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In the eyes of the world, Jesus was a fool. He did not abide by the rules of his day; the people he associated with were shunned by society; his Sermon on the Mount reads like a primer on being left behind, stepped on, and ignored. In order for us to truly be the people Jesus wants us to be, we too must learn to become "foolish." Becoming a Christian is not a magical enterprise by which we are automatically transformed into better people. We must train to become who God intends us to be. In The Importance of Being Foolish, Manning teaches us how to think like Jesus. By reorienting our lives according to the gospel, we may appear to be fools in the eyes of the world, but Manning reveals that this is exactly what Jesus wants. In a powerful exploration of the mind of Christ, Manning reveals how our obsession with security, pleasure, and power prevents us from living rich and meaningful lives. Our endless struggle to acquire money, good feelings, and prestige yields a rich harvest of worry, frustration, and resentment. Manning explores what Christ's mind was truly focused on: finding the Father, compassion for others, a heart of forgiveness, and the work of the kingdom. Coming from the gentle yet compelling voice of Brennan Manning, The Importance of Being Foolish is a refreshing reminder of the radical call of Jesus and the transforming love of God.
Format: Hardcover
Number of Pages: 224
Vendor: Zondervan/HarperSanFrancisco
Publication Date: 2005
| Dimensions: 8.25 X 5.5 (inches)
ISBN: 0060751657
ISBN-13: 9780060751654
Availability: In Stock
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In the eyes of the world, Jesus was a fool. He did not abide by the rules of his day; the people he associated with were shunned by society; his Sermon on the Mount reads likea primer on being left behind, stepped on, and ignored. In order for us to truly be the people Jesus wants us to be, we too must learn to become "foolish." Becoming a Christian is not a magical enterprise by which we are automatically transformed into better people. We must train to become who God intends us to be. In The Importance of Being Foolish, bestselling Christian author Brennan Manning teaches us how to think like Jesus. By reorienting our lives according to the gospel we may appear to be fools in the eyes of the world, but Manning reveals that this is exactly what Jesus wants. In a powerful exploration of the mind of Christ, Manning reveals how our obsession with security, pleasure, and power prevents us from living rich and meaningful lives. Our endless struggle to acquire money, good feelings, and prestige yields a rich harvest of worry, frustration, and resentment. Manning explores what Christ's mind was truly focused on: finding the Father, compassion for others, a heart of forgiveness, and the work of the kingdom. Coming from the gentle yet compelling voice of Brennan Manning, The Importance of Being Foolish is a refreshing reminder of the radical call of Jesus and the transforming love of God.
Brennan Manning is the bestselling author of many books, including The Ragamuffin Gospel and Ruthless Trust. He leads spiritual retreats in the United States and Europe for people of all ages and backgrounds.
Manning (The Ragamuffin Gospels; Ruthless Trust) lived for two years with the
small religious order called The Little Brothers of Jesus, who dedicate
themselves to manual labor and prayer as they assert that Jesus did before his
public ministry. His latest book is founded in part upon the insights he
gained while with the Little Brothers, and his bare-bones spirituality is
keenly focused on the figure of Jesus. To Manning, a true Christian
concentrates on a unified life invigorated by the Holy Spirit, cued by the
sense of what Jesus would do, even if it seems "foolish." "Life in the Spirit
is the thrill and the excitement of being loved by and falling in love with
Jesus Christ," he concludes. This is a deeply felt and clearly expressed
avowal of faith; for most collections. Copyright 2005 Reed Business
Information.
With his now classic book The Ragamuffin Gospel, Manning set a standard for
powerful writing and no-holds barred personal candor that even his own
subsequent books (Ruthless Trust; The Wisdom of Tenderness), however
excellent, have not quite matched. Here, Manning offers a fiercely provocative
call to arms that exhorts Christians to stop pandering to the things of this
world (wealth, power, influence, pleasure) and instead choose to be so
"foolish" as to follow Jesus. This book is not for the easily offended, as
Manning pulls no punches and does not attempt to soften the radical nature of
Jesus' message. He decries superficial faith and hypocrisy, and points to the
unfortunate prevalence of the shallow Christianity that Thomas Merton once
called "convenient spirituality." In its place, Manning upholds a Christian
faith that is simultaneously hard-line about the intransigent demands of the
New Testament, yet wrapped in grace and mercy, not judgment and condemnation.
Drawing on the Bible (particularly the gospels and the letters of Paul), his
own experiences and thinkers like Paul Tillich, Edward Schillebeeckx, Siren
Kierkegaard and other heavy hitters, Manning proposes an iconoclastic faith
that calls Christians to the dangerous, wild and wonderful abyss of a fully
surrendered life. (July) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
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