
Costly Grace
An Evangelical Minister's Rediscovery of Faith, Hope, and Love
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $24.29
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Rob Schenck
-
By:
-
Rob Schenck
About this listen
A leading American evangelical minister - whom public figures long turned to for guidance in faith and politics - recounts his three conversions, from childhood Jewish roots to Christianity, from a pure faith to a highly politicized one, and from the religious right to the simplicity of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.
Rob Schenck’s extraordinary life has been at the center of the intersection between evangelical Christianity and modern politics. Attacked by partisans on both sides of the aisle, he has been called a "right-wing hate monger", the "ultimate D.C. power-broker", a "traitor", and "turncoat." Now, this influential spiritual adviser to America’s political class chronicles his controversial, sometimes troubling career in this revelatory and often shocking memoir.
As a teenager in the 1970s, Schenck converted from Judaism to Christianity and found his calling in public ministry. In the 1980s, he, like his twin brother, became a radical activist leader of the anti-abortion movement. In the wake of his hero Ronald Reagan’s rise to the White House, Schenck became a leading figure in the religious right inside the Beltway. Emboldened by his authority and access to the highest reaches of government, Schenck was a zealous warrior, brazenly mixing ministry with Republican political activism - even confronting President Bill Clinton during a midnight Christmas Eve service at Washington’s National Cathedral.
But in the past few years Schenck has undergone another conversion - his most meaningful transition yet. Increasingly troubled by the part he played in the corruption of religion by politics, this man of faith has returned to the purity of the gospel. Like Paul on the Road to Damascus, he had an epiphany: revisiting the lessons of love that Jesus imparted, Schenck realized he had strayed from his deepest convictions. Reaffirming his core spiritual beliefs, Schenck today works to liberate the evangelical community from the oppression of the narrowest interpretation of the gospel, and to urge Washington conservatives to move beyond partisan battles and forsake the politics of hate, fear, and violence. As a preacher, he continues to spread the word of the Lord with humility and a deep awareness of his past transgressions.
In this moving and inspiring memoir, he reflects on his path to God, his unconscious abandonment of his principles, and his return to the convictions that guide him. Costly Grace is a fascinating and ultimately redemptive account of one man’s life in politics and faith.
©2018 Rob Schenck (P)2018 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
-
Tactics, 10th Anniversary Edition
- A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions
- By: Gregory Koukl, Lee Strobel - foreword
- Narrated by: Gregory Koukl
- Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a culture increasingly indifferent or even hostile to Christian truth, followers of Christ need to be equipped to communicate with those who do not speak their language or accept their source of authority. In Tactics, 10th Anniversary Edition, Gregory Koukl demonstrates how to artfully regain control of conversations, keeping them moving forward in constructive ways through thoughtful diplomacy. Step-by-step, you'll learn the tactics of good persuasion and defense, how to identify the tactics of your opponent, and how to build your case, patiently and practically.
-
-
Awesome Book
- By Dee Venable on 12-06-19
By: Gregory Koukl, and others
-
Jesus and John Wayne
- How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation
- By: Kristin Kobes du Mez
- Narrated by: Suzie Althens
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How did a libertine who lacks even the most basic knowledge of the Christian faith win 81 percent of the white evangelical vote in 2016? And why have white evangelicals become a presidential reprobate's staunchest supporters? Jesus and John Wayne is a sweeping account of the last 75 years of white evangelicalism, showing how American evangelicals have worked for decades to replace the Jesus of the Gospels with an idol of rugged masculinity and Christian nationalism.
-
-
Like reading a history of my evangelical life
- By Renee on 10-15-20
-
Losing Our Religion
- An Altar Call for Evangelical America
- By: Russell Moore
- Narrated by: Russell Moore
- Length: 6 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
American evangelical Christianity has lost its way. While the witness of the church before a watching world is diminished beyond recognition, congregations are torn apart over Donald Trump, Christian nationalism, racial injustice, sexual predation, disgraced leaders, and covered-up scandals. Left behind are millions of believers who counted on the church to be a place of belonging and hope. As greater and greater numbers of younger Americans bleed out from the church, even the most rooted evangelicals are wondering, “Can American Christianity survive?”
