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The Grace Effect: How the Power of One Life Can Reverse the Corruption of Unbelief
 
 
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The Grace Effect: How the Power of One Life Can Reverse the Corruption of Unbelief [Paperback]

Larry Alex Taunton (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (110 customer reviews)

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Book Description

November 15, 2011

"Simply defined, the 'grace effect' is an observable phenomenon-that life is demonstrably better where authentic Christianity flourishes."

What does Christianity give us beyond televangelists, potlucks, and bad basketball leagues?  Not much, according to the secular Left.  The world, they say, would be a better place without it. 

Historian and Christian apologist Larry Taunton has spent much of his career refuting just this sort of thinking, but when he encounters Sasha, a golden-haired Ukranian orphan girl whose life has been shaped by atheistic theorists, he discovers an unlikely champion for the transforming power of grace. 

Through the narrative of Sasha's redemption, we see the false promises of socialism; the soul-destroying influence of unbelief; and how a society cultivates its own demise when it rejects the ultimate source of grace.  We see, in short, the kind of world the atheists would give us: a world without Christianity-cold, pitiless, and graceless.

And yet, as Sasha shows us, it is a world that is not beyond the healing power of "the grace effect."  Occasionally infuriating, often amusing, but always inspiring, The Grace Effect will have you cheering for the courageous little girl who shamed the academic elitists of our day.

"This highly readable book is a collection of powerful insights into the long-term consequences of spiritual indifference and, above all, a remarkable example of how to conquer it."

- Dr. Olivera Petrovich, research psychologist, University of Oxford

 

"What would a world without Christianity look like? We don't have to guess because such a world does exist: it exists in the current and former Communist bloc. Through the inspiring story of a little girl born in Eastern Europe and now living in America, Larry Taunton draws a sharp contrast between the life-giving influence of Christianity and the worn out theories of atheism and radical secularism.  The effect--The Grace Effect--is nothing less than powerful and moving."

-- Dinesh D'Souza, former White House policy analyst, fellow of the Hoover Institute at Stanford University, and current president of Kings College  


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Product Details

  • Paperback: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Thomas Nelson (November 15, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1595554408
  • ISBN-13: 978-1595554406
  • Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (110 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,929 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Larry Alex Taunton is founder and Executive Director of Fixed Point Foundation, an initiative dedicated to defending and promoting Christianity in the public square. In that role, he has engaged some of the most vociferous critics of the Christian faith.

In addition to producing several Fixed Point films, Larry, along with his team, launched LookUp316.org in February 2011, a project that put the hopeful message of John 3:16 before a Super Bowl audience. He has been a frequent guest on a variety of television and radio shows, and has been quoted by the New York Times, USA Today, the Daily Mail, Atlantic, and Vanity Fair, among many other newspapers and magazines. When not writing, teaching, or producing, Larry travels widely, speaking on issues of faith and culture. He and his wife, Lauri, have four children and live in Birmingham, Alabama.

 

Customer Reviews

110 Reviews
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4 star:
 (22)
3 star:
 (5)
2 star:
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1 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (110 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected, Fascinating perspective, Could not put it down, October 31, 2011
This review is from: The Grace Effect: How the Power of One Life Can Reverse the Corruption of Unbelief (Paperback)
I loved this book and could not put it down. "The Grace Effect" was certainly NOT what I was expecting. I picked the book up because I knew a bit about the author and his work at Fixed Point. I expected an interesting, though maybe somewhat dry evaluation of the impact of God's common grace on a society. I thought I would sit down for a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon and read through a few sections and put it back on my bookshelf. What found instead was a fascinating blend of history, the theology of true christian grace (as opposed to Religion) and the reality of a little girls life (and her hope) in the face of an ungraceful society.

I read completely through the entire book - essentially in one sitting - even reading long sections of it to my wife and daughters. It is a book well worth your money and time.
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14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Intellectual and beautiful, November 1, 2011
This review is from: The Grace Effect: How the Power of One Life Can Reverse the Corruption of Unbelief (Paperback)
Larry Taunton and his wife decided to adopt a Ukrainian orphan girl named Sasha when their three sons were teenagers. Little did they know that the process would be arduous and exhausting because of the officials they'd have to work with. But through all the turmoil of dealing with not-so-friendly government agencies, Larry learned a little bit about common grace, God's love, and the way that Christians make a difference in their world.

