Endorsements
“Through a careful look at some of Jesus’s most challenging conversations, Chase helps us better understand the trap of offense and how Jesus can rescue us from it. Like a skilled surgeon, Chase uses Jesus’s words to dissect our lives, helping us recognize the insecurity and idolatry that often leads us to envy and offense. Jesus loves us enough to be honest with us. For those willing to listen, his hardest words also turn out to be some of his best. With Chase’s usual mix of history, psychology, and literature, A Sharp Compassion is a fascinating and sober read. For those willing to take the journey, you’ll learn and certainly be changed.”
Mark Batterson: lead pastor of National Community Church; New York Times bestselling author of The Circle Maker
“Good therapists know how to be warm, compassionate, and empathetic. But they also know when to be challenging and confrontive if that preferred approach is not working. Jesus was a good therapist. And Chase Repogle is also a good clinical theologian, and an engaging writer. In this wonderfully transparent book, he examines some of Jesus’s own words of “sharp compassion” to help the reader find a more examined and free way to live, and to love.”
Gary W. Moon, M.Div., Ph.D. Founding Executive Director Martin Institute and Dallas Willard Center, and current director of Conversatio Divina, at Westmont College and author of Apprenticeship with Jesus, and Becoming Dallas Willard.
“In our desperate search for comfort, the temptation to minimize, neutralize, or distort the cross looms large for Christians navigating the fragility of our own shortcomings. But the cross is offensive. As Chase Replogle reminds us, ‘the cross is the singular offense we must not lose, for it frees us from all other offenses.’ A Sharp Compassion is a timely diagnosis of our contemporary condition, offering a challenging but accessible, difficult but beautiful path forward, away from suffocating fragility, toward a spacious and free life.”
Jay Y. Kim, Pastor and Author
“The most powerful writings serve as a catalyst for change. This book is one of those that packs the potential to transform the reader. Chase inspires all of us to take an introspective look at our desires, our insecurities, our relationships, our ability to imitate Jesus, and even our view of Christ’s Cross. This book propelled me to consider ways I can choose to be blind to what Jesus wants to reveal in me or I can embrace offense as a mechanism to uncover the work Jesus longs to do in my heart and life. Ultimately, this book empowered me to consider every offense—or temptation to be offended—as an opportunity to intentionally take my eyes off myself and place my gaze solely on Jesus allowing nothing to replace him in my heart and life. This powerful book will certainly shift your perspective and approach to offense and deepen your understanding of Jesus!”
Shonna Crawford, Convoy of Hope, Vice President, Convoy:Women
“Leaders know too often the dangers of offense and envy, and Chase shines a new light on the topic and helps us break free from its trap. This book unpacks some of Jesus’s most difficult truths with a fresh perspective. Take heart the words of Jesus—read this book and learn its lessons!”
Brad Lomenick, Leadership consultant, speaker, founder of BLINC, and author of The Catalyst Leader and H3 Leadership
“A Sharp Compassion is a needed and timely word for today. By unpacking Jesus’ encounters with others, Chase leads the reader down a path that demands introspection. In a world where we go out of our way to be politically correct, this book will show you that Biblical correction is not only necessary – it’s something to be grateful for.”
Lauren Vander Laden, author of I Want to Move On
“In a highly polarized society, it can seem like most Christians either feel a moral obligation to cause offense as often as possible (especially online), or are convinced that any offense is automatically unbiblical and wrong. In A Sharp Compassion, Chase Replogle finds the biblical thread that doesn’t let either side off the hook but brings the offense of the gospel into a sharper, more Christlike focus.”
Karl Vaters, author of De-sizing the Church, Founder of Helping Small Churches Thrive at KarlVaters.com
“In his earthly ministry, Jesus sometimes offended people. He never intended to demean or denigrate, however. Instead, as my pastor Chase Replogle points out in A Sharp Compassion, Jesus’ words were surgical, aimed at healing sin-sick souls. We become better when we take His words to heart. Chase takes you deeper than the obvious, unpacking the spiritual warfare involved and equipping the reader with tools that are practical yet deeply seeped/rooted in theological, psychological, and sociological substance. The content is truly life changing!”
Donna Barrett, General Secretary of the Assemblies of God
“The best writers help us take a second look at what we thought we knew. Chase is one of those writers. Surveying our current landscape of 24-7 outrage, Chase leverages the words of Jesus to help us see not only that our proclivity to offense says more about us than it does about whatever the issue du jour may be, he also helps us see just how the resurrected Christ may be speaking to us in our offense, healing our sin-sick souls, leading us to freedom. A book to be pondered, and prayed over.”
Andrew Arndt, Lead Pastor, New Life East. Author, Streams in the Wasteland: Finding Spiritual Renewal with the Desert Fathers and Mothers
