The Hole in Our Gospel 2025 Edition
What Does God Expect of Us? The Answer That Changed My Life and Might Just Change the World
- Ethics, Culture & Social Issues
- Publisher: W Publishing Group (Thomas Nelson)
- Published: 2025
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Publisher's Description
Richard Stearns shows that the Bible boldly speaks that there is no “whole gospel” without compassion and justice shown to the poor. With more than 260,000 copies sold, The Hole in Our Gospel continues to impact readers worldwide, and this new edition includes updated statistics, photos, and a foreword from the current World Vision president. Is our faith only about going to church, studying the Bible, and avoiding the most serious sins? Or does God expect more? Have we embraced the whole gospel or a gospel with a hole in it? More than twenty years ago, Rich Stearns came face-to-face with that question as he sat in a mud hut in Rakai, Uganda, listening to the heartbreaking story of an orphaned child. Stearns’s journey took much more than a long flight to Africa. It took answering God’s call on his life, a call that tore him out of his corner office at one of America’s most prestigious corporations, to walk with the poorest of the poor in our world. Stearns’s compelling story demonstrates that the whole gospel was always meant to be a world-changing social revolution, a revolution that begins with each one of us. With more than 260,000 copies sold, this revised and updated edition will be part of World Vision’s 75th anniversary.
Endorsements (20)
“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.”
“The Hole in Our Gospel is still needed—or needed anew!—because of the relentless American tendency for our lives to be defined primarily by what is personal, individual, internal, and tribal. These are the pervasive forces that create and sustain the ‘hole’ that subverts the whole gospel for the whole person in the whole world. Thank God for the wholistic gospel that Rich Stearns here reaffirms so plainly and urgently.”
“I knew little about poverty and the poorest of the poor until I joined the board of World Vision US. Yes, I have traveled to many poor countries—but I did not really see in the way that stirred my heart to action and deep caring. As Rich Stearns reissues The Hole in Our Gospel to again stir our hearts, it reveals resounding progress but a task far from finished. While we know the gospel is central for every person, the reality of abject poverty and fragile states prevents millions from ‘hearing’ that gospel. I have seen firsthand both the progress and the desperate need that still confronts us. In the midst of multiple world crises, we must not lose sight of the most vulnerable among us. The Church cannot ignore its call to the full expression of the gospel, dressed in the clothes (garments) of practical help and the imperative of the Great Commission.”
“Over the last decade, The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns has served as a clarion call to all believers to evaluate how serious they are about caring for ‘the least of these’ and those experiencing extreme poverty. Challenges such as this have been the impetus for our church to partner with organizations like World Vision in a significant way to end hunger and poverty in one of the most impoverished countries in South America. I believe this book is as powerful and relevant today as it was when it was first released. It is also a testament that much has been accomplished, yet the body of Christ still has more to do.”
“For decades, Richard Stearns has been a visionary who should be commended not only for his exceptional work as the leader of World Vision but as a believer, for his relentless pursuit of the Lord. The new edition of The Hole in Our Gospel not only celebrates the progress that has been made to combat worldwide poverty but equips the Church with a fuller, richer understanding of the gospel that spurs the body of Christ to action. Stearns gives us a sobering reality of some of the realities being faced by the most vulnerable in society and acknowledges the hole in the gospel that is created when our personal relationship with Christ lacks an outward expression in our lives and in the world around us. While Stearns requires all of us to wrestle with the question of who our neighbor is, The Hole in Our Gospel emboldens the body of Christ and extends an invitation to all Christians to join in the redemptive and restorative work that the Lord is currently doing in the world around us.”
“Rich Stearns weaves together his story, our stories, Bible stories, and the stories of the whole world in our generation. Some books change your mind. Few books change the world. This book is a world changer.”
“Concise, compelling, convicting, yet surrounded with hope. This edition of The Hole in Our Gospel is a clear call to move forward in living out the command of Jesus to love our neighbor as ourselves. Powerful stories with encouraging results. But more importantly it’s the clarion call of courageous leadership for the future.”
“Extreme poverty is retreating, but it remains recalcitrant. With a clear vision and bold hope, Richard Stearns’s The Hole in Our Gospel courageously calls us to a renewed commitment to end extreme poverty by following the Great Commission to the most fragile states around the world. Join the gospel movement. Sitting on the sidelines is not an option!”
“The Hole in Our Gospel prompted a new generation to embrace Jesus’ invitation to love the ones he called ‘the least of these’ in our world: the poor, the hungry, the sick, the strangers, the widows, the orphans, and the ‘down-and-outs.’ Rich Stearns’s powerful message has been a catalyst for thousands of churches and Christians to engage in costly and courageous compassion by demonstrating the good news of the gospel—the whole gospel—to a watching world. If you haven’t read this book, you need to. It will rock your world and change the way you think about your Christian faith forever.”
“My friend Rich Stearns is one of the bright lights of the faith. With The Hole in Our Gospel, he’s saying, ‘We can do better.’ And we can. We can care more, make our circles wider, show the world what Jesus is really all about. As Rich says, when we demonstrate the love of Christ, we draw people to the cross of Christ. Amen!”
“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.”
“Rich Stearns has penned a passionate and persuasive book aimed at Christians who find themselves absorbed 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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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’s 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!”
“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 became 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 those who have felt that there has been something missing from their faith or their lives, or anyone who desires to go deeper into Christ’s mission for the world, The Hole in Our Gospel shows the way.”
“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!”
“This is much more than ‘just another book’ from a Christian leader. It’s a message to Christendom that we all need.”
“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’s heart has been broken with the things that break the heart of God. Stearns used his considerable CEO skills to serve the poor and oppressed. I highly recommend this book.”
“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.”
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