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

Christianity Today 2025 Book Award Finalist | Christian Living and Spiritual Formation

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.

In The Big Relief, popular author David Zahl spotlights grace as the most important, urgent, and radical contribution Christianity has to offer the world. Drawing on the witness of Scripture and a panoply of contemporary examples, he helps readers

● understand the beauty and depth of grace
● unpack the theology of grace in fresh and exciting terms
● accept the relief grace offers from the guilt, status anxiety, and demands of modern life
● explore the many fruits of grace--freedom, play, surrender, humility, rest, surprise, and joy

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.

"A masterclass in how to talk about theology and faith in ways that are accessible to laypeople."--Christian Century

"I wrote in the margins of my copy, complete with all-caps emphasis, 'I feel MINISTERED to as I read.'"--Christianity Today