-
-
A Prophetic Call to Renewal
- By Rachel Stanton on 07-26-23
By: Russell Moore
-
Thank You for Your Servitude
- Donald Trump's Washington and the Price of Submission
- By: Mark Leibovich
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller This Town, the eyewitness account of how the GOP collaborated with Donald Trump to transform Washington’s “swamp” into a gold-plated hot tub—and a onetime party of rugged individualists into a sycophantic personality cult.
-
-
ALL the Stars!!!!!
- By Iread on 07-28-22
By: Mark Leibovich
-
Blowback
- A Warning to Save Democracy from the Next Trump
- By: Miles Taylor
- Narrated by: Miles Taylor
- Length: 12 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Donald Trump will be president again, whether he is on the ballot or not. That is because Trumpism is overtaking the Republican Party and will mount a vigorous comeback, potentially in the hands of a savvier successor. This prophecy will come true, according to Miles Taylor, if we do not learn the lessons of the recent past. With the 2024 election approaching, the formerly “Anonymous” official is back with bombshell revelations and a sobering national forecast. Taylor predicts what could happen inside “Trump 2.0,” the White House of a more competent and more formidable copycat.
-
-
We will only have ourselves to blame if we sink into autocracy
- By MS on 07-23-23
By: Miles Taylor
-
The Undertow
- Scenes from a Slow Civil War
- By: Jeff Sharlet
- Narrated by: Jeff Sharlet
- Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An unmatched guide to the religious dimensions of American politics, Jeff Sharlet journeys into corners of our national psyche where others fear to tread. The Undertow is both inquiry and meditation, an attempt to understand how, over the last decade, reaction has morphed into delusion, social division into distrust, distrust into paranoia, and hatred into fantasies—sometimes realities—of violence.
-
-
I'm just not feeling this one....
- By J. Richmond on 08-04-23
By: Jeff Sharlet
-
Tactics, 10th Anniversary Edition
- A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions
- By: Gregory Koukl, Lee Strobel - foreword
- Narrated by: Gregory Koukl
- Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a culture increasingly indifferent or even hostile to Christian truth, followers of Christ need to be equipped to communicate with those who do not speak their language or accept their source of authority. In Tactics, 10th Anniversary Edition, Gregory Koukl demonstrates how to artfully regain control of conversations, keeping them moving forward in constructive ways through thoughtful diplomacy. Step-by-step, you'll learn the tactics of good persuasion and defense, how to identify the tactics of your opponent, and how to build your case, patiently and practically.
-
-
Awesome Book
- By Dee Venable on 12-06-19
By: Gregory Koukl, and others
-
Jesus and John Wayne
- How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation
- By: Kristin Kobes du Mez
- Narrated by: Suzie Althens
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How did a libertine who lacks even the most basic knowledge of the Christian faith win 81 percent of the white evangelical vote in 2016? And why have white evangelicals become a presidential reprobate's staunchest supporters? Jesus and John Wayne is a sweeping account of the last 75 years of white evangelicalism, showing how American evangelicals have worked for decades to replace the Jesus of the Gospels with an idol of rugged masculinity and Christian nationalism.
-
-
Like reading a history of my evangelical life
- By Renee on 10-15-20
-
Losing Our Religion
- An Altar Call for Evangelical America
- By: Russell Moore
- Narrated by: Russell Moore
- Length: 6 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
American evangelical Christianity has lost its way. While the witness of the church before a watching world is diminished beyond recognition, congregations are torn apart over Donald Trump, Christian nationalism, racial injustice, sexual predation, disgraced leaders, and covered-up scandals. Left behind are millions of believers who counted on the church to be a place of belonging and hope. As greater and greater numbers of younger Americans bleed out from the church, even the most rooted evangelicals are wondering, “Can American Christianity survive?”
