Brennan Manning's The Ragamuffin Gospel has influenced many people since it was first published in 1990.  Among these are several Christian musicians, including Michael Card, Michael W. Smith, and most notably, Rich Mullins, who named his band The Ragamuffin Band.  Manning's book puts forth the idea that we are all ragamuffins (broken, wounded, sinful, hurt, imperfect, etc. people) and God loves us because he is God.  There is no getting yourself ready to present yourself to God, just accept his love for what it is and confess your sins.  The main passage of scripture comes from the story of the Prodigal Son.  It's a good message, and I believe it is presented well in the book.  I had the opportunity to hear Manning speak several times during grad school and his simple message of God's love was consistent with The Ragamuffin Gospel.

The current edition of the book was published 15 years after the original.  It references the fact that Manning and his ideas/theology have come under attack by various other Christian/Catholic groups.  I don't know enough about all his sources to accurately judge it either way.  Additionally, this edition contains a section titled "19 Mercies: A Spiritual Retreat".

I received this book from WaterBrook Multnomah in exchange for an honest review.