Sin Boldly: A Field Guide for Grace

by Cathleen Falsani

Justice is getting what you deserve. Mercy is not getting what you deserve. And grace is getting what you absolutely don't deserve.

Award-winning author and columnist Cathleen Falsani says, “People regularly ask me why I believe in God. The simple answer … is grace.” In Sin Boldly: A Field Guide to Grace, Falsani explores the meaning and experience of grace through story and song, quotes and photos.

Falsani says, “Grace makes no sense to our human minds. We're hardwired to seek justice, or our limited idea of what that means, and occasionally dole out mercy. Grace is another story.” Sin Boldly is an uplifting, multifaceted, and thought-provoking look at what makes grace so amazing.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Christian, Spirituality, Theology, Christianity, Faith

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[midnightfaerie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first of about 20 books that I've started reading in 2015 that I've finished, and I have to say, I was disappointed. I also have to admit, it was the title that attracted me. Sin boldly applies to grace through forgiveness in my opinion, and this theme rarely showed its face anywhere in the book. If it had been called something like "Personal Revelations about Grace while Travelling" it would have been a much more accurate depiction. While Falsani is a good writer, and presented personal accounts in engaging ways with solid supporting details about grace, she failed to bring it all together in one cohesive unit. It's almost as if she did a lot of self discovery on her trips and wanted to write about it, but couldn't bring it altogether under one theme so since "grace" is a more subjective Christian idea, she felt she could attribute these experiences to this main idea, although some of them quite loosely.

Beside this obvious flaw, the books was still somewhat enjoyable to read, despite the rampant jumping around from place to place with no obvious direction. She's an entertaining writer, and one that can easily make you relate to what she's going through. And while I appreciated the audacity of certain ideas, such as her urge of putting "Grace doesn't deny my assholeness", (as I myself tend to expound a more "real" personality), it was a bit trite and way too obvious. I prefer the obscure and it seemed as if she was trying too hard. I realize what she's trying to do here, relate to a more normal person in her sinning, and yes, this can possibly weakly be attributed to the title, and I applaud her effort, but it just didn't seem to work. In her defense, it's a fine line in the Christian world of writing a book that can be real enough to have the average person relate to but not so real that it offends, and it's very difficult to do. Which is why I gave her two starts instead of one. I think I just can't get over the title being a disappointment and perhaps if it had been written more like a diary of personal revelations, I would have liked it better. Like I said, she is a good writer. I'd be willing to give her one more chance at impressing me if I was recommended one of her books, like someone recommended this one to me. But otherwise, sorry Falsani, this one goes on the shelf of disappointments.


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[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually stumbled upon this book while I was looking for inspiration for my BigBangAlt theme for a couple of months ago (my theme was 'grace'). Funny how fandom will lead you in some strange directions, isn't it?

While nothing in this book is earth-shattering or even new - it is refreshing and tinged with a hopefulness that is uplifting. In one section, the author comments about her trip to Montana and says "All of Western Montana is like God boasting." I picked up my phone and called my father (who was raised outside of Livingston, MT). :D

And I'll go on the record as saying that I really like religious commentary books that have a chapter on Graceland and talk about Elvis and peanut butter and banana sandwiches. I'm just saying.

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Falsani, the religion columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, writes about the power of grace wherever she can find it -- whether that's under a tree in her own backyard, walking through the rooms at Graceland, or in an encounter with a sickly child in an African village. She writes with a powerful openness towards the people she encounters and their capacity to change her life; she also finds the magnitude in quiet moments alone. Moving and heartfelt.

[Leah]

Helpful, Delightful, and Grace-Filled

If along with most people you've ever wondered what God possibly could do to transform your pitiful attitudes and pathetic lack of alignment with the demands of the commands, this collection of stories from Chicago Sun-Times at-one-time religion columnist Cathleen Falsani's recent peregrinations will give you hope and keep you keepin' on, since God lovingly reigns with showers of mercy-filled grace, no matter who, no matter what, no matter when.

On page 57 Cathleen cites a couple of "grace" examples that especially resonate with me: "Sometimes it's having the guts to rebuild, to take a chance, to follow your nose and your heart rather than your head." "Sometimes grace is finding out that your preconceived notions are dead wrong." "And sometimes it's a bowl of watermelon gazpacho when you were expecting Taco Bell."

Discussing the possibility of following precise recipes for spiritual and religious experience and renewal (there aren't any), Cathleen described herself as "rhubarb pie with pistachio ice cream," making me wonder how to describe myself in food, and maybe how I'd describe some of the people I've met.

