From Publishers Weekly
Self-hatred, low self-esteem, unhealthy guilt and self-pity, according to the author, pose the single largest obstacles in today's world to discovering the love of God in Jesus. In this compelling sequel to The Wisdom of Tenderness, former Franciscan priest Manning (The Ragamuffin Gospel) offers insights into ways that Christians can overcome self-hatred, accept themselves for who they are, and recognize that Jesus loves and values them. According to Manning, the church perpetuates feelings of unworthiness by projecting onto God the image of a punishing father who does not love his children. In addition, by requiring a perfect obedience to the letter of the moral law, the church forms people into Christians who internalize failure and despise themselves when they cannot live up to the church's high moral standards. This self-hatred can be overcome, Manning writes, by a glimpse of Jesus, the "Savior of boundless compassion, unbearable forgiveness, infinite patience and healing love." Such a glimpse of Jesus comes through prayer and silent meditation. Once Christians realize that Jesus accepts them for themselves, they are liberated from self-hatred and are free to love others with the same compassion God has shown them. Manning sharply criticizes evangelists, preachers and priests who induce feelings of self-hatred, and urges Christians to cast their eyes upon Jesus, embracing his love and acceptance. Manning's book offers a radical portrait of discipleship for the modern church. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Christianity teaches us to hate ourselves, Manning says. He illustrates the point by citing examples of how the religion contributes to a legalistic concept of morality that endows God with the human attributes of vengeance and rejection. Consequently, God has become "an exacting lawgiver, a stern taskmaster," and "the force of the gospel message [is] distorted into something basically threatening." The former Franciscan uses Bible stories to demonstrate Jesus' compassion and how loving God really is versus how we have come to perceive him. Manning asks, "What would the church be like if we erred from an excess of compassion rather than from a stingy and legalistic lack of it?" One outcome, he says, would be more people in church. We cannot, however, be compassionate toward others until we are compassionate toward ourselves. Manning does a good job of pointing Christians in the right direction by giving a glimpse of Jesus' love. But he acknowledges that a glimpse is merely a beginning, one's first step in doing the hard work of compassion by oneself. Donna Chavez
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
Following his work on the unconditional love of God in The Wisdom of Tenderness, bestselling Christian writer Brennan Manning now turns to the life and work of Jesus to find an answer to what he believes is the most pressing spiritual problem of our age: self-hatred. The damage caused by this problem is immense. We project it onto God, believing God could never love us because we are unlovable, or we expect an unattainable perfection of ourselves and are left drowning in shame. But Manning warns us that we can't look to ourselves if we want to understand God's love: "The Love of the Father for his children plunges us into mystery, because it is utterly beyond the pale of human experience."The answer to the problem of self-hatred is better understood when we look to the life of Jesus to illuminate the mystery of God's love and compassion. Manning shows us that our persistent self-hatred 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. "In the eyes of the Master whom we have failed, we detect the infinite compassion of the Father and see revealed, in Jesus, the human face of God," he writes. In bringing us a clearer glimpse of Jesus, he helps us to rewrite this script of self-hatred by patterning our lives after the examples of Jesus on earth: his healing work, stories of deliverance, liberating prayer, integrity of self-acceptance, and all-encompassing compassion. Manning also takes us beyond the personal predicament of self-hatred, asking, "What would the church be like if we erred from an excess of compassion rather than from a stingy and legalistic lack of it?"


About the Author
Brennan Manning is the author of eleven books, including the bestselling The Ragamuffin Gospel. He leads spiritual retreats in the United States and Europe for people of all ages and backgrounds.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Following his work on the unconditional love of God in The Wisdom of Tenderness, bestselling Christian writer Brennan Manning now turns to the life and work of Jesus to find an answer to what he believes is the most pressing spiritual problem of our age: self-hatred. The damage caused by this problem is immense. We project it onto God, believing God could never love us because we are unlovable, or we expect an unattainable perfection of ourselves and are left drowning in shame. But Manning warns us that we can't look to ourselves if we want to understand God's love: "The Love of the Father for his children plunges us into mystery, because it is utterly beyond the pale of human experience."

The answer to the problem of self-hatred is better understood when we look to the life of Jesus to illuminate the mystery of God's love and compassion. Manning shows us that our persistent self-hatred 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. "In the eyes of the Master whom we have failed, we detect the infinite compassion of the Father and see revealed, in Jesus, the human face of God," he writes. In bringing us a clearer glimpse of Jesus, he helps us to rewrite this script of self-hatred by patterning our lives after the examples of Jesus on earth: his healing work, stories of deliverance, liberating prayer, integrity of self-acceptance, and all-encompassing compassion. Manning also takes us beyond the personal predicament of self-hatred, asking, "What would the church be like if we erred from an excess of compassion rather than from a stingy and legalistic lack of it?"

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly