The Big Relief: The Urgency of Grace for a Worn-Out World

by David Zahl

Overview

We could all use a little—or a lot—of relief from the pressures of life. And there is no bigger relief than the grace of God.

Think of grace as one-way love. A gift with no strings attached. Favor when you least expect or deserve it. Knowing that you don't have to do anything to earn God's approval.

In The Big Relief, popular author David Zahl spotlights grace as the most important, urgent, and radical contribution Christianity has to offer the world. Zahl helps readers understand the beauty and depth of grace, outlining how it provides relief from the guilt, status anxiety, and accelerating demand that characterize so much of modern life. Drawing on the witness of Scripture and a panoply of contemporary examples, he unpacks the theology of grace in fresh and exciting terms, exploring its many fruits—such as freedom, play, surrender, humility, rest, surprise, and joy—in the process.

Zahl invites us to embrace Christianity as a refuge rather than as a project, a beacon of hope instead of a vehicle of shame, and a harbor of refreshment in a worn-out world. Ultimately, he welcomes everyone to receive the gift of relief we so desperately need.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781587435577
Publisher:	Baker Publishing Group
Publication date:	04/29/2025
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

David Zahl is the founder and director of Mockingbird Ministries, editor in chief of the Mockingbird blog, and cohost of the Mockingcast and Brothers Zahl podcasts. He is the author of Seculosity: How Career, Parenting, Technology, Food, Politics, and Romance Became Our New Religion and What to Do about It and Low Anthropology: The Unlikely Key to a Gracious View of Others (and Yourself). He has also written for Christianity Today and the Washington Post. He and his family live in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he serves on the staff of Christ Episcopal Church.

Table of Contents

Contents
Introduction
1. Grace: The Relief from Deserving
2. Forgiveness: The Relief from Regret
3. Favor: The Relief from Rejection
4. Surrender: The Relief from Control
5. Atonement: The Relief from Guilt
6. Imputation: The Relief from Status Anxiety
7. Rest: The Relief from Keeping Up
8. Play: The Relief from Productivity
9. Rescue: The Relief from Captivity (and Death)
Conclusion: Love and Mercy