Brennan Manning dies

Brennan Manning has passed away at the age of 78. Best known as the writer of the The Ragamuffin Gospel , Manning died yesterday following several years of declining health. He was 78. The book was especially inspiring to some Christian musicians ,including Michael W. Smith, Michael Card and the late Rich Mullins, who named his band in honor of Manning's book. One popular quote of Manning, spoken by Carman on DC Talk song ("What if I Stumble?"), goes like this:

"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”

Manning attended Pennsylvania's Saint Francis College and was ordained a Franciscan priest in 1963. He taught theology at the University of Stuebenville in Ohio and became the spiritual director of Saint Francis Seminary. His association with the Little Brothers of Jesus of Charles de Foucald included living in France, Spain and Switzerland. Manning struggled with alcoholism, briefly relapsing when he returned to the U.S. He writing showed a brutal brokenness, endearing him to his readers.