Brennan Manning

 

Biography	Quotes
Website	Books

In the springtime of Depression-era New York City, Brennan Manning -- christened Richard Francis Xavier -- was born to Emmett and Amy Manning. He grew up in Brooklyn along with his brother, Robert, and sister, Geraldine. After graduating from high school and attending St. John's University (Queens, NY) for two years, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and was sent overseas to fight in the Korean War.

In February 1956, while Brennan was meditating on the Stations of the Cross, a powerful experience of the personal love of Jesus Christ sealed the call of God on his life. "At that moment," he later recalled, "the entire Christian life became for me an intimate, heartfelt relationship with Jesus." Four years later, he graduated from St. Francis College (major in philosophy; minor in Latin) I and went on to complete four years of advanced studies in theology. May 1963 marked his graduation from St. Francis Seminary and ordination to the Franciscan priesthood.

Brennan's ministry responsibilities in succeeding years took him from the hallways of academia to the byways of the poor: theology instructor and campus minister at the University of Steubenville; liturgy instructor and spiritual director at St. Francis Seminary; graduate student in creative writing at Columbia University, and in Scripture and liturgy at Catholic University of America; living and working among the poor in Europe and the U.S.

A native of Brooklyn, Manning earned degrees in philosophy from St. Francis College and in theology from St. Francis Seminary. His books include "The Signature of Jesus" and "Abba's Child. "Still traveling widely, Manning continues to write and preach, encouraging men and women everywhere to accept and embrace the good news of God's unconditional love in Jesus Christ.

Brennan moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in the mid-seventies and resumed campus ministry at Broward Community College. His successful ministry was harshly interrupted, however, when he suffered a precipitate collapse into alcoholism. Six months of treatment, culminating at the Hazelden treatment center in Minnesota, restored his health and placed him on the road to recovery.
It was at this point in his life that Brennan began writing in earnest. One book soon followed upon another as invitations for him to speak and to lead spiritual retreats multiplied exponentially. Today, Brennan travels widely as he continues to write and preach, encouraging men and women everywhere to accept and embrace the good news of God's unconditional love in Jesus Christ.

 

“God is a kooky God who can scarcely bear to be without us” (The Ragamuffin Gospel, p. 165).
Jesus “didn’t demand a firm purpose of amendment” and “didn’t seem too concerned that she might dash back into the arms of her lover” (The Ragamuffin Gospel, 1990, p. 167).

“Something is radically wrong when the local church rejects a person accepted by Jesus: when a harsh, judgmental and unforgiving sentence is passed on homosexuals; when a divorcee is denied communion; when the child of a prostitute is refused baptism; when an unlaicized priest is forbidden the sacraments” (The Ragamuffin Gospel, p. 30).

“And he [Christ] will say to us: ‘Vile beings, you who are in the image of the beast and bear his mark, but come all the same, you as well’” (The Ragamuffin Gospel, p. 21).
“I am deeply distressed by what I only can call in our Christian culture the idolatry of the Scriptures. For many Christians, the Bible is not a pointer to God but God himself. In a word--bibliolatry ... I develop a nasty rash around people who speak as if mere scrutiny of its pages will reveal precisely how God thinks and precisely what God wants” (The Signature of Jesus).

He says we should “listen to people in other denominations and religions” and we shouldn’t “find demons in those with whom we disagree” (The Ragamuffin Gospel, p. 65).

“If we are open, we rarely resort to either-or, either creation or evolution, liberty or law, sacred or secular, Beethoven or Madonna. We focus on both-and, fully aware that God’s truth cannot be imprisoned in a small definition. ... But the open mind realizes that reality, truth, and Jesus Christ are incredibly open-ended” (The Ragamuffin Gospel, p. 65).

“[T]HE FIRST STEP IN FAITH IS TO STOP THINKING ABOUT GOD AT THE TIME OF PRAYER. ... enter into the great silence of God. Alone in that silence, the noise within will subside and the Voice of Love will be heard. ... Choose a single, sacred word ... repeat the sacred word inwardly, slowly, and often” (In The Signature of Jesus, pp. 212, 215, 218).

“The first step toward rejuvenation begins with accepting where you are and exposing your poverty, frailty, and emptiness to the love that is everything. DON’T TRY TO feel anything, THINK ANYTHING, or do anything ... Don’t force prayer. Simply relax in the presence of the God you half believe in and ask for a touch of folly” (The Ragamuffin Gospel, p. 196).

