Image: The Hole in Our Gospel by Len Lantz (CC BY-NC-ND)
Synopsis: Len's Star Rating: 10 out of 10. A Christian book that describes a gospel message that includes helping the global poor and calls for action from Christians to embrace a faith that is more authentic, demanding, and attractive.
BY LEN LANTZ, MD, author of unJoy / 1.4.2022; No. 64
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Star Rating – 10 out of 10
Rating guide: 1 = horrible, 5 = average and 10 = wow
Author
Richard Stearns
About the author
Richard Stearns was the CEO of two different companies before becoming the longest-serving president (from 1998 to 2018) of World Vision US, which is a Christian humanitarian aid organization.
General description
The Hole in Our Gospel is a book that looks at the global Christian church and the enormous discrepancies between the US and other parts of the world. In this book, Richard Stearns explains his story of coming to Christ and how he left worldly success to run a global nonprofit Christian organization that serves the poor. The author argues for a larger gospel that calls Christians to greater generosity rather than a life of luxury and ease. He provides numerous examples of how even a small increase in giving can lead to enormous positive change. My edition is the 10th-anniversary edition, which includes updates and an epilogue. The chapters in this book are organized into five parts:
The Hole in My Gospel – and Maybe Yours
The Hole Gets Deeper
A Hole in the World
A Hole in the Church
Repairing the Hole
Unique and most important aspects
The Hole in Our Gospel has the subtitle: What does God expect of us? The answer that changed my life and might just change the world. I always look to see if a book delivers what is promised in the subtitle, and this book certainly does. Richard Stearns speaks of a gospel and Christian faith that are more authentic, more demanding, and more attractive than what is often found in the US. The Hole in Our Gospel is a book that you cannot unread. I cannot see how someone could read this book and still be able to ignore the needs in their community and the world. Too much is at stake. The lives of others in the world are hanging in the balance and could be saved by small sacrifices of the average American Christian. Important concepts from The Hole in Our Gospel include:
What a “child-headed household” really means
How statistics can dehumanize and reduce compassion
That there are vastly different levels/types of poverty
The problem of disparity between the rich and poor
The damage that can be done by a mission effort that does not account for all of the factors involved in a community they are trying to help (and how their help could backfire)
Numerous ways to give our time, talents, and treasure
Best quotes
“The idea behind The Hole in Our Gospel is quite simple. It’s basically the belief that being a Christian, or follower of Jesus Christ, requires much more than just having a personal and transforming relationship with God. It also entails a public and transforming relationship with the world…In other words, make your faith public.”
“The reference to “break[ing] every yoke” suggests that any system, law, or practice that is unjust must be broken – whether personal, social, political, or economic. This sounds a lot like what I described earlier in the “whole gospel,” the good news inherent in a kingdom based on the character of God rather than of men.”
“I was overwhelmed by this man’s story. His encounter with Christ began with Christians who came to serve the poor – nursing the sick, educating the children, and helping increase food for the hungry. So compelling was this service that it provoked questions in the mind of a curious man: Why are you here? Why are you helping us? The answer to these questions was the gospel, the good news.”
“Human beings, when enabled to depersonalize a large group of people, respond to them with far less compassion. So the very statistics that should mobilize us to urgent action actually do just the opposite; they seem to excuse our inaction.”
Who would enjoy this book?
Readers who are interested in a book that looks at Christian faith in action would likely enjoy The Hole in Our Gospel.
Who would not enjoy this book?
Readers who are unwilling to consider a gospel message that includes helping the poor as a core tenet are unlikely to enjoy The Hole in Our Gospel.
Conclusion
The Hole in Our Gospel is a Christian book that describes a gospel message that includes helping the global poor and calls for action from Christians to embrace a faith that is more authentic, demanding, and attractive.