You are quoted as having said, I tend to go back to the Bible as a model, because I dont know a more honest book, I believe there is one more honest book in the world than the Bible, and that is The Book of Mormon Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Right now, I feel its taught me that prayers arent always heard or answered, that maybe God does not love me the way He loves others, that punishment can be harsh and never ending, its taught me that maybe Im simply destined to be this lonely failure, no matter how hard I worked and tried to have a good life and give a good life to my kids. He removed himself from an iron lung against medical advice, in the belief that God would heal him; he died less than two weeks later. God chose you to survive, but the family returning from the Christian retreat in the minivan all lost their lives? Of course, I said. In my 34 year career in the Fire Service, Ive heard it countless times: Thank God for protecting me in this crash. On reflection later at the firehouse washing blood off my hands and face, it always occurs to me: how egotistical, conceited and exclusionary this statement really is. I dont think I realized how profoundly those years shaped me in both positive and negative ways until I finished Where the Light Fell. Besides politics, were everyday closer to a hate speech that really scares me. And that is why Im writing today. Through all the changes in my faith and life I am still moved by it. It came at a very important time in my life. They thanked me for my courage and spoke about sexual abuse in their own lives. And the one like it? This same dean initiated a program where during one chapel service each week, a senior preached. Abel Govender(Rev). Im sorry, but my hands are tied. And we are mistreating it. I have read everyone of your books and genuinely appreciated the transparency of struggle that your journey of faith has provided. I might not be the best Christian, but I know who I am. 10yrs ago, 3 adopted children , one an addict but we all love each other whatever, even though we sometimes despair!!! Whats So Amazing About Grace ~ Philip Yancey Intellectually, you probably know that God loves you and you have worth. As a gay Christian, how should I read you concerning same sex relationships? I have only one advantage: I am still alive! Ken, as a person whom was so broken I contemplated taking my own life due to life circumstances and choices I had made. When I became a Christian at 16, your book The Jesus I Never Knew was the first Christian book I read. On May 12th, 2016, he called the CSC Regional Chaplain to complain that some inmates were not Jews, even though Rabbi Ari had said that they were. . Even Peter, the apostle, said, Some of the things Paul says confuses me. Recently, we attended a series The Poisonwood Bible has been highly touted, but I found it to be a very cynical and distorted book. The fishermen Jesus picked were not chosen for their proud theology, Christ ignored the learned Pharisees spiritually esteemed in His day In the command re: how many times do I have to forgive someone, and He says 70 x 7 but that appears to me that the transgressor asked for forgiveness. I was raised much the way you were and heard constantly that a Chrisitans hope was to saved and go to heaven. Ive recently been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, an illness not considered an illness by everyone but me, the psychologist, and a friend. You know, dont break the connection just hang up and try again. This quote kept returning to me, and I began to ponder waiting on the Lord and in Gods time. I really mean that. Nothing came of it. Yet our Lord did not pronounce forgiveness upon his murderers at that moment by saying to them, I forgive you or Your sin is forgiven. No, instead he prayed that they would be forgiven, which is very different than actually pronouncing a person to be forgiven. I have read your stuff for decades. I struggle with my faith in the exact same way that Richard did and I am very interested to know if he ever came back to faith. Just after the evaluation team left, the chapel was sealed off to have asbestos removed and to have a new carpet put down. I now own and have read all of your books. Philippians 2:12 - "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling"; Ephesians 2:8-9 - "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."; Whatever I did to deserve all of this must have been just awful, and I feel that I deserve all of this because otherwise God would help me, right? Bless you, and the millions like you facing similar challenges during this crisis. Brad expressed his sorrow over what had happened to me. When I first read your book Whats So Amazing About Grace in high school, it felt heretical to super-conservative evangelical me! Ill have a memoir out in 2021, if plans hold, and you can read the rest. Thank you so much for writing wonderful books for Biblical