-
-
A Prophetic Call to Renewal
- By Rachel Stanton on 07-26-23
By: Russell Moore
-
Thank You for Your Servitude
- Donald Trump's Washington and the Price of Submission
- By: Mark Leibovich
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller This Town, the eyewitness account of how the GOP collaborated with Donald Trump to transform Washington’s “swamp” into a gold-plated hot tub—and a onetime party of rugged individualists into a sycophantic personality cult.
-
-
ALL the Stars!!!!!
- By Iread on 07-28-22
By: Mark Leibovich
-
Blowback
- A Warning to Save Democracy from the Next Trump
- By: Miles Taylor
- Narrated by: Miles Taylor
- Length: 12 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Donald Trump will be president again, whether he is on the ballot or not. That is because Trumpism is overtaking the Republican Party and will mount a vigorous comeback, potentially in the hands of a savvier successor. This prophecy will come true, according to Miles Taylor, if we do not learn the lessons of the recent past. With the 2024 election approaching, the formerly “Anonymous” official is back with bombshell revelations and a sobering national forecast. Taylor predicts what could happen inside “Trump 2.0,” the White House of a more competent and more formidable copycat.
-
-
We will only have ourselves to blame if we sink into autocracy
- By MS on 07-23-23
By: Miles Taylor
-
The Undertow
- Scenes from a Slow Civil War
- By: Jeff Sharlet
- Narrated by: Jeff Sharlet
- Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An unmatched guide to the religious dimensions of American politics, Jeff Sharlet journeys into corners of our national psyche where others fear to tread. The Undertow is both inquiry and meditation, an attempt to understand how, over the last decade, reaction has morphed into delusion, social division into distrust, distrust into paranoia, and hatred into fantasies—sometimes realities—of violence.
-
-
I'm just not feeling this one....
- By J. Richmond on 08-04-23
By: Jeff Sharlet
-
Experiencing God
- How to Live the Full Adventure of Knowing and Doing the Will of God
- By: Henry T. Blackaby, Richard Blackaby, Claude King
- Narrated by: Wayne Shepherd
- Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When you listen to this audio, you'll find that you aren't just listening. No, you are being remade, reoriented, restored from the frustration of what you may have known as stale religion. Captured not by a concept, but by your Creator, reborn in relationship. Here's the Experiencing God that has already impacted millions of people. Only it's bigger, and better, and ready to lead you again - or for the very first time - into an experience with God.
-
-
Necessary Reconnection
- By Melissa Blackson-Boyd on 07-08-15
By: Henry T. Blackaby, and others
-
How Fascism Works
- The Politics of Us and Them
- By: Jason Stanley
- Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews
- Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As the child of refugees of World War II Europe and a renowned philosopher and scholar of propaganda, Jason Stanley has a deep understanding of how democratic societies can be vulnerable to fascism: Nations don’t have to be fascist to suffer from fascist politics. In fact, fascism’s roots have been present in the United States for more than a century.
-
-
A Warning Too Clear to Ignore
- By Chip Auger on 10-30-18
By: Jason Stanley
-
They Want to Kill Americans
- The Militias, Terrorists, and Deranged Ideology of the Trump Insurgency
- By: Malcolm Nance
- Narrated by: Ari Fliakos
- Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
They Want to Kill Americans is the first detailed look into the heart of the active Trump-led insurgency, setting the stage for a second nation-wide rebellion on American soil. This is a chilling and deeply researched early warning to the nation from a counterterrorism intelligence professional: America is primed for a possible explosive wave of terrorist attacks and armed confrontations that aim to bring about a Donald Trump led dictatorship.