“[T]he god whose moods alternate between graciousness and fierce anger ... the god who exacts the last drop of blood from his Son so that his just anger, evoked by sin, may be appeased, is not the God revealed by and in Jesus Christ. And if he is not the God of Jesus, he does not exist” (Above All, p. 58-59 ).

"Justification by grace through faith is the theologian's learned phrase for what Chesterton once called "the furious love of God." He is not moody or capricious; he knows no seasons of change. He has a single relentless stance toward us: he loves us. He is the only God man has ever heard of who loves sinners. False gods — the gods of human manufacturing — despise sinners, but the Father of Jesus loves all, no matter what they do. But of course this is almost too incredible for us to accept. Nevertheless, the central affirmation of the Reformation stands: through no merit of ours, but by his mercy, we have been restored to a right relationship with God through the life, death, and resurrection of his beloved Son. This is the Good News, the gospel of grace." (The Ragamuffin Gospel, p. 18)

"If we maintain the open-mindedness of children, we challenge fixed ideas and established structures, including our own. We listen to people in other denominations and religions. We don't find demons in those with whom we disagree. We don't cozy up to people who mouth our jargon. If we are open, we rarely resort to either-or: either creation or evolution, liberty or law, sacred or secular, Beethoven or Madonna. We focus on both-and, fully aware that God's truth cannot be imprisoned in a small definition. "

"Over the years, the growing consciousness of radical grace has wrought profound changes in my self-awareness. Justification by grace through faith means that I know myself accepted by God as I am. When my head is enlightened and my heart is pierced by this truth, I can accept myself as I am. Genuine self-acceptance is not derived from the power of positive thinking, mind-games, or pop psychology. It is an act of faith in the God of grace."(Ragamuffin Gospel p. 49)

"Do you really accept the message that God is head over heels in love with you? I believe that this question is at the core of our ability to mature and grow spiritually. If in our hearts we really don't believe that God loves us as we are, if we are still tainted by the lie that we can do something to make God love us more, we are rejecting the message of the cross."(The Ragamuffin Gospel, p 159)

 

QUOTES from the Retreat:

Christianity is not merely about thinking right thoughts about God, rather is is experiencing God

Unfaltering trust in the love and forgiveness of God is the greatest need of people in America today. It is also the greatest need in the Church.

As I travel I am amazed at how many people are scandalized by the goodness of God.

Biblical fear of God consists of silent wonder, radical amazement and affectionate awe at the infinite goodness of God.

We must cry the Gospel with our lives.

So many are living in the house of fear rather than the house of love because of so many distorted images of God.

The revolutionary revelation of Jesus is that God is truly Father.

God only knows the Christian as Abba's child - this is our core identity.

The light of God's love is shining constantly. When we repent we walk from darkness back in to this light.

Many are disappointed and derailed by the belief that their life has not turned out as they planned. One must always remember that God expected more failure in our lives that we do.

Jesus know what hurts us - he is the Son of Compassion.

There is nothing you can do to increase or diminish God's love for you.

Trust in Abba was the feature and center of the ministry of Jesus.

The word of Jesus is: Trust in the Father and trust in me.

Trust is the greatest gift we give to God. He finds it so enchanting that he died for the love of it.

Uncompromising trust inspires us to thank God for the darkness and weaknesses of life.

Trust is being convinced of the absolute reliability of God.

“The single greatest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable”.

