The Hole in Our Gospel: What Does God Expect of Us? the Answer That Changed My Life and Might Just Change the World

Stearns uses the phrase" change the world" ad nauseam. This is not a scriptural mandate. Consider the fact that no Protestant country on earth faces the problems that Roman Catholic and essentially atheistic countries do. The problem is primarily spiritual, which Stearns gives short shrift to. Men need spiritual transformation, initiated by the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the gospel. Propping these unbelieving countries up with material help is not the solution. They are suffering from corrupt governments which take the aid first world countries provide and squander it. The hole is not in the gospel. It is in men's hearts.

This book planted something in my heart that I needed so desperately. I have prayed and prayed for God to help point me in the right direction and show me what the next steps I must take to advance in my faith, and this book was so clearly the answer to those prayers. If you need help discerning what your role is as a true Christian, please buy this and meditate on the concepts.

The Hole In Our Gospel is a powerful book written by a man who took on the challenge to walk like Jesus walked when on earth. He left a very successful position as the CEO of Lenox to fill the president's position of World Vision. Through this opportunity he learned first hand to look into the eyes of a hungry child, and learn about the apathy in his own heart and the hearts of most of the people in America who call themselves Christian. It is a very well written, convicting account of a calling that surpasses the call to upward mobility in modern culture.

Recently, I was sent a copy of "The Hole In Our Gospel" to read and review. Written by the U.S. President of World Vision, Richard Stearns, the book journeys into the great problems of the world and analyzes how Christians, specifically in America, relate to them. Seeing that the book was penned by the head of an international aid organization, I must admit that I began with feelings of skepticism and reluctance. Before beginning the book, I expected a simple, shallow, and guilt-ridden message that would end with a plea for World Vision support. However, this book steers far from that path. Surprisingly, Stearns never directly advocates for the support of a World Vision child. Instead, his chosen path is one in which he walks alongside the reader through many challenging issues, pointing out what he sees along the way. I can imagine no better tour guide than the man who not only leads one of the largest humanitarian organizations in the history of the world, but also one who has set foot in nearly 100 of the poorest countries in the world. Stearns doesn't just lightly suggest the pursuit of justice and care for the poor--he is battling on the frontlines himself. From the outset of the book, I was comforted with the relative normalcy of Richard's early life. In addition to feelings of apathy and ignorance towards suffering in our American churches, he also shares that for most of his life he was consumed with materialism and the addiction of corporate success. Proclaiming that he is no `Mother Teresa', he sincerely aims to show that he should not be lifted up as an other-worldly wonder-worker. He makes a point that he is an every-man, and it shows through his experiences. This encouragement yields a hope that anyone, no matter where they are in life, can experience a true conversion of the heart. The book opens by detailing his early life as an incredibly successful young business man, jumping from role to role as a leader of multiple companies. The early parts of the book chronicle his personal journey of enlightenment, one that led him to realize this great `hole' that we American Christians have in our version of the Gospel and our call to fill it. Using many sources and proof texts from the Bible, he walks the reader through the blatant evidence in Scripture that point to this `hole', namely that God is determinedly on the side of the poor. Stearns sprinkles the book with quotes from many throughout history--from the great thinkers of the past such as St. Teresa of Avila and St. Augustine, to modern world-changers like Mother Teresa, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr., and even from great modern thinkers like Robert Frost, C.S. Lewis, Dallas Willard, Albert Einstein, and Bono. The one thing that becomes clear through this journey is that Stearns sees one uniting string that stretches throughout all of history, one that also weaves throughout our modern life. This string interlaces brilliance and charity, contemplation and action, enlighte

As a person who sponsors several children in the 3rd World and who has a tremendous interest in the world's poor, I expected to read the usual stuff. How bad the problem is... what we need to do about it... and then feel good that my husband and I are doing "so much" to help. But what I didn't expect was to be turned on my ear about how little I'm doing in proportion to the problem AND in proportion to my ability to do SO much more. Rich Stearns does an excellent job of "getting in our face" about the enormity of the world's poor's brutal plight and what we have to do about it without putting us on a guilt trip. Yet we all need to take a new journey, down the road of really and truly doing something to make a difference. This book lets us know that the contribution of EACH of us is tantamount to truly making a dent in the ravages of poverty and the illnesses that go along with it. And we must. This is a credible piece, endorsed by some amazing people... not just "known" Christians, but by people who also care about the world's poor, like U2's Bono. No matter what your religion or creed, we should all read this. Bravo, Mr. Stearns and World Vision. And the glory go to God.

Rich Stearns has written a very readable book which documents the immense worldwide problem of poverty, its causes, its potential cures, and an engrossing story of his own life journey from growing up in a dysfunctional and low income home to CEO, to unemployment, to CEO again--and finally to his current position of President of Worldvision US. (none of his sentences are that long) Unlike other books that I have read on the subject of poverty, Stearn's style served to inform and motivate me rather than to induce feelings of guilt and avoidance of the subject. I highly recommend this book

Every generation has its sins--of commission and omission. The lens of history will be brutally honest in its judgment. How can the American church, with all its resources and influence, fail to respond proportionately to the greatest crises facing the world? In The Hole in our Gospel, Rich Stearns calls on Christians to no longer tolerate the moral scandal of poverty and injustice in our world. This book is a great read for Christians and non-Christians alike. It reminds us that we MUST care for all people whether they be our neighbors next door or thousands of miles away. Stearns offers compelling stories, staggering statistics, and practical ideas of how we can eradicate poverty in our lifetime.