A Glimpse of Jesus

Starred review from December 23, 2002
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.

January 1, 2003
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.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)