WEBSITE

Brennan Manning
Brennan MANNING'S Official Home Page

Some of His BOOKS

The Ragamuffin Gospel is Brennan's most well-known book. "Most of us believe in God's grace -- in theory. But somehow we can't seem to apply it to our daily lives.... Yet God gives us His grace, willingly, no matter what we've done. We come to Him as ragamuffins -- dirty, bedraggled, and beat-up. And when we sit at His feet, He smiles upon us, the chosen objects of His 'furious love.'"	Abba's Child is said to be the second of a "triology" his book is about the ways Christians hide behind a mask of perfection to look good. Instead, God calls us to let go of this imposter and come openly to Him as He sees us: as Abba's child.
The Importance of Being Foolish In this provocative exploration of the mind of Christ,... Manning teaches us how to think like Jesus. We may start looking like fools to the world, but Manning reveals how refocusing our lives according to the way of Jesus is truly wisdom from God.	Ruthless Trust  "We are made for the love of God, and nothing less will ever satisfy us....the powerful truth that the divine gift of love is ever present for us regardless of the state of our lives.We suffer from the disease of melancholy, the sickness of self-hatred, the darkness of doubt. Yet, author Brennan Manning sees the place of our worst despair as a tangible starting point for the remedy: a ruthless trust in God. In his sequel to The Ragamuffin Gospel, Manning pries us loose from our shame, our mistakes, and our doubts and encourages us to let go and trust God--ruthlessly. It's been 40 years since author Brennan Manning was "ambushed by God" and on the far side of despair himself. As a gutter-alcoholic who was completely broken, he found an unshakable trust in the love of Christ for him as he was then, not as he could be or is now. Authenticity with God is critical in developing this trust relationship. In his own inimitable voice, Manning tells us, "Raw honesty with Jesus about our doubts and anxieties, our lust and laziness, our shabby prayer life and stale religiosity, our mixed motives and divided hearts, is the risk we take in the certainty of being acceptable and accepted. It is the full and mature expression of invincible trust." Over the years, this trust ripens into confidence and bears certain fruit, such as gratitude to God. But it's not always easy, he admits. "Ruthless trust is hanging tough in the dark nights, when we are plunged into desolation but know that absence of God is only apparent." For author Brennan Manning--and for us, if we choose--ruthless trust is not just a concept, it's a way of life. As Manning observes, "Ill winds may blow, more character defects may surface, sickness may visit, and friends will surely die, but a stubborn irrefutable certainty persists that God is with us and loves us in our struggle to be faithful." Now, that's ruthless trust.
The Wisdom of Tenderness  Brennan Manning is one of those authors whose books should be required reading by every Christian. Now that I've laid my biases right there on the table for all to see, let me explain. As Christians we live in a very insular sub-culture that has a really long list of unwritten rules. Christians always smile. Christians are happy. Christians don't complain (except to other Christians about "that chorus" or "that new carpet in the sanctuary"). In sum, Christians don't have problems. Now we all know that this isn't the case, but within the church we live our lives as if it were true. Our words say one thing, while our actions say another. If someone isn't happy, then they must not be "right with God" or they aren't letting God into all areas of their lives. And even if you DO have a legitimate problem, all you have to do is run off to the local Christian bookstore and scan the aisles to find the latest trendy 12-step manual or "how-to" book from one of any number of superstar Christian authors. The biggest problem you'll have after that is deciding which of these books to purchase. But once you get it home you'll find a cut and dried formula, complete with quaintly and succinctly titled chapters, that guarantee you a happy and productive Christian life. The beauty of Brennan Manning is that he is capable of breaking down all the barriers. He is not afraid to admit that the Christian lifestyle isn't merely a perpetual series of "ups". He's had more than his share of "downs" and uses these as a stepping off point for all of his books. None of his books have been written as sure-fire "how to" books with the answers. Manning has experienced first hand all that he talks about and merely relates to the reader what he has learned. From his classic Ragamuffin Gospel to his latest book, The Wisdom of Tenderness, Manning consistently paints a picture of what it looks like to truly live the Christian life with all its peaks and valleys. In The Wisdom of Tenderness, Manning questions why there is so much "unfreedom" in Christian circles these days, and answers his own question by saying that many Christians are afraid to be free, choosing instead to be slaves to others. It's much easier to take your cues from others and not have to think about everything. Let someone else do your thinking for you. As a result, there is a lot of bad thinking and bad theology saturating much of Christendom. To counter this, Manning states in his introduction that: Wisdom teaches that the goal of our lives is to live with God forever...When I accept in the depth of my being that the ultimate accomplishment of my life is me...then living in the wisdom of accepted tenderness is not a technique, not a craft, not the Carnegian ploy of how to win friends and influence people, but a way of life, a distinctive and engaged presence to God, other ragamuffins, and myself. Therein lies the thesis of this book: living in the wisdom of accepted tenderness. For Manning, this means first of all, that God our Father (Abba) not only loves us (for God wouldn't be God if He didn't love us), but that he also likes us. Even though we can be difficult children, God likes and accepts us, and truly enjoys being with us. Once we get to that point, we can work on liking ourselves. In this day and age there are many people, Christians included, who are saddled with a poor self-image. In many cases this comes from dysfunctional family situations, or not being accepted by others