The Grace Effect: How the Power of One Life Can Reverse the Corruption of Unbelief Paperback – Illustrated, November 14, 2011

My wife and I read this book together as a way to understand more about what the country of Ukraine is like. It's a beautiful story that tells about a family's efforts to adopt a child that is unwanted by the world she lives in. Sasha was like millions of children around the world who are an orphanages. Many of these children live lives that your average American would find intolerable and completely unacceptable.The author and his family navigate the overwhelming challenges created by a system that does not value human life and is actively fighting against children being freed from that system. This journey requires faith to keep the hope that one day Sasha will be able to join their family.If you want a look inside of the corruption than is rampant in this part of the world, The Grace Effect is a peek behind a curtain that no longer may be made of Iron, but still smothers hope effectively. This is a wonderful story and would make a fine addition to any library.

I appreciated the social history juxtaposed with the personal story: Sasha’s story, bureaucratic corruption, national gracelessness, Christ’s grace and redemption.

First, I want to thank Amazon for putting this book in front of me in some sort of "You may like this. . ." form just over 5 years ago. I bit, and then I forgot about it. It survived a whole house downsizing move across town because it was relatively new to me and I hadn't read it yet. 8,000 other books belonging to my husband and myself and my parents didn't survive the move.I love Taunton's writing style and sometimes snarky sense of humor- and I love the quotes he chooses to help make his points. I do feel its an important book that Americans, of all faiths or no faith need to consider. The pattern of society he recounts in Ukraine has steadily been increasing here, with people trying to point out all sorts of causes that are actually just excuses. I really hope to do what I can to bring this book back in to the forefront of consideration.

Wow. This book was absolutely amazing! I have been to Russia twice, and will hopefully be heading back to that region of the world as a full-time missionary doing orphan care ministry. Seeing firsthand how so many children are in such dire situations in these old Soviet Union countries broke my heart. But when asked by my friends why there are so many orphans there, I could never give a great answer. In "The Grace Effect" Taunton so brilliantly and clearly explains the history of Russia/the Soviet Union and how these countries have ended up with a culture void of hope and human dignity, and unfortunately so many orphans whom are not properly cared for. But the bulk of this book revolves around Taunton and his family's journey of adopting a young Ukrainian girl, Sasha. The story pulls you right in, and you genuinely feel the highs and lows of their struggle in their adoption process. Taunton uses this heart-gripping story to demonstrate the premise that a society benefits when it has a Christian heritage, and a society deteriorates when it suppresses Christianity. I thought Taunton did a phenomenal job of proving this premise. I cannot recommend this book enough! It's very easy to read, grips your heart, and will make you think. 10 out of 10!

'The Grace Effect' is a very enjoyable book on more than one level.Written by Larry Taunton, it explores the effects of institutionalized atheism on a culture. It then contrasts that with the common grace that is still present in a place such as the United States even after secularism has been so rampant for so many years.It does this by looking at the story of the adoption of a young Ukrainian girl by an American family and the ordeals they faced in getting that accomplished while dealing with a corrupt bureaucracy. It is very clear in showing the way that widespread atheism is so damaging to a culture.This book is way more captivating than I had expected. I bought it mostly because I had a bit of familiarity with the author from watching him debate the famed atheist Christopher Hitchens and defeat him handily even though Hitchens was a best selling author and atheist evangelist while Taunton was previously unknown to me. I saw that there was some discussion of that debate in the book, which is why I got it, but it is really so much more.The story of the adoption of Sascha is fascinating both on the emotional level as well as from a standpoint of analyzing the incredibly negative effects of atheism.I think that readers will enjoy this book a lot, as I did.

This is a great book and easy to read. A powerful story of what God can do.

Taunton has written a book that is, at turns, travelogue, history lesson, cultural criticism, spiritual journey, and all along the way the story of grace, both personal and "common." The story of the adoption of this little Ukranian girl will astound, infuriate, dismay and uplift all at the same time. Even the most cynical, jaded heart will be softened by Sasha's incredible journey from a Ukranian orphanage (read hellhole) to Taunton's loving family. Along the way, Taunton perfectly defends his thesis, that God's "common grace" extends to whole societies, and that grace makes all the difference in the world in terms of cultural, spiritual and historical development. The lessons to be learned from this are invaluable, one of which is that God's "common grace," unlike personal, soteriological grace, is not eternal, and is in the process of being destroyed by the New Atheists and their hatred of all things Christian, all over the world. The world they would have us live in can be seen in microcosm in the Ukranian hellhole from which little Sasha was rescued. We are fools indeed if we do not heed the warnings described in this book.Buy a copy for yourself, your family and friends, your church, and even (and perhaps especially) for that atheist friend, who claims how destructive and terrible Christianity is (and has been) to the world. Then take the lessons learned here and make use of them in the world (including your own).

I was very pleased with he service

I first heard about Larry Taunton following the death of Christopher Hitchens. A Christian friend of Hitchens, whom Hitchens described in positive terms was surely worth finding out about. Upon further reading I discovered that the author was the founder of Fixed Point and so decided to look up whether he had written any books. Unsurprising he had.The book itself is not quite what I was expecting. Whilst the author is a world leading Christian Apologist this book is notably not very apologetic in nature. Instead it focuses mainly on the daughter whom he adopted from Ukraine, and how difficult/trying the process was.Nevertheless, whilst a book about adoption, it is also a book about Christianity, and most noticeably the `grace effect'. The central thesis here is that cultures influenced by Christianity outperform, in terms of compassion, secular/atheistic cultures. To show this to be true the author uses the Ukrainian system as his point of contrast. Being that that side of the world has tasted full on communism and state sponsored atheism, it is a worthwhile contrast.The book itself is touching and the lengths that the Tauntons go to to adopt this little girl who has so many problems are simply speaking, nothing short of sainthood material. The circumstances she endured in Ukraine are enough to sadden even the hardest of hearts, and in this way I thoroughly enjoyed the book. You can't help but want to read on, just to find out if the girl's life has a happy ending.Still, the book succeeds in showing that Christian cultures are more compassionate than atheistic cultures. In this respect readers of this book may also enjoy Peter Hitchens book, Rage against God - which in a similar fashion covers similar subject material. Interestingly, Hitchen's book also focuses on the Eastern block.Also of noticeably interest are the references to the author's friendship and conversations with Christopher Hitchens. To see that Christopher actually had a nice side was likewise refreshing.

A very stark and depressing insight into post-Soviet Ukraine and its attitude towards the least well off in its society, and a chilling warning of what society in the West will become if the militant atheists ever get their wish to destroy religion.On the other hand a beautiful account of what must have been a desperately difficult but ultimately successful struggle to adopt a little girl out of that terrible environment.

Well written and observed. Topical. Insightful. Relevant. Powerful. The bigger the 'state' the smaller our God. The bigger our God the smaller the 'state'. Couldn't be illustrated better, to my mind.