Book reviews - Reading of Redemption

Grace Awakening - Charles Swindoll

"Killers are on the loose", says Chuck Swindoll at the beginning of this battle cry against Pharisaical, narrow-minded religiosity. This is a prophecy for Northern Ireland's mutilators of the flesh who liberalise Christian faith by adding to grace an abundance of rules and regulations but more damagingly, like the Pharisees, demand that we conform to the pattern of their Church and behaviour. If you are like so many who came to faith by being told that you could not earn salvation, it was by "grace not by works" so that no one can boast but then had an abundance of works thrown at you in order to keep that salvation then this book is for you. A beautiful understanding of grace and then the practical outworking of holiness from the basis of God's unconditional love. There is no hint of "therefore you can do what you like" Christianity here, just a faith that is born and continues by God's love for us. Refreshing and gloriously freeing. Vital and urgent for a country that preaches so much on this subject but seems to have no idea how to live by it. A good companion book is BRENNAN MANNING'S RAGAMUFFIN GOSPEL.

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