Good News vs. Good Advice

“What we have done all too frequently has been to take the good news and turn it into good advice. The good news is that Christ has come to help us enter into the very life of his Father and to transform us by his power into new persons who can love and rejoice and help the poor in a way far beyond our own capabilities. In contrast, good advice is to hold up a Christian ideal of life and service, and then to say: ‘Here’s the ideal; now use your willpower to achieve it.’ In short, we are tempted to preach law rather than grace.” — Francis MacNutt