Brian McLaren

Author / Speaker / Activist

Contrary to Shakespeare's famous dictum, in too many hearts, the quality of mercy is severely constrained. That's why Matthew Clarke's new book is so important. He advocates and inspires readers first to imagine and then to embody a quality of mercy that doesn't just fit in quietly around the edges, but rather goes to the heart and disrupts everything from there. The book's twelve chapters are all well-written and substantial, and a final appendix explores alternative approaches to the subject, and demonstrates why they are not sufficiently robust. A book for this critical moment — highly recommended.

Rt. Rev'd Dr. Stephen Pickard

Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture

Disrupting Mercy is a fine book on an urgent and critical theme. We live in an age driven by transactional accounts of human behaviour, fixated on blame and revenge and seriously lacking the will or capacity to act from a compassionate heart. Matthew Clarke offers an alternative way to live. In a provocative, reflective, insightful and practical book the author captures the richness of the biblical and gospel tradition of mercy. Clarke locates mercy within an ecology of love and an economy of gift. Mercy appears as a prophetic act and gift of extreme kindness impelled by compassion. This most accessible, readable and practical book is grounded in the best contemporary theological scholarship. I found it uplifting, informative and challenging. A great book for individuals and small groups.

Dr Sally Longley

Spiritual director and author of Conversations with Silence

In Disrupting Mercy, Matthew Clarke is like an experienced trekker: a wise and thoughtful guide who invites us on a carefully chartered journey through the perilous landscape of mercy. Perilous, because to enter each chapter means to risk being challenged, turned upside-down, and our understandings of ‘mercy’ disrupted. And the landscape he leads us into exposes us to different perspectives on mercy, giving vistas of mercy at work, and pointing out what gets in the way of mercy ‘landing’ as we would hope. This landscape is clearly well-known to Clarke, as he opens up nuances that can only really be seen with such a seasoned trekker’s eye, he leads us into the crevices in arguments, and even the dark caves of brokenness, bondage, and exile. Yet using the beams of his torch, he turns our eyes toward real examples of possibility and hope that lead us toward seeing mercy as a true bringer of shalom.  This really is a full-orbed exploration, disturbing and enlightening at almost every turn, and yet at every point, we know we are in wise hands that offer ways forward into mercy and true shalom.

Matt Friedman

Human trafficking expert and author of Be the Hero: Be the Change

The author’s stated goal in writing this book was to “disrupt conventional thinking” related to the idea of “mercy,” and to replace it with a concept that was itself “radically disruptive.” And this is exactly what the author achieved in this beautifully written book that breaks down this greatly misunderstood notion to its essence through his analysis of biblical passages and his and his wife’s own personal experiences and observations. As I read, I realized that I, myself, never really understood the relevance, practicality, and importance of mercy. For readers that want to go far beyond the superficial, this is the book for you. As a human trafficking practitioner, I will use the lessons learned in this book in the way I relate to both the survivors and criminals alike.

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Scattering Church Discussion

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