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Ruthless Trust: The Ragamuffin's Path to God

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Most people who are aquainted with Brennan Manning have read The Ragamuffin Gospel. The Ragamuffin Gospel showers us with the love of God, in ways that most of us have never experienced before. In the Ragamuffin Gospel, we begin to accept ourselves, but more importantly, to accept that God truly does love and accept us as we are.

But then what? I know that I am loved by God, and I am beginning to love myself a little because of that fact. But what do I do when darkness overtakes my life, when unjust things happen, or when I become apathetic about the Christian life? This book sends us deeper into the world of a loving God, deeper into the involvement of that God in our lives. One of the main lessons I have taken from it is that if I am to trust God when things get difficult, I need to focus on His attributes daily when things are going well. The Word tells us in so many ways that God loves, protects, and sustains us, that He is attentive and aware of our needs and hardships. This book will get you thinking more about the attributes of your God.

Manning writes that we cannot will ourselves to trust God. Trusting God comes from years of learning of Him, of seeing Him act, and of reading His Word. This kind of trust is ruthless, because we begin to trust God even when the storms overtake us. It's ruthless because it appears to be crazy, and we may even feel crazy when we trust God radically.

It took me a while to get into this book. Some points seem overemphasized and go on for pages, but they are effective in the end. The concepts in this book will ring true in your spirit. You probably know them, but have never put them into words. Most of us have never been challenged to develop this kind of trust, but we have been slowly developing it as a result of our relationship with God. This book shows us what it looks like to have a living, active trust in loving Abba. It challenges us to grow faster and deeper towards abandon to that "reckless raging fury" of which Rich Mullins sings.

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.

Craig Stephans, author of Shakespeare On Spirituality: Life-Changing Wisdom from Shakespeare's Plays

Once again Brennan Manning, through his uncanny ability to tell stories and cut into the heart of the reader, has produced a challenging and practical guide to life as a disciple of Jesus. Ruthless Trust challenges the reader to a new understanding of how trusting in the loving character and nature of God affects our thoughts, emotions, and actions. No one can read this book and go away unchanged.

Brennan Manning has written another wonderful book that challenges the Christian community to re-think its ideals, and more importantly, actions. Manning urges individuals who read this book to exist in the moment, trusting God for the grace we need for forgiveness from the sins of the past, as well as the provision we need for the demands of the future. This having been said, however, he spends much of the book talking about how it is not that simple, and is admirably unafraid to approach the dark areas and periods of his own life and the lives of those he uses as illustrations, as well as the concepts which many of his contemporaries have avoided. (How do we trust when we lose a family member, or when some other human tragedy occurs?)

Manning's anecdotes about people of faith, and everyday "ragamuffins" are both inspiring and well-chosen in support of his points. This book is, necessarily, a bit more philosophical and abstract than was "The Ragamuffin Gospel", but his style is remarkably similar, and his passion unmistakably clear.

Manning's words are rooted in the words of Christ; throughout the book he refers to the teachings of Jesus as the most important aspects of contemplation, maintaining that they, and His example, are the only standard worthy of emulation.

This is a book well worth reading, and, like its predecessor, it is bound to cause theological controversy because of its straightforward ideas about the fundamental character of God, as well as its implications for the lives of individuals who read and seek to apply its truths.

If you read this book, and you are a follower of Christ, you will be challenged out of the box like you probably never have been before. Brennan Manning has once again woven together his words in a way that will not leave you without a lot of questions. Brennan shares once again his incredible stories of personal trial and reaching for a God who does not always seem to be close. This book really challenged me to evaluate where I was with my faith, and who I was really trusting, God, or myself and my abilities.

Brennan has a simple yet brilliant concept that has been echoed over and over again throughout the centuries, God loves us, and there is nothing we can do about it. Manning calls us to go past faith into Ruthless Trust, this, I don't think will be easy to do, but we are commanded to try none the less.

Thanks to Brennan for his challenge and continued dealing with the tough issues of Christianity. Issues that many other authors do not, or choose not to deal with.

This is a good read, I guarantee it.

This is an amazing book. If you have ever felt like you can't trust God to take care of you read this book. If you've ever dealt with worry or fear this book will change your life. Brennan Manning is such a gritty, honest author who isn't afraid to expose his faults to his reader. This is one of my all time best picks.

