The hole in our Gospel

330 Pages·2009·1.74 MB·English

by  Richard Stearns

Praise for The Hole in Our Gospel
“Richard Stearns is quite simply one of the finest leaders I have ever
known. I first met him when he was a high-flying CEO of a major U.S.
corporation. Despite the rarified air he was accustomed to operating in, I
was struck with his humility and kingdom-centered worldview. When he
became president of World Vision, I had a front-row seat to witness the
way God used his mind and heart to inspire thousands of staff and
donors to do their absolute best in alleviating poverty and eradicating the
effects of AIDS from the planet. His new book, The Hole in Our Gospel,
will call you to a higher level of discipleship. I am rooting that you will
allow God to take you to a new place of compassion and activism. Now is
the time . . . Richard Stearns has the strategy . . . your move!”
—Bill Hybels, founder and senior pastor of Willow Creek Community
Church
“His form of worship is to be the eyes of the blind and the feet of the
lame. Rich Stearns is much more than a powerful voice in the fight
against AIDS and extreme poverty, he is an action hero.”
—Bono, musician and co-founder of the ONE Campaign
“Brace yourself . . . this is one powerhouse book! In a knowledgeable,
loving way, Richard Stearns carefully explains why there’s a hole in our
Christian belief system. He redefines words like neighbor, wealth,
possible, awareness . . . then, with challenging directives, shows us
tangible ways this hole can be repaired—even eradicated—when each of
us pours hope and compassion into it. He expands our thinking, gives us
courage, and believes change can happen; and when you’ve finished
reading, you’ll believe it too.”
—Luci Swindoll, author and Women of Faith speaker
“The Hole in Our Gospel reminds us that the society in which we live
reflects our choices; we are responsible. That is a frightening message,
but also a liberating and empowering one. Through the strength of his
analysis and the lens of his experience, Richard Stearns inspires us as
individuals to reconsider our basic decisions about life. How we respond
will do much to influence our fate—and the world’s.”
—Madeleine Albright, former U.S. secretary of state
“If I had to pick a person who has made the transition from belief to
action, from success to significance, Rich Stearns would be at the top of
the list. The Hole in Our Gospel challenges all Christians to move out of
the cloister and into the world—for God’s sake.”
—Bob Buford, founder and chairman of Leadership Network and
author of Halftime and Finishing Well
“Rich Stearns has penned a passionate and persuasive book aimed at
Christians who find themselves absorbed with their own existence;
pursuing the American dream of health, wealth, and happiness. Rich
traces his own spiritual journey from having it all to sacrificial living on
behalf of those who have nothing. Not only is Rich eloquent, he’s right.”
—Kay Warren, executive director of the HIV/AIDS Initiative,
Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, CA
“World Vision plays a strategic role on our globe. As the largest relief
organization in the history of the world, they initiate care and respond to
crisis. Rich Stearns navigates this mercy mission with great skill. His
book urges us to think again about the opportunity to love our neighbor
and comfort the afflicted. His message is timely and needed. May God
bless him, the mission of World Vision, and all who embrace it.”
—Max Lucado, minister and best-selling author
“The Hole in Our Gospel reminds us that God has the power to transform
the world through us. Read this book and let Richard Stearns be your
guide back to the Lord.”
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—Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The One Minute Manager and Lead
Like Jesus
“This book is a clarion call for the church to arise and answer the
question, Who is my neighbor? In an often careless world of indifference
and intolerance, the world is searching for an expression of God’s love
beyond mere words. If you read this book, you will be inspired, but if you
do what this book is asking, you will be forever changed. Rich Stearns’
book is like a safari for hurting souls that cannot be written in the safety of
an office suite. He has been out in the trenches and he has brought us a
message from God: ‘Church, where art thou?’ If you have been feeling
something missing or an aching emptiness inside, read The Hole in Our
Gospel. It will show you how to fill that void!”