-
-
It's informative and frightening
- By Amazon Customer on 07-17-22
By: Malcolm Nance
-
The Cost of Discipleship
- By: Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- Narrated by: Paul Michael
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What can the call to discipleship, the adherence to the word of Jesus, mean today to the businessman, the soldier, the laborer, or the aristocrat? What did Jesus mean to say to us? What is his will for us today? Drawing on the Sermon on the Mount, Dietrich Bonhoeffer answers these timeless questions by providing a seminal reading of the dichotomy between "cheap grace" and "costly grace."
-
-
Get this book
- By Jennifer L. Conover on 03-02-10
-
The Art of Letting Go
- Living the Wisdom of Saint Francis
- By: Richard Rohr OFM
- Narrated by: Richard Rohr OFM
- Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We often think of saints as rare individuals whose gifts far exceed our own, and St. Francis is no exception. But for Fr. Richard Rohr, a prolific author and renowned speaker, the life and teachings of this beloved figure offer an authentic spirituality we can all embody.
-
-
Series of lectures on spiritual development
- By Adam Shields on 08-01-13
By: Richard Rohr OFM
-
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
- As Told to Alex Haley
- By: Malcolm X, Alex Haley
- Narrated by: Laurence Fishburne
- Length: 16 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Experience a bold take on this classic autobiography as it’s performed by Oscar-nominated Laurence Fishburne. In this searing classic autobiography, originally published in 1965, Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and Black empowerment activist, tells the extraordinary story of his life and the growth of the Human Rights movement. His fascinating perspective on the lies and limitations of the American dream and the inherent racism in a society that denies its non-White citizens the opportunity to dream, gives extraordinary insight into the most urgent issues of our own time.
-
-
it's Nearly perfect
- By Kerry on 09-16-20
By: Malcolm X, and others
-
Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus
- Third Edition with Bonus Content, New Reflections
- By: Nabeel Qureshi, Lee Strobel - foreword
- Narrated by: Nabeel Qureshi, Michelle Qureshi, Lee Strobel, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, now expanded with new bonus content, Nabeel Qureshi describes his dramatic journey from Islam to Christianity, complete with friendships, investigations, and supernatural dreams along the way. Providing an intimate window into a loving Muslim home, Qureshi shares how he developed a passion for Islam before discovering, almost against his will, evidence that Jesus rose from the dead and claimed to be God.
-
-
INCREDIBLE!!! This book affected me greatly!!!
- By Maria on 08-24-18
By: Nabeel Qureshi, and others
-
The Theft of America’s Soul
- Blowing the Lid Off the Lies That Are Destroying Our Country
- By: Phil Robertson
- Narrated by: Phil Robertson
- Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Theft of America’s Soul is a prophetic wake-up call for all who desire to see our nation thrive, challenging listeners to exchange these 10 lies for truths that will bring peace of mind, harmony, and prosperity back to our country - an invitation to experience the life-giving, peace-filling, wholly-transforming love of God. Phil Robertson, patriarch of A&E’s Duck Dynasty and one of the most recognized voices of conservative Christianity in America, believes that little by little, America has allowed the lines of morality, decency, and virtue to be erased.
-
-
Mr. Robertson is a straight shooter
- By DaDB on 02-11-19
By: Phil Robertson
-
Get Out of Your Head
- Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts
- By: Jennie Allen
- Narrated by: Jennie Allen
- Length: 5 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Are your thoughts holding you captive? I’ll never be good enough. Other people have better lives than I do. God couldn’t really love me. Jennie Allen knows what it’s like to swirl in a spiral of destructive thoughts, but she also knows we don’t have to stay stuck in toxic thinking patterns. As she discovered in her own life, God built a way for us to escape that downward spiral. Freedom comes when we refuse to be victims to our thoughts and realize we have already been equipped with power from God to fight and win the war for our minds.
-
-
So so
- By Jen Coners on 02-04-20
By: Jennie Allen
-
The Purpose Driven Life
- What on Earth Am I Here For?
