Are we here in the United States missing something in our view of Christ’s gospel? Do we see our faith within the walls of our churches? Why do the Christians in the U.S. seem to do less for the world’s poor than Hollywood and international celebrities?
In The Hole in Our Gospel, Richard Stearns asks us to take an intense look at our own faith. Is it a faith that embraces the whole gospel of Christ? Or is it a faith gaping with a hole? A gospel we have just boiled down to “fire insurance”? The Bible directs us to care for the poor and needy, but are we?
Richard Stearns, President of World Vision, U.S. weaves this cause so dear to his heart with his own story of finding Christ and how after many years as a successful businessman at Parker Brothers and Lenox, God brought him to World Vision. He admits in the introduction of having a lifelong battle of “walking the talk” and struggling to understand what God expects of him.
For me personally the book impacted me because of Stearns personal account of his life and his journey to World Vision. The first hand experiences he shared of visiting children and families affected by the AIDS virus or villages without water brought home what I often forget in my comfortable little world.
This is a book that while it made me squirm a bit also challenged me to look beyond what I normally see as my faith. A faith that while real tends to focus on my small circle of life, church and work. I also think it says something about Stearns that he has requested all royalties due to him from the publication of the book to go to World Vision. To find out more be sure and visit The Hole in Our Gospel. This one is definitely worth the squirming it might cause you.
