Charis, by Preston Sprinkle

Preston Sprinkle wants to remind us that "God loves you because of God."  Sprinkle's new book Charis: God's Scandalous Grace f looks at the biblical principle of grace, bringing the focus on God, and away from who we are and what we've done.  Grace goes beyond the tame uses of it we often hear.  It's not merely leniency or acceptance, it's "God's aggressive pursuit of, and stubborn delight in, freakishly foul people."

Too often, modern Christians present a cleaned-up version of grace.  It's easy to forget that there is no sin, no history, outside of the reach of grace.  Sprinkle points out that the twelve disciples were a motley crew.  "Jesus planted the first church on earth with a group of hoodlums who wouldn't be let inside the doors of most churches today."  We might be "willing to put up with social outcasts and misfits, but this isn't grace.  It's tolerance."  Jesus takes the misfits and "doesn't give them a bowl of soup and shuffle them out of the church.  He gives them responsibility--the hallmark of genuine value--and trusts in the God who uses the weak to shame the strong."  Not only does God love us in spite of us, he gives us authority and power!

Throughout the Bible, God uses sinful, broken people to accomplish his purposes.  Indeed, the family line of Jesus is full of the unlovely: harlot, murderer, "down-and-out immigrant," whore, deceiver, and more.  Whatever pain, sin, and flaw we have, Jesus is bigger and he loves us and wants "to enter our pain.  To forgive us.  To save us.  To enjoy us."  God wants to enjoy me.  That's a hard thing to imagine, especially when I don't particularly enjoy me.  And he wants to use me, even when I feel useless.

Big time props to Sprinkle for his mention of my old church, Church Under the Bridge in Waco.  I have never been around a group of people as aware of and as thankful for God's grace than there.  My favorite image in Charis is the reminder that my name is tattooed on God's hand, and it's never coming off.  I and my friends at CUB can count on God's grace.  That's something to sing about.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!