This book actually has several major themes and components. One is the heartwarming story of a family adopting a 10-year-old girl they love, then there's the author's observations about the social differences between former Soviet countries and America, and finally there's the Christian theme of the book and the idea that purely atheistic countries are missing out on a fundamental type of love and consideration for the weakest members of their society.

I was pleased by the intellectual tone of this book, as well as by its accessibility and humor. The author is clearly a very well-educated man with a broad vocabulary and a good understanding of complex issues, but he also breaks down his points in a way that anyone could understand. And there were several moments where I laughed out loud, because the sheer craziness of the adoptive process was just unreal and the author kept his sense of irony intact.

Examples of the adoption-process craziness: 1. For Ukranian adoptions, adoptive parents spend an average of 36 days in the country, and often longer. The Taunton family stayed at a hotel run by people who demanded that they pay the full rent amount for their entire stay up-front, even though they had to guess at how long they'd be staying. Though the family was promised a full refund for any unused days, they had to haggle extensively to get even a half refund plus a coupon they'd never use. 2. Adoption officials refused to give the family even the most basic paperwork until they gave them a monetary bribe. The officials insisted that the bribes be called "gifts". 3. The orphanage where Sasha stayed became very picky about Sasha's treatment, but only after someone was interested in adopting her. The orphanage often fed its children rotten food, but they still chided her adopted family for feeding her a McDonalds' happy meal. They wanted to make sure that the Taunton's had a high income and a large home, while their own facilities forced the children to use the bathroom in a stall-less room with holes in the ground.

One of the most important parts of The Grace Effect is the emphasis on what Christianity does for a nation. America is not a Christian nation, but number-wise there are a lot of Christians in it. And what do Christians do? Most of the non-Christians I have met either think that Christians are nice, harmless people or they think that Christians are bigoted people who like to shame and condemn others. The author shows the difference between people who call themselves Christians and people who actually follow Christ (if you truly believe in Jesus, you will do the things that please him), and the differences between a state influenced in some way by Christianity and a state influenced by atheism. On a national level, not believing in God means that the state is your higher power and the common man has no means by which to judge the actions of the state. Soviet countries were pretty severe in their support of a God-free society, and part of their legacy is a collection of impoverished countries where there's not really a lot of "love thy neighbor as thyself" going on.

People might think that this is a Ukraine-bashing book, but it's certainly not intended to be. Yes, after reading this book I've decided that Ukraine is not a place I ever want to see, but the author isn't trying to speak out against the country itself, but against the attitudes of a whole mass of people who were raised to ignore the weakest members of their society and look out for their own best interests. I was very blessed by this adoption story-slash-work of Christian apologetics, and I'd recommend it to any reader who wonders what good Christianity actually does in our world.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An Unorthodox Blend of Memoir and Reflection, October 29, 2011
This review is from: The Grace Effect: How the Power of One Life Can Reverse the Corruption of Unbelief (Paperback)
The Grace Effect is a moving yet thoughtful critique of the popular ideas driving the New Atheism and its attack on religion. Told through a narrative perspective, Taunton's approach is slightly unorthodox as it blends the theoretical with the practical, moving memoir with thoughtful reflection. In this sense, the methodology itself is a critique of today's atheistic theorists like Dawkins and Hitchens who so often talk about atheism like it's a new idea that has no track record in society and history. The thesis is bold and it is an original contribution to the modern discussion of Christianity's place in public life. As such, it occupies an important spot and should be taken seriously by any person who is looking to thoughtfully engage in this debate.

Whether you ultimately agree with Taunton's conclusion or not, his telling of the history of Ukraine and the rise of the orphanage system is worthy of reflection, and it's almost impossible not to love Sasha - the little girl who remains strong in spite of her terrible surroundings.
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