Review of Stolen Grace

elagbemi057 · Post by **elagbemi057** » 12 May 2022, 16:24

[Following is a volunteer review of "Stolen Grace" by Rev Errol E Leslie.]

3 out of 4 stars

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When a Christian backslides, many other Christians sit back and laugh at his error and judge his action. It is only in Christianity that a wounded soldier is allowed to die.

Stolen Grace by Rev. Errol Leslie is a memoir that is centered on the life and ministry of the author who was a pastor in the United Methodist Church (UMC). His call to ministry has remained strong since he was 13. This was when he first ministered on the pulpit to teach Sunday school. His sole aim was to pursue a ministry in music but when it did not work out, he served God through the pastoral ministry. After serving the church for forty years, his pastoral ministry within the United Methodist Church was terminated, and never given another chance due to extramarital affairs he had with his old schoolmate. This happened at a time when he was facing a lot of difficulties in his marriage. His punishment was what pastors in UMC described as “Ecclesiastical Death”, meaning that he was no longer considered a member of the clergy. This punishment was so severe to the extent that the Florida Methodist Conference made sure that they did more damage to his character and reputation such that no other church will ever consider him as their pastor. He was so depressed and lost focus till he received mercy from God.

What got my interest in this book was how the writer described and related his challenges to some other stories in the Holy Bible. This helped to make it more understandable.

But the storyline was very long and there are repetitions of events which made the book boring in the middle.

The book was well proofread and edited. I found very few errors in it and so I would rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.

I recommend this book to Christians and those who might be passing through some difficulties or challenges in life and are looking for redemption. God never condemns or forsakes his own. I would also recommend this book to those who want to know more about the Methodist Church code of conduct.

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Stolen Grace
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Oluwatosin Balogun · Post by **Oluwatosin Balogun** » 17 May 2022, 19:45

"It is only in Christianity that a wounded soldier is allowed to die" such powerful and true words. It's sad to see how many Christians forget the role of encouragement and pick up judgement instead. I would love to read this book to see how he got back on his feet. This is a lovely review.

Olaoluwa Ruth · Post by **Olaoluwa Ruth** » 18 May 2022, 05:41

It's funny how people expect pastors to be perfect when they are not. It's like we all just forget that they're humans too. That they pass through the same temptations that afflict the average person. We can be so severe in our judgements and this book seeks to remind us that they too deserve the grace which we enjoy. Lovely review!

Stephanie Kanu · Post by **Stephanie Kanu** » 18 May 2022, 08:10

Christianity carries the weight of perfection to the outside world and this is detrimental to our growth as a religion. This is not to say that chess should live carelessly. But we should understand that we're all humans and bound to make mistakes . Thank you for this well written review.

Stephanie Kanu · Post by **Stephanie Kanu** » 18 May 2022, 08:11

LadyWhyte3 wrote: ↑18 May 2022, 08:10 Christianity carries the weight of perfection to the outside world and this is detrimental to our growth as a religion. This is not to say that chess should live carelessly. But we should understand that we're all humans and bound to make mistakes . Thank you for this well written review.

*...Christians should live carelessly.

I made a typo.

Elijah0007 · Post by **Elijah0007** » 19 May 2022, 10:04

I admire the author's courage in putting his personal challenges in writing and then publishing it. I can imagine this being a difficult experience for him. It sends a strong message to the susceptibility of those that feel they are too "saintly" to backslide and end up doing so, much to their chagrin. This is a beautiful review, well done.

Emmanuel Anyalewechi · Post by **Emmanuel Anyalewechi** » 19 May 2022, 15:25

Laughing at a man of God for backsliding means mocking his anointed, and this indirect way of mocking God. I love the fact that the author gave instances of his challenges so that readers can relate better. Nice review.