because we differ from the culturally accepted norms, and even, unfortunately, from within the church, because we fail to fit the mold of how a "good Christian" is supposed to look and act. But if God, our creator and Father can love AND like us, then we can begin to like ourselves. God is tender with us and we should be tender with ourselves. Rather than beat ourselves up over our shortcomings, we need to accept God's "fierce mercy." Manning then moves to the logical next step in the progression, which is, in effect, to "go now and do likewise." Recognizing that God likes us, and then liking ourselves is not enough. We need to reach out to others and show them tenderness. For Manning this is somewhat a restatement of the message of the Ragamuffin Gospel, but a message we need to hear repeated often. As Christians we need to show others the tenderness that God has shown us. One way that this works itself out in real life is our tendency of 21st century American Christians to demonize those who aren't like us. We seem to constantly need to find enemies, or someone that we can brand as "evil." As I write this, the laundry list of "evil entities" includes Iraq, Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda, and Islam, as well as the standard list of "enemies" to the Church including pro-abortion advocates, homosexuals, etc. If we disagree with someone or feel threatened by them, we view them as the embodiment of Satan. It allows us to objectify and put a face on evil. Manning illustrates the problem with this thinking when he correctly points out: When one person, nation, or institution is declared to be Satan, logic rules: eliminate this source of all evil, and everything will be all right; when Satan is localized in a finite reality, the end of evildoing is just around the corner...one lesson we've learned from the history of civilized humanity is that when we kill our particular "Satan," evil doesn't disappear from the face of the earth. In fact it may reappear in the place where we least suspect: ourselves. But as always, Manning is very careful not to slip into some easy touchy-feely "I'm OK, You're OK" school of thought. He carefully points out that he's not promoting an attitude where sin is glossed over. Sin is real and has real consequences, but he works through the Biblical mandate to "hate the sin but love the sinner." The Christian Booksellers Association would do us all a big favor if they would clear the shelves of all the wishy-washy, smug, "I have all the answers" self-help books that seem that are a staple of the church these days, and replace them with thoughtful and instructive books like _The Wisdom of Tenderness_. Brennan Manning is human. He is real. And he is willing to share his humanity, and all the baggage that goes along with it, with us, the readers, and by so doing he quietly instructs in how to live a lifestyle that is quite possibly more Christian than what the church expects of us. As a side note, singer Crystal Lewis has released a song called "The Wisdom of Tenderness" on her current album Holy, Holy, Holy, in conjunction with the release of Manning's book. Ken Mueller	The Furious Longing of God Imagine a stormy day at sea: your ship yielding to a relentless wind, pummeled by crashing waves, subject to the awesome force of nature. A force that is both fierce and majestic. A power that is nothing short of furious. Such is God's intense love for His children. Hold on tight as you discover the most powerful force in the universe: God's furious longing for you. There is nowhere God won't go to find us. No country too distant. No terrain too treacherous. No risk too great. It is a Father's search for His lost son, His lost daughter. And there are no boundaries to where His love will take Him in order to find us, embrace us, and carry us home!
An Honest Man Manning is the award winning author of The Ragamuffin Gospel, which has sold nearly half a million copies. His raw portrayal of himself as a ragamuffin, a recovering alcoholic, an imposter, and a man in search of the undeserved grace of Jesus has encouraged thousands of Christians.	A Glimpse of Jesus: The Stranger to Self-Hatred  Following his work on the unconditional love of God, bestselling Christian writer Brennan Manning now turns to the life and work of Jesus to find an answer to the most pressing spiritual problem of our age: self-hatred. Manning shows how this problem is rooted in "a script" founded in a faulty understanding of the nature of divine love and a lack of clear understanding of the person and message of Jesus. He helps us to re-write this script of self-hatred by gaining a clearer glimpse of the nature of Jesus: his healing work, stories of deliverance, liberating prayer, integrity of self-acceptance, and all-encompassing compassion. "This little book pretends to be no more than the title claims: a glimpse of Jesus. That is all I have. It is written for myself and anyone else who has been tyrannized by self-hatred. I envision a wide reading audience because self-hatred is the most persistent and prevalent spiritual problem I have encountered in my many years as a vagabond evangelist." --Brennan Manning, from the foreword. Beloved Christian writer Brennan Manning has long been illuminating the transforming power of God's constant love for us in his bestselling books. Now he identifies self-hatred as the reason that so many of us seem unable to accept this incredible, unchanging love. By clearly examining and understanding Jesus' life, we can put self-hatred behind us forever and truly be transformed in the ways God intended.
Reflections for Ragamuffins: Daily Devotionals Brennan Manning shares his joyful message in a powerful new way with his first-ever collection of daily devotions. For every day of the year the beloved author of Ragamuffin Gospel and The Boy Who Cried Abba offers a verse of scripture, and each day's mediation is completed with a complementary reading from his own writings. Whether your life has already changed by Brennan Manning's dynamic version of the good news or you are meeting him here for the first time, Reflections for Ragamuffins will open your mind and heart to a profound new experience of God's unconditional love.	The Signature of Jesus
Above All: He Took the Fall for Me Based on Michael W. Smith's song "Above All," this book is Brennan's love letter to the Sovereign Lord