Another jaw-dropper from the penultimate chapter of Brennan Manning’s essential All Is Grace: A Ragamuffin Memoir, pg 193-94:
With what strength I have left, I want to grab the chains and pull, one last time. My hope, as always, is to point to the God too good to be true, my Abba. I’ve no delusions of heroically bringing down the house of fear that imprisons so many. My desire is to witness, nothing else. My message, unchanged for more than fifty years, is this: God loves you unconditionally, as you are and not as you should be, because nobody is as they should be. It is the message of grace, the life-shattering gift my heart experienced in February 1956. It is the life-sustaining gift I remain broken by now in February 2011.
Some have labeled my message as one of “cheap grace.” In my younger days, their accusations were a gauntlet thrown down, a challenge. But I’m an old man now and I don’t care. My friend Mike Yaconelli used the phrase unfair grace, and I like that, but I have come across another I would like to leave you with. I believe Mike would like it; I know I do. I found it in the writings of the Episcopal priest Robert Farrar Capon. He calls it vulgar grace.
In Jesus, God has put up a “Gone Fishing” sign on the religion shop. He has done the whole job in Jesus once and for all and simply invited us to believe it–to trust the bizarre, unprovable proposition that in him, every last person on earth is already home free without a single religious exertion: no fasting till your knees fold, no prayers you have to get right or else, no standing on your head with your right thumb in your left ear and reciting the correct creed–no nothing… The entire show has been set to rights in the Mystery of Christ–even though nobody can see a single improvement. Yes, it’s crazy. And yes, it’s wild, outrageous, and vulgar. And any God who would do such a thing is a God who has no taste. And worst of all, it doesn’t sell worth beans. But it is Good News–the only permanently good news there is–and therefore I find it absolutely captivating.” (The Romance of the Word, pg 20).
My life is a witness to vulgar grace–a grace that amazes as it offends. A grace that pays the eager beaver who works all day long the same wages as the grinning drunk who shows up a ten till five. A grace that hikes up the robe and runs breakneck toward the prodigal reeking of sin and wraps him up and decides to throw a party no ifs, ands or buts. A grace that raises bloodshot eyes to a dying theif’s request–“Please, remember me”–and assures him, “You bet!” A grace that is the pleasure of the Father, fleshed out in the carpenter Messiah, Jesus the Christ, who left His Father’s side not for heaven’s sake but for our sakes, yours and mind. This vulgar grace is indiscriminate compassion. It works without asking anything of us. It’s not cheap. It’s free, and as such will always be a banana peel for the orthodox foot and a fairy tale for the grown-up sensibility. Grace is sufficient even though we huff and puff with all our might to try to find something or someone it cannot cover. Grace is enough. He is enough. Jesus is enough.
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4 responses to “Brennan Manning Goes Fishing for Vulgar Grace”
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I’m quoting the little kid that stood next to me during the July 4th fireworks show: “Amazing! AMAZING! Amazing. Amazing Amazing Amazing Amazing Amazing!!! Love it, I have to get this book.
Not trying to pick a fight, just wanting clarification. When he quotes Capon: “to trust the bizarre, unprovable proposition that in him, every last person on earth is already home free” does he or they mean to advocate a form of universalism? I may be mis-reading him. Thanks.
I could be wrong but reading a bit of Capon he admits to being a universalist in the sense that Christs work paid for the sins of every single person ever for forever but some people will stand before a loving gracious God and refuse such unconditional love demonstrated in gratuitous pardon, acceptance and eternal reward /inheritance /sonship. My Reformed addendum is that IF God had not loved / chosen me I would have refused his gift for eternity and would bear the gnawing remorse of His absence forever. One further note: God is not stingy with His compassion – Christs wounds have brought MANY!!!!! sons to glory,