—T.D. Jakes Sr., pastor of the Potter’s House of Dallas, Inc.
“With passionate urging and earnestness, Rich Stearns challenges
American Christians to embrace the whole gospel of Jesus Christ by
embracing the neediest and most vulnerable among us. After reading the
moving stories, the compelling facts and figures, and Stearns’ excellent
application of Scripture and his own experiences at World Vision, you will
no doubt be asking yourself, What should I do?”
—Chuck Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship
“The first time I heard Rich Stearns tell his own story about why he left a
top CEO job to come lead World Vision, I was moved to tears. Rich
Stearns is the ‘rich young ruler’ who did not turn away from Jesus when
he was called to serve the poor. He is now a world leader in the
eradication of poverty and provides a compelling vision of the gospel and
the God that called him to be ‘good news to the poor.’ This is the story
about how rich Christians can be saved. His life and now his book serve
as testaments to the ‘full gospel’ to which the Church is called. For
anyone who has felt that there has been something missing from their
faith or their life, or anyone who desires to go deeper into Christ’s mission
for the world, The Hole in Our Gospel shows the way.”
—Jim Wallis, president of Sojourners
“I love this book! I am deeply grateful to Rich for the gift he offers through
its clear and compelling message. I have read books that highlight the
overwhelming needs of our world and am left with a groaning sense of
my inadequacy to meet that need. That is not the heart of Rich’s book.
This book throws open the door to every believer who longs to follow in
the footsteps of Christ and make a lasting difference in the lives of men,
women, and children around the world. God is alive and working in the
most unlikely places. This is a divine invitation to join in!”
—Sheila Walsh, author of Let Go! and Women of Faith speaker
“This is the World Vision legacy at its best. The Hole in Our Gospel is a
trumpet call to action as thoughtful as it is urgent. It is a prophetic and
hope-filled word for our day. If enough people read and do it, the world
will change.”
—John Ortberg, author and pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian
Church
“We see it in the news with mind-numbing regularity: a tsunami in Asia,
AIDS orphans starving in Africa, girls as young as ten years old sold into
slavery. This is the riveting story of the spiritual awakening of this Ivy
League-educated CEO who thought he had it all until he came face-to-
face with a young AIDS orphan in Uganda. As the head of World Vision,
Rich Stearns is confronted every day with famine, disease, abject
poverty, and shocking injustice, yet his compelling and challenging
narrative brings a message of hope . . . the hope that comes when
Christians discover for themselves the meaning of that ancient prayer:
‘Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’”
—J. Brady Anderson, former U.S. ambassador to Tanzania and
administrator of the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID)
“This is much more than ‘just another book’ from a Christian leader. It’s a
message to Christendom that we all need.”
—Tony Campolo, pastor, professor emeritus at Eastern University,
speaker, and author of It’s Friday but Sunday’s Comin’
“This book represents a powerful personal story, face-to-face
experiences with the poor that changed the author’s life, plus an insightful
scriptural commentary. As happened with Bob Pierce, founder of World
Vision, Richard Stearns’ heart has been broken with the things that break
the heart of God. Now, Stearns is using his considerable CEO skills to
serve the poor and oppressed. I highly recommend this book.”
—John M. Perkins, president of the John M. Perkins Foundation For
Reconciliation & Development, Inc.
“An urgent, powerful summons to live like Jesus. Stearns weaves solid
theology, moving stories, and his own journey of faith into a compelling
call to live the whole gospel. Highly recommended!”
—Ronald J. Sider, president of Evangelicals for Social Action,
author of Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger
“Rich Stearns calls us to exhilarating obedience to God’s life-altering,
world-changing command to reflect his love to our neighbors at home
and globally. The Hole in Our Gospel is imbued with the hope of what is
possible when God’s people are transformed to live radically in light of his
great love.”