- By: Rick Warren
- Narrated by: Rick Warren
- Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Before you were born, God knew what your life had in store for you. His hope for you is to discover the life he created just for you—both here on earth, and forever in eternity. Let Rick Warren guide you as you learn to live out your true purpose. The Purpose Driven Life is more than a book; it's a road map for your spiritual journey. Combining thoughtful verses from Scripture with timely stories and perspectives from Warren's own life, The Purpose Driven Life will help you discover the answer to one of life's most important questions: What on earth am I here for?
-
-
Very well reasoned and contagiuos, with big bias
- By Alberto on 03-03-13
By: Rick Warren
-
Becoming Free Indeed
- My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear
- By: Jinger Duggar Vuolo, Corey Williams
- Narrated by: Jinger Duggar Vuolo
- Length: 5 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jinger, along with three of her sisters, wrote a New York Times bestseller about their religious convictions. She believed this level of commitment would guarantee God's blessing, even though in private she felt constant fear that she wasn't measuring up to the high standards demanded of her.
-
-
So close and missed the mark
- By Jim on 02-01-23
By: Jinger Duggar Vuolo, and others
-
A Way Out of No Way
- A Memoir of Truth, Transformation, and the New American Story
- By: Raphael G. Warnock
- Narrated by: Raphael G. Warnock
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Senator Reverend Raphael G. Warnock occupies a singular place in American life. As senior pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, and now as a senator from Georgia, he is the rare voice who can call out the uncomfortable truths that shape contemporary American life and, at a time of division, summon us all to a higher moral ground.
-
-
Rev, Dr, Raphael Warnocke, An Outstanding Leader in Ministry, Civil Rights and Politics
- By Rev. Brenda H. Heffner on 03-10-25
What listeners say about Costly Grace
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- E. Wright
- 07-10-18
One of the most moving testimonials ever heard!
I can't put into words the emotion and the sincere admoration I feel after listening to Rob's journey. Costly Grace is amazing!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mark Miller
- 10-07-22
Moving Personal Journey with Insight for all
I didn't know much about Rob Schenck or his story before deciding to listen to this book on a friend's recommendation. The author's unflinching honesty about his faith, his achievements, and most importantly his mistakes force the reader to look inward for similar self-analysis (and hopefully similar personal learning and insight).Highly recommended.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Paul R. Van Reed
- 08-06-22
Amazing Costly Grace
Every evangelical, every Christian, everyone needs to read this book! It will change you - hopefully forever!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Annelise
- 10-29-18
A must read for hope in this country!
I loved this book. I am not identified as a Christian but I share core moral and ethical values and am a spiritual person. This gave me insight into a world I knew nothing about and gave me hope for the future. Everyone on all sides of these issues would learn from this book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Margaret Young
- 06-30-23
So needed!
What a wonderful book! I was inspired and encouraged as I followed Schenck's candid journey.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Basays
- 08-15-18
Costly Grace
If you start reading or listening to this book you must finish it. The message of this book needs to be heard and understood by anyone living in today’s society.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Spokane Book Lover
- 03-16-21
Reflections on the Christian Witness
At a time when I find myself wondering "who have we become as Christians?" this book took me on one man's journey on the ethics of the Christian witness. His feelings echo many of my own sentiments in what we have lost by gaining so little in the here and now. As Christians, we are destroying our witness. We are choosing to settle for cheap grace with heavy consequences.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mary
- 01-21-25
Called to love
I love his vulnerability to admit & follow Gods calling. God calls us all to love one another without exception.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kayla
- 07-17-18
Unexpectedly Moving
This was a phenomenally open, honest, blunt, and truly beautiful look at one man's struggle with his religion, politics, community, inner conscience, and God himself. I was truly moved.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 05-09-20
An honest man's effort in search ror truth.
Beautifully written and performed. He wants to know Christ but never mentioned James 1:5. Would he recognize a prophet if he were to meet one?
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!