Cathleen's book chronicles God's "audacious" grace, as she sometimes styles it; and in its free, elusive, characteristically unanticipated and unexpectedness, Grace is audacious, bold and wild. But just as much, grace often is physically tastable, audible, visible, aromatic and touchable: incarnate and enfleshed; in that case, where can grace lead us? What is our response in the Spirit to the Divine Image in which we've been created?

I predict you'll enjoy this book, you'll recommend it and you'll probably want to read it again!

[SeaBae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was having a bad day. Actually, I've had a pretty sucky year. But yesterday self-doubt got together with discouragement and frustration and really partied it up. While they were hooting and hollering, I pulled out my iPhone and opened the Kindle store. This book was sitting in the middle of the Kindle Top Sellers list, and it was free, so I downloaded it without knowing a thing about it.

I had to wait in line, so I started to read. And didn't stop until I finished.

As Falsani puts it:

"Justice is getting what you deserve.

"Mercy is not getting what you deserve.

"And grace is getting what you absolutely don't deserve."

This book, appearing on the Kindle list when I spur-of-the-moment decided to check it, was an act of grace for me. It helps that Falsani and I share the same take on what Christianity and being a Christian means. And just when I desperately needed it, emotionally, spiritually - her wise, thoughtful, inspirational and heart -tugging stories appeared.

Grace. Just as she said.

[Elizabeth Elifson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've thoroughly enjoyed reading the essays in Falsani's book. Her writing reminded me of how I fell in love with Buechner's writing back in high school. I enjoyed her reference to Buechner in Chapter three in regards to singing in the car, "Pay attention to the things that bring a tear to your eye or a lump in your throat, because they are signs that the holy is drawing near."

[Susan Isaacs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Falsani's series of essays are honest, funny, irreverent, and inspiring. She points out the places she finds grace: in her everyday life, in her job as a religion writer, on treks to Africa where she's met a collective of widows who are supporting themselves, in a Kenyan slum, in her own writer's block. I'm a tough audience but she made me laugh out loud and cry.

[Josiah Rex · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an interesting book to read. The overall format felt a little choppy. There was some very good and thought provoking stuff in it. But there was also some stuff that I felt was theological off. I would say if you are already firm in your faith and what you believe. It is worth a read. If you are a new Christian, or trying figure out what you believe. Set this book aside to read later.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't let the title keep you away. I actually had someone tell me that this was not an appropriate book for me to be carrying into church as I tend to read and drink coffee before the service. Definitely a great read that gave me a better understanding of the concept of grace.

[Larry Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

although the title sounds heretical, the book is solidly biblical and very well written. i highly recommend it for everyone -- we all need to know God's grace more deeply.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I live on grace. I can't stomach most Christian books about it because it's all saving grace and humans' sinful nature. This book, though, had grace about grace. The author tells stories of her studies in grace, both from texts and her travels. I found it compelling and very sweet. She falls in sudden love with an 80 year old Italian nun, and they watch Casablanca and talk about how everyone was too hard on Ingrid Bergman!

I tried to 4-star this book, but it kept 5-starring, and that's grace.

[Dawn Shields · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite the title, this is really a bunch of stories about how you can find God's grace in everyday experiences and encounters with people.

I was encouraged by this book and really saw God in her experiences.

[Andrea Flack-Wetherald · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so beautiful. The photos are beautiful, the paper is beautiful, the stories are beautiful. I learned about 27 new words, and the stories about elephants, politically different friends, and her now-adopted son brought tears to my eyes.

[Brad Poel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the print edition of this book for a month or more, but when I downloaded the (FREE--see below) audio book recently, the illiterate-friendly format won out.

The author, Cathleen Falsani, reads the book herself, her voice reminding me of the brunette in Grey’s anatomy—the one that eloped with the small guy (I could easily Google Grey’s to find out her name, and his too, for that matter, but then I’d look a little too into Grey’s, which I am not).

I was hooked from the introduction where the author compares grace to an orgasm and Moby music and then closes with a quote from Bruce Almighty. Hats off to Zondervan for publishing this real, edgy (comma intended) female author.

The author bears witness to the grace she’s experienced in her life using powerful and endearing story telling—from elephant sightings in Africa (amidst an amusingly rude guide) to the truth-filled insight of a pastor in post-Katrina New Orleans (thanks to his colorful language).

Another highlight was chapter 8, where Falsani uses the word ‘ass-hole’ 6 times (albeit through the words of a friend—the New Orleans pastor) in less than a minute to capture the essence of grace. Hilarious! I feel like the friends in ‘Knocked Up’ (great movie, by the way) that watched raunchy movies to identify the exact time codes where viewers could find inappropriate content (like the anti-Dove seal)… I’m not saying this is a raunchy book or that the use of ‘ass-hole’ is inappropriate here—quite the opposite. Maybe I just wanted to plug ‘Knocked Up.’

