“Unoffendable: How Just One Change Can Make All Of Life Better” by Brant Hansen is one of those books that speaks to your core, calling out the “better angels of your nature,” acting like a siren of spiritual sanity to weary souls trapped in the jungle of disagreement, polarization and contention that our world has become.

I am an avid reader. Few books strike such a deep cord in my heart that they linger with me long after I read them. This is one of those books.

First, I love Brant Hansen’s style of communication. He is a good storyteller. Having worked as a radio show host for many years has no doubt honed his craft for a good story. His communication skills are excellent. His theology is inescapably Biblical, engaging and life changing.

A.W. Tozer once wrote

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”

Brant puts the focus on the underbelly of Biblical theology: what Jesus said and demonstrated. The beloved disciple John wrote “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  Brant zeroes in on the truth that grace is what really matters. Truth is important insomuch as it applies to us. Grace matters because it is what flows through us to change the world around us. “Unoffendable” drives home the point that the grace of forgiveness, letting offenses go, and taking the high road is what makes the world go round. It is a refreshing message in this world of polarization we live in.

Here are a few quotes from the book:

“Jesus wouldn’t even let hypocrisy, betrayal, backstabbing, lying, and abandonment stop Him from loving Peter.” 

“Perhaps a big part of being less offendable is seeing the human heart for what it is: Untrustworthy. Unfaithful. Prone to selfishness. Got it. Now we don’t have to be shocked.”

“Jesus encountered one moral mess after another, and He was never taken aback by anyone’s morality. Ever.”

“Love people where they are, and love them boldly. And if you really want to go crazy, like them too.”

“Anger and action are two very different things, and confusing the two actually hurts our efforts to set things right. Acting out of love, to show mercy, to correct injustices, to set things right . . . is beautiful. Love should be motivation enough to do the right thing. And not “love” as a fuzzy abstraction, but love as a gutsy, willful decision to seek the best for others. What the world needs, I think you’ll agree, is not a group of people patting themselves on the back for being angry. We need people who actually act to set things right.”

If you struggle with anger, if you are a justice warrior, and if you struggle with loving and forgiving your enemies, this book will help you immensely. It will leave you thinking long after you put it down.