
" Whether we are novices beginning the journey or veterans so close to the end that we never buy green bananas, whether we be spiritual giants or midgets, the response Jesus seeks is always the same: trust"