I highly recommend this book. It encourages me to look for God’s grace in the everyday—in the obvious and the mundane. It also reminds me of God’s sense of humor, not to mention the diversity of His children.

PS. This book is (still) available in audio format (my fave!) as a FREE download for a limited (read: till the publisher’s webmaster notices that the site has read ‘limited’ for six months, at which time he or she edits it to read ‘unlimited’) time:
http://www.zondervan.com/Cultures/en-...

[Skipr · Rating 5 out of 5]

A funny memoir of Falsani's encounters with grace. An entertaining, down-to-earth storyteller, Falsani is honest about her own shortcomings - a prerequisite for recognizing grace, even if grace itself has no prerequisites. The title comes from 16th century reformer, Martin Luther, who wrote it to a friend who spent an inordinate amount of time obsessing about his sins - which very easily becomes just another form of self-centeredness. Luther wrote, "God does not save people who are only fictitious sinners. Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly." In other words, get your eyes off of yourself, and onto the grace offered through Christ. This book helps do exactly that.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my book club and found it to be more than I expected. The title was definitely deceptive, but not long into the book you realize that it isn't condemning nor encouraging sin. Instead it is uplifting and often funny.

It was a refreshing read because the author doesn't toot her own righteous horn nor pretend to have all the answers. Instead, Cathleen's book reads like an honest biography of specific experiences in which she recognizes God's grace. She made me think about how often I may have missed the grace of God in my own life.

The controversy surrounding this book initiated many debates, and win or lose, I love a great debate! Sin Boldly was definitely a book that made us think, question and discuss. For that alone it is a book worth reading.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

FREE Kindle Book (back in December)

This was not what I was expecting, but I was happily surprised! I think it was divine intervention here! I started this on the Monday before Lent started. I was looking for a book that would read to me since I had a long drive. I picked it just to pass the time. But what I got was a fresh look at Grace (God's Grace). This book would probably not be a book for everyone, but it got me thinking at a time when it fit perfectly in my life. Thanks God for that little surprise intervention.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this book, fits in my category of books that are like a box of candy - each chapter delicious. The book has nothing to do with sin, although the story of where the title was obtained is included and fits; but it's really all about grace - discovering grace almost everywhere, when you need it, when you didn't know you needed it, when someone else needed it even YOU can be grace for another. That's why they call it AMAZING! Always free, always a gift, always amazing. Falsani is a new hero of mine, a kindred spirit.

[Callie Stockman · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not that this book was bad, not at all. I just felt like it was falsely advertised. It's more like a collection of her articles on her life and religion in general. If I didn't know the book was supposed to be about grace and she didn't disperse little non-related reminders throughout, I wouldn't have gotten that theme. It's more about life figuring out religion while traveling around Europe and Africa.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the subject matter, finding "grace" (the hand of God) in everyday life. Easy to read with some charming stories. I suppose it's rather difficult subject matter to get across sometimes, and many times I found myself not quite clear on what she was trying to convey. Still, an enjoyable and upbeat read.

[Adam Shields · Rating 2 out of 5]

My full review is at http://bookwi.se/sin-boldly-a-field-g...

Short review: I thought it was ok, but it never really grabbed me. There were some decent essays and I identify with the author (went to the same college, I lived in Chicago for 11 years, seem to basically agree theologically, socially and politically). But I never really got into the book that much.

[LVD · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't impressed with Sin Boldly, as much as I wanted to be. Mostly, my impressions are that Anne Lamott has already done this, and done it much better at that. I did, however, enjoy the frequent Bruce Cockburn quotes.

[Wayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that deserves to be read by everyone interested in real, genuine and authentic faith. The author provides a helpful field guide for grace and makes you smile, laugh and cry along the way.

[Irene · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely awful. Trite, badly written (like teen angst). An example: "Howling wind whipped my long, unruly Hair in penitent lashes across my face..." Really? 'penitent lashes'?

Imo just Ugh! Couldn't finish it.

[Amber Moore]

After getting partway through The Dude Abides i dicarded this book after the foreword. I feel like i am being preaced too and that is not what i am reading for, that is what the bible is for. Sorry.

[Drew Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A reality/real life peek into what God's grace can look like in life- not cookie cutter life, but real life. Bold, unapologetic and moving. Rings very true for those seeking God, not necessarily seeking religion

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book helped me to re-open my eyes to all the Grace around me.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

in the same vein as anne lamott...not as vulgar or witty or poetic, but still a very compelling read about what grace is (and isn't).

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edgy, Raw, and Real! Don't miss this one.