The Hole in Our Gospel is possibly the favorite book I've reviewed for Thomas Nelson's BookSneeze program. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect when I first ordered it, or even when I opened it. It kind of reminded me of Ron Sider's Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger from the start.
Basic rundown of the story:
Richard Stearns was the president of Lennox, a high-end dinnerware company. He started getting lots of little "hints" about working for World Vision, a Christian organization that deals with poverty (that's a huge summation of everything. If you're interested, check out their site.) Eventually, while dragging his feet the whole way, he accepts the offer to become World Vision's new President. One of the main statements he tries to drive home is "Are you open for God's will in your life?" The rest of the book is his story about his work and how Christianity (mainly Western Christianity) is missing the point of the Gospel. It's not about Jesus giving us a good life or being "blessed" financially and materially like a lot of churches preach, but it's about giving your life to the poor. The description of the book states "Two thousand years ago, twelve people changed the world. Stearns believes it can happen again." - This is a good way to sum up the message of this book.
One of my friends once made the point that salvation depends on the poor. I wasn't entirely sure if I agreed with him at the time, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. In the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, Jesus separates those who will go to heaven and those who won't. He doesn't separate these people based on their beliefs, theology, or how high they raised their hands in worship. He separated them based on what they did for the poor, the lonely, and the destitute. This parable clearly states that there will be "Christians" who do not go to heaven because they did not care for, as Jesus calls them in Matthew, "the least of these." This idea surely goes against what most American Christians believe, but it makes a lot of sense in the context of scripture.
Rating-wise, I give The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns 5 out of 5. That's not something I do often.