Brennan Manning has written an excellent new book to complement his theme of "embracing the unconditional love of God". Ruthless Trust is eloquent and soul-gripping. Much of the material is not terribly different from his other books (particularly Ragamuffin Gospel), but it is written to address the more specific call of LIVING in uncompromising trust in God.

After spending a few minutes with this book , I found my idea of God refreshed and expanded. Brennan has a contagious belief in a God who is beyond our wildest imaginations.

One of the most significant ideas in this book is that "trust is our gift back to God. In fact He finds it so enchanting that He died for love of it." God as the Ageless Romancer comes alive in Brennan's writing.

I've been using this book in my interactions with several people that I meet with one on one, and it has been profoundly impacting.

Brennan Manning, a simple message, and a good book. God loves us, no matter what we do, or do not do. Brennan hammers this theme home in many of his books, and this book is no exception. This book made the trip with me to LA from Minneapolis and was a quick read that required a lot of contemplation after the reading was done. Do I have a ruthless trust in God? Will I let God into my life fully? These are questions Brennan demands that we ask.

This book is a great part of any spiritual journey. Manning is an honest man, and his heart shines through this work. I have never had the privelege of hearing him speak in person, but I know if he speaks anything like he writes, it would be great.

I started reading Ruthless Trust with great excitement. As a matter of fact, after reading the first several chapters I encouraged several friends to purchase it. Having now completed the book I must say that I am somewhat disappointed. What clearly started as a book with a great deal of heart became, at times, rather academic and esoteric. Manning is to be commended for acknowledging how his tendency to "expostulate" and offer explanations "filled with profound theological, spiritual, and psychological insights" may distract from his primary, heartfelt message. When Manning is caught up in his "pathetic obsession with crafting this modest little book into a spiritual masterpiece" I'm afraid he leaves many of his beloved ragamuffins in the dust. Like the rest of us, Manning is best when he lives and ministers out of his brokenness - when he spares us his theologizing and philosophizing and invites us into his broken heart.

Mike Mason, in The Gospel According to Job, sums up much of what Manning is saying in two sentences: "The work of Jesus is to lead us out of ourselves, out of the stale confines of our minds, and into the arena of mystery - of spirit, of tears and of blood, of thunder and of the great silence of God. His work is to engage our souls in that most terrifying of all human ventures: trust."

For the reader who is drawn to men and women who minister out of their brokenness I would highly recommend the writings of Henri Nouwen. In particular, I would recommend The Inner Voice of Love as it speaks to some of the themes raised by Manning in Ruthless Trust.

The Christian book market in the United States is booming. So... it goes to reason that many books of variable quality will arrive on the shelves and probably won't have a long shelf life...and a number of authors will be working on newer books that, the truth be told, probably don't have to be written, yet are as the authors have found a new artistic niche. It is also the case that some authors are not really natural writers, but are good communicators.

This last point, a good communicator writing a book, is what came to mind as I read Ruthless Trust by Brennan Manning. I read an interview about his life, and was intrigued enough to read a book of his. At first I read through the first parts of the book easily, as Manning writes simply, almost as if he is giving a casual workshop, or even having a conversation. Yet as I continued to read I found that I had to slow down, to read smaller portions, to set the book aside and think, reflect, and be convicted. The more I got into the book the more I realized it was not a book I was reading to finish, but it was a book that was impacting me.

There are a number of comments I could make, but three stand out. One is the honestly that Manning expresses when writing about himself. His failures of character, his problems with alcoholism and his divorce (mentioned in the interview but not the book) are mentioned openly and honestly, and are appreciated. Second, chapter 11 "The Geography of Nowhere" (not "no where", but now/here) was very poignant to me, and I am trying to practice this idea of living in the present, in the now, every day. At times it is overwhelming, but it is where I need to go, to be. Third, when I read the book it leaves me not only wanting more, but, for some reason, wanting to spend some time with Brennan Manning. I get the picture of someone who not only paints a picture of a possible promised land, but also openly explains the pitfalls of getting there, and shows the many battle scars he has received in trying to attain the promise. One gets the idea of someone not showing these battle scars in a workshop, nor in a classroom, but over a cup of coffee, chatting casually, and meaningfully, about what it means to have a deeper life of faith.