The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning
Week 5: Chapter 4 — Tilted Halos
Read Chapter 4 of The Ragamuffin Gospel. Key passage: Luke 18:9-14 (The Pharisee and the Tax Collector).
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Manning turns his attention to the danger of the religious life itself — the way that spiritual seriousness can, if we are not careful, harden into self-righteousness and close us off from the very grace we preach.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Manning uses the image of 'tilted halos' to describe the saints — people whose holiness is always slightly crooked, always imperfect, always in need of grace. What is the difference between a saint with a tilted halo and a hypocrite, in Manning's view?
2.Read Luke 18:9-14. Jesus says the tax collector — not the Pharisee — went home justified. The Pharisee's prayer was entirely factual; he really was doing all those things. What was wrong with it?
3.Manning argues that the Pharisee's great sin was not immorality but self-sufficiency — a failure to recognize his need. Where do you see this temptation in your own spiritual life? Are there areas where you are more like the Pharisee than you would like to admit?
a.Are there groups of people or types of sinners whom you secretly feel superior to?
b.What would it take for you to pray the tax collector's prayer — 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner' — and actually mean it?
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