literature readers. Thank-you very much. In extreme anguish I drove east, not knowing where to go. Women had it tough in those days! I feel pretty lonely at times as a Christian ( and I realise that my erratic church attendance hasnt helped). We visited each other in our homes in Canada and the United States, and in 1995, with the assistance CSC, the three of us organized a COPE conference in Edmonton for 300 people from across Canada. Too bad. I leaned on the health of others; they widened my world when I realized my world was small and narrow. It happened. Right there and then Paul informed me that he had no intention of helping me to get oriented or settled in. But by now I was attending another. Welcome home. I look forward to reading the rest of your books! I have been struggling with my life. Vanishing grace imacted me in a way it is hard to explain all histories inside the book, all thoughts on it every word of it impacted me a lot. I dont know. So a man who had grown up under what he describes as an umbrella of fear was completely at peace. I think it was something like: Oh my God, are you there? The natural world is controlled by the Word through mathematics to the natural laws. I am happy to have found your website and have signed up to receive your mailings. Recently I got obsessed with Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe and his books. and he would later destroy me. That inspired me to write a memoir, but my teaching duties put it on the back burner. Namely, who is God and what is grace. Nevertheless, thats how I feel. As we say at our church, To God be the glory.. So, at the end of the day, blaming GOD (who wants to be loved but does not partake in a two-way conversation) seems plausable. However, I know of not a single case in 5 centuries (or 20 really) where He has. I just read your comments about Donald Trump. Any other ideas? Ive often thought of the parallels between physical and emotional pain. It certainly left me with feelings of disappointment with God! Stephanie Martin. When there are only two candidates that are miles ahead of the rest of the pack, it would appear to me to be a waste of vote to vote for anyone other then Trump. The Business Detail, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/title-page?lang=eng, Spiritual Lessons from the Human Body: An Interview with Philip Yancey RCCG, https://www.dropbox.com/s/b1sr3nroq4ivp25/2018%20Men's%20Retreat%20Promo.mp4?dl=0, http://qideas.org/contributors/gabe-lyons/, http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/04/07/my-take-how-churches-can-respond-to-mental-illness/, http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/january-february/my-top-5-books-on-mental-illness.html, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3EfssqGuQM, http://necrometrics.com/pre1700b.htm#Martyrs. Your books on grace are life changing. Your book is helping me. I am a Christian and have been helped by many of your books. Before that time people saw him as grump but after that time he was a changed man. Several years ago, I read In the Likeness of God with my dear friend, Bob Snyder M.D. My books Disappointment with God and Where Is God When It Hurts are the main places I explore the big question you raise. Forgive me if I am mistaken. Watch Putins advances with a weakened NATO! As for ambivalence about meeting Jesus, try making a list of all the people Jesus encounters in the Gospels: the more unworthy, outcast, moral failure someone was, the more tenderly Jesus treated them. He responded by screaming at me, Leave my things alone! There was a time about 12 years ago when I could not read the Bible, for reasons I dont have time for here. I am so disappointed. Let the people around you know that you are serious about institutional corruption and the protection of whistleblowers. Wishing that I might be able to see you in person one day by wandering around the world. We went to the chapel and to my office, and Mrs. Cunningham introduced me to Paul Vanderham, the other chaplain. It will not waste your time. With the support of my fianc I returned to study, I took my second habilitation and today in 2017 my life gave a turnaround. Hi Philip, Im a missionary in Latin America, Biology teacher/school administrator, and have greatly grown through your books. As I sat and listened to the Word I was struck, convicted and in tears. When I finished, the dean commended me for the message and announced that following the benediction, all the female students were to remain in the chapel. Her mussle was tickened-stiff and blocked the joint, so she could not move the way normal people move. Philip. First the title in english means much more it is like when you have found something great and want all your neighbors to know I felt like the woman that lost that coin and then found it was the feeling I got with the english title that I couldnt get with the spanish one Spanish is my mother tongue now that