—Gary Haugen, president and CEO of International Justice Mission
“In The Hole in Our Gospel, Rich Stearns places his finger firmly upon a
long-standing stain on the American church. For far too long, we have
artificially separated personal piety from social justice. No more! His
prophetic voice calls us to reflection, repentance and response. We dare
do no less.”
—Alec Hill, president of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA
“Rich Stearns makes a compelling case that Jesus’ good news needs to
be good news for everyone in the world. The whole gospel requires us to
not just care about the poor but to do something about it. This book
should also be required reading for marketplace leaders to see a
wonderful example of how God can use business skills and a willing
heart to build things of eternal value.”
—Jonathan T.M. Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International
“Rich Stearns shows us places in the world that make God weep, but
which most North Americans never even glimpse. Without that God’s-eye
view, our Christian compassion is crippled. With it, we can be the healers
Jesus called us to be. Don’t just buy this book. Share it with your pastor,
your church, your prayer partners. Then act.”
—David Neff, editor-in-chief and vice president of Christianity Today
Media Group
“As a bridge-builder I have always tried to connect the ‘haves’ with the
‘have nots.’ Rich Stearns’ book, The Hole in Our Gospel, will help all of
us better understand our personal Christian faith and how it must lead us
to reach out to a hurting world.”
—Dr. Dolphus Weary, president of Mission Mississippi
“When God wants to change us, he often takes us on a journey. In Rich
Stearns’ case, God took him on a vocational journey from Wall Street,
past Main Street, to No Street. The Hole in Our Gospel chronicles
Stearns’ trek from boardrooms of money and power to an encounter with
the poor and suffering of the world. It radically changed his life forever. I
read every word and was challenged on page after page to a deeper
commitment to Christ and to the world that Christ loves. This is a book
that I not only want to give my friends but to read with them. It broke my
heart and lifted my eyes to see a new path.”
—Dr. Stephen Hayner, former president of InterVarsity Christian
Fellowship
“Rich Stearns has given us a book that makes absolutely clear what God
hopes for and expects from each of us. He recounts his powerful
experience of sitting with an African child who alone cares for his
brothers, because both parents have died from AIDS. Sad, lonely, and
mostly forgotten is not an acceptable way for a child to live his life.
Rich makes it very clear that Christians must face these issues in a
straightforward way and do more to alleviate hunger, poverty, and illness
among the poor, especially the children, who in reality belong to all of us.
A more serving and compassionate faith community can dramatically and
with a sense of urgency, change the world, all for the better.
He knows the way, through his effective and perceptive leadership of
World Vision, to address the issues at a magnitude commensurate with
the problems. This remarkably important book speaks to the Christian
imperative to serve, to care for, and to love the poorest and most
vulnerable amongst us, wherever they are.
Rich reminded me of my personal responsibilities and the priority I
must give them, and also where life ’s true rewards and fulfillment are to
be found.”
—Jim Morris, former executive director of the United Nations World
Food Programme
“Read this compelling story and urgent call for change—Richard Stearns
is a contemporary Amos crying ‘Let justice roll down like waters.’ Justice
is a serious gospel-prophetic mandate. Far too many American
Christians for too long a time have left the cause to ‘others.’ Read it as an
altar call.”
—Eugene H. Peterson, translator of The Message and professor
emeritus of spiritual theology at Regent College, Vancouver, BC
“Rich Stearns’ book is showing us through stories and examples how it is
better to see a sermon rather than hear one. This is an important book for
all of us!”
—Tony Hall, U.S. ambassador and former U.S. congressman
A WARNING AND A PROMISE: DO NOT read this book unless you want
your conscience “pricked and your life changed. BUT DO read it if you
want your heart opened and your life filled with new hope! This is more
than another book about the world’s needs, although it is packed full of
facts and truths and ideas that are gripping. Most of all it is Rich Stearns’
personal story of his own awakening to God’s global purposes. Read it to
know about his own fascinating journey, but also perhaps to start on a
new journey of your own.”
—Leighton Ford, president of Leighton Ford Ministries