Monday, April 24, 2017

Book Review: The Ragamuffin Gospel

Title:  The Ragamuffin Gospel
Author:  Brennan Manning
Publisher:  Multnomah
General Subject Matter:  Christian Living, the Gospel 
First Copyright:  1990
Type:  Hardback
Price:  US $19.99/25.99 CAN
Image result for the ragamuffin gospelISBN: 978-1-60142-868-4

The purpose of The Ragamuffin Gospel is to provide the reader with a different image of an individual’s relationship with God in juxtaposition to the popular concept of God’s acceptance of individuals. The author gives us his purpose statement in the section he has entitled, “A Word Before.” The author states that the purpose of the book is to bring comfort to what he calls “the bedraggled, beat-up, and burnt out.”
The theme of The Ragamuffin Gospel is that salvation or redemption is not earned by anything that an individual can do. However, the author does not seem to have an understanding of the true gospel revealed in the Scriptures.
This book propagates a false gospel. The author was a defrocked Roman Catholic priest. He has written extensively on subjects that have been deemed to be heretical by main stream Christianity.
There are several problems within this book. I will list some problems without developing them either from the author’s viewpoint or from a Scriptural refutation.
In relation to salvation there is no mention of repentance, there is no reference to a new birth or regeneration as outlined in the Scriptures. The author promotes a type of special “sealing” that takes place during infant baptism.
Additional problems with this book include the author’s approach to redemption and sanctification from a psychological viewpoint. A major problem is the fact that Manning quotes from false teachers and philosophers such as Paul Tillich, Carl Jung, Beatrice Bruteau, Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton, Francis MacNutt and others.
An example of his false teaching is found on page 120 of his book where Manning states, “To evangelize a person is to say to him or her: you, too, are loved by God in the Lord Jesus.” (The Ragamuffin Gospel, 2nd edition, 2000, p. 120). This is not the gospel. It is not the way to evangelize those who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ. The gospel includes that fact that men are loved by God, but they are dead in trespasses and sins and must put their trust in the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary.

There was nothing about this book that I liked or could recommend. It is amazing that this book was published and more amazing that it has found a “reception” in mainstream Christianity.
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I received a free copy of The Ragamuffin Gospel for this review. I received nothing else nor was I required to give a positive review. This review is my own thoughts and opinions. 

3 comments:

nashvillecats2 said...

An unusual post for you Gregg but nonetheless worthy of a read.
This sounds like an excellent book to read and wish the author all the best of luck.

Yvonne.

Persis said...

I read this book several years ago when it was given to a family member who was a young and impressionable believer at the time. I agree with your concerns. It gives false assurance that someone can be accepted by God without the need for repentance and faith in Christ's atoning death.

Paul G said...

Hi Gregg, I think that is called another gospel (2 Cor. 11:4).