I am reading it in the original language, I cant stop reading the book is making me realize that even though I was taught a lot about grace I wasnt really living under that grace and showing others that grace thanks for writing and reminding me about it I like that part that you far rather convey grace thank explain grace I pray I can convey grace too, Ive always wondered about that title in Spanish (my wife grew up in Colombia and Peru). I had many toxic church experiences, and now I look back even on those with gratitude, for them spurred me to a kind of gritty, honest pursuit of God, one that, as I later discovered, the Bible honors. Very sorry! Thank you for your books (Prayer does it make a difference, and Reaching for the invisible God). I am an engineer with the National Park Service. In August in the same year, he completed his goal of climbing all 54 of Colorados 14,000-foot (4,300 m)-plus peaks, the final three after his accident. friend is just should know how much Jesus loves him. However! Richard was actually a pseudonym for a real person, and we have been in contact over the years. My conscience would not permit me to keep quiet about the abuse that was happening right in front of me, so I finally went to the only other authority that I thought would help: the Edmonton Police Service (EPS). Can both work together hand in hand? From your reader: Ana Paula Nascimento I hope youre doing well. Please come and speak in South Africa, if you can find the time, Philip. Philip. Sherlock Holmes once said that when you rule out the impossible, you are left with the merely improbable. And so appreciative that you took the time to write and remind me why I go to work each day There are so many various doctrinal beliefs, one has to wonder Interesting about Richard. I chose to remain behind to conduct two pre-scheduled chapel services because there had been no chapel services recently due to a series of lock-downs. I was thrilled to be accepted, and proceeded with preparations to sell my home and to move to Winnipeg. Pagpalain ka ng Diyos! Your book Disappointment with God is the reason I found God in my life. A new memoir from Yancey, called Where the Light Fell, is due this fall. Hearing that made me remember that that was exactly what my wife and I did to you. But he who has been forgiven little loves little, I want to understand original meaning of it and want to live like that. believe it is the absolute truth? She had amazing spiritual insight and was keen to evangelise her community. Good luck! And I came to page number 106, where in the passage you wrote that Nazi Germany at the time of the occupation of the Balkans, Germans and Croats infiltrated hundreds of thousands of Serbs, Roma and Jews. The God he was raised to believe in was harsh, judgmental, angry, and unforgiving. U didnt give me answers. I just finished reading The Bible Jesus Read and want to tell you that it was both challenging and encouraging. So Lynn Green of YWAM UK sent me to a logging camp in Colorado run by YWAM . Such a gift. And, now, after reading Where the Light Fell it makes much more sense. The rope on the high priest legend is just that: a legend. For some people, listening to music opens up the communication lines, for others, going to church. They are sometimes referred to as exvangelicals., Peter Wehner: The evangelical church is breaking apart, Yancey has spent much of his life listening to their stories, and trying to bring them back into the fold. Rarely attending any synagogue or church and then mainly to accompany a friend or out of curiosity. In our church we sing a song called Our sin cleans out with the precious blood of Jesus. Is God purposefully steering the asteroid to miss us like He could have done on 9/11? Its an important question, and Im glad you mention it. Along the way I realized that God had been misrepresented to me. This past week I told a friend about the terrible living conditions and wishing we could do more. He told me no, saying that neither he nor the Commissioner wanted this. You made me think more deeper about the world and the humanity. I wonder if God planned it that way on purpose, so we, His children, would Im sorry it has taken so long to replysomehow I overlooked this comment. Thank you so much for your book Where the Light Fell. Thinking of being depressed, beyond hope I had lost faith. I was raised in a wonderful Christian home but like you, I had many questions about things I had seen in the church and even more questions, as I experienced new churches different from the ones I was used to in the south. I havent read much of Spong, but Borg was helpful in researching The Jesus I Never Knew, and Brian McLaren is a friend and a favorite of mine. I knew, from personal experiences, that the teaching of my church regarding homosexuality was a distorted and cruel doctrine. Lets remember why we are here. Frank, I dont know you apart from your comment on here. When