Shirley Brosius

Grace is such a common aspect of the Christian experience that we might gloss over a book with this title. But Philip Yancey offers an uncommon take.

If you’ve ever wondered why some people are turned off by the church, read this book. Yancey may echo your gut feelings. The church in the world is not about following a set of rules; it’s a relationship—a grace-full relationship that God extends to us and we in turn extend to others. “Grace alone melts ungrace,” Yancey writes. I think he’s onto something.

Yancey reminds us of who we are as Christians: Sinners saved by (there’s that word) grace. He points out that when Jesus got involved with some of the wrong people (the Gentiles, the “unclean”), he was tearing down an Old Testament principle that said, “No Oddballs allowed.” And Yancey points out, Jesus replaced that principle with “We’re all Oddballs, but God loves us anyhow.” Therefore since God extends such grace to us, we can afford to be gracious and forgiving to others.

Yancey challenges the Christian’s thinking about the relationship between politics and religion. And unafraid to broach forbidden subjects, he offers frank discussions on how his own thinking about issues in today’s news has been challenged and stretched. Read this book and your ears will perk up at how often grace is mentioned in the Bible and sung about in the church—and how often we miss a chance to pass it on.