you look at these animals, I mean theyre actually beautiful, amazing works of art. Dear Philip. I now work in mens residential Christian Rehabilitation center in Scotland (see website address). I think He is amused. dave, Phillip Yancey shows how DECEPTION takes place beginning with his New Age views that pushes a very non-Biblical view he offers to separation of Christian involvement in Kingdom of God Government! Im so grateful to Philip Yancey for helping me understand modern Christianity better. During this time, Paul mocked me for being hard of hearing, shouting at me and shaming me. While reading your book called Whats so amazing about grace? , I found their answers was full of contradictions. I could not speak to any male as they arranged a plane ticked back to YWAM LA I was treated shamfully and illegally . I was praying recently that God would put some generative, mature, joyful Jesus people in my life. Both of these milestones have just occurred. I could not understand why some people in authority thought it was okay to use children as sex toys, and to abuse the elderly and disabled. I have been blessed by many of your books, and am presently reading Vanishing Grace. I understand that Gods grace and love is unconditional and this must be part of the gospel we preach. Notably, I knew nothing of a postal weighing machine in the Administration Building and was warned by staff to stay away from the woman who ran the that department. It has churned up much in my soul because I have a similar past experience with the church. Do not ever touch me. These comments hurt deeply and, combined with my Irritable Bowel Syndrome, produced major panic/anxiety attacks that required me to wear adult diapers for some time to prevent me from soiling myself. He has picked those whom HE wants. We trusted God for everything, was faithful and active in Church, praying and tithing. It became obvious that Muslims at the Edmonton Institution were allowed their prayers, but Jews were not. I enjoy reading someone who is not publishing a book a month, and who is a thinker. I wonder if you remember your trip to Doha, Qatar in February 2009. Can you please recommend a book about forgiveness? Then, I want you, first of all, to pray for them and for me. Its just gravity affecting the motion of celestial bodies which I can see the effects of, measure and predict with unerring accuracy. We are going to use this book with our High School student Bible Study next semester and are looking for one. philip yancey Our Daily Bread (i.e., Radio Bible Class) Still on the Contemplative/Emergent Path March 31, 2017 by Lighthouse Trails Editors It was ten years ago that Lighthouse Trails wrote its first article about Radio Bible Class ministries (now called Our Daily Bread Ministries). We have all been really moved by your video clips and it has made us think at a different level esp being in partnership with God in Prayer which is so exciting.I grew up in an evangelical clergy family but much loved and even when my Dad died i had so much support but became a little missionary at the age of 11yrs old!! After talking with Brian, I called the Institution and spoke to Acting AWI Matt James, asking him if my life was in danger at the Institution. Your friend (from high school years and YFC, After the debriefing, everyone except me went for lunch. I was stunned by his anger, his rage. (Wish I could post the pic) This is my 3rd time reading Rumors. I admit I began it rather cynically (in fact, without the first few paragraphs on Watching, I dont know if I would have made it through the pain is actually good part). His father, Marshall Yancey, was a 23-year-old Baptist minister when he was stricken with polio. I wish in my heart that I would have had a chance to see you talk when you visited here. Do not write about the history of the area where you are not close. Tony Compalo) are on our side. Several years back I began reading them and they changed much of what I believe not only about eschatology but Scripture as a whole. Jesus did not condemn these sinners. I like that content, Thanks for sharing about Philip Yancey. I know that in the U.K., where it seems youre from, it can be very difficult to find a church with a sense of nourishing community, a church that also shows spiritual vitality and opportunities for service (and not just in U.K.!). I had to express my gratitude (theres that word again). What a relief. But we must also consider the damage that Korea has suffered in Japan. Everytime I get inside a bookstore, the first thing that I would do is to go to HelpDesk and ask where do they keep your books. My whole life has I was hesitant to return to Edmonton due to all the sexual abuse I had reported in that city, and because of the hatred that some powerful people in the church, government and police there had for me. When you quote Schaeffer as saying that few here questioned the assumption that persons are created in the image of God.. it is difficult to get others to see that people like Schaeffer really mean white people are created in the image of God. At no point did he mention the envelope incident, and at no point did he ask me to write a Statement/Observation Report (SOR) on either the envelope or the nail incident. I described my own challenges in Reaching for the Invisible God.. That all-important border would be invisible, that noisy argument silenced. Capt. I ran into Youth With a Mission again in 1979 while working for Barry Mc Guire and Rev Jean Darnell and a Team touring the UK. Its clear he hopes for this. In my letter, I described all the verbal abuse that Paul had directed against me. . And one other: I dont know about kiva.org, and I dont in any way minimize the compassion and practical help from atheists and groups like MSF; there are a lot of studies, however, that show volunteering and charitable giving are substantially higher among church attenders. It was not until about 26 years later that I heard about Gord Domineys sexual abuses again. I am a 68 year old male so you can imagine how much religion, society, and politics have changed in my lifetime also I was born and raised in LA. Well this comment is about 10 years overdue, but needing to be said, and Ill explain why Probably my all time favorite book (and Ive read many) is your book Whats so amazing about grace. I was destitute and deeply in debt. And then, as I waited with the crowd for lunch, I turned around and there you were, right behind me. Finally someone who didnt know. God was at the side of the 343 firefighters climbing the towers on September 11, 2001? Thank you that you are able to help us see Gods love through our journey, and also His plan for us along the way. Keep praying. Moreover, his mother was abusive and emotionally unstable. But writing these books has also helped Yancey deal with his own crisis of faith, which he experienced in a family saga of death, poverty and toxic fundamentalism. There are few Christian books that I have read that uncovered my own personal and emotional responses like this one. How can I God is faithful. But then came a completely unexpected and unsought conversion experience that I tell in detail [in the book]. Thanks for your blogs in the meantime. I am just wondering what topic has seized your interest during the pandemic and if there is a new book in the pipeline. You bring joy to my soul. When I wrote the book, Bill Clinton was in office, and now its Donald Trump. Hi Philip- Some authors might have found revisiting such scenes traumatizing, but for Yancey, writing the memoir proved cathartic. Before one Meeting, I happened to notice a book on a packed bookshelf titled On a Sunday in late February 2007, Philip Yancey was driving on a remote highway near Alamosa, Colorado. He does not know why evil exists This year, our Medical Doctor told us that we have an almost nil chance because of my past chronically health problems that never seem to end. I have been a Christian for at least 35 years in a church that has historically placed a very strong emphasis on the doctrines of grace. He has healed a lot of my hurt and set the record straight for me in many areas. God chooses not to intervene, but has a plan you can trust, He says that the only thing we can count on is faith in Immanuel, or you are with me. In light of tragedy, this is difficult to accept. Lewis and St. Augustine. They just kind of dismissed it. Philip. In late 2015, around the same time as my interview with the Summerside RCMP regarding Gord Dominey, Dr. Beckner from Bridges of Canada called me to ask if I was interested in a prison chaplains job at the Stony Mountain Institution in Winnipeg. Better to read it at the seashore with sunglasses and a drink of lemonade in your hand. At Gwen and Mikes encouragement, I filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission in PEI. Discrimination or hatred due to religious beliefs was never a part of our lives. Hi Mr. Yancey, I just need something, I need to know youre there. I decided not to send it. It has been a great help to me to bringing to realisation my thoughts around what my attitude to many of the issues confronting Christians today should be; the answer is to be graceful of course. Dear Mr. Phillip Yancey, Ive been curious about Buechner too. But then, I find myself in a different kind of legalism- I think Im a better Christian, but no Im a wretched sinner. Did not one parent pray before their child left for school, God protect my child? Did not one child themselves pray, God protect me? How can you possibly say to a Newtown parent, Yes! I have no one to turn to, no one who can help me. I had lice in my hair and boils all over me and scars all over my body. In other words, the DVD player was brought in illegally. So I am wondering if there is some kind of a generic guide you can point us to, questions to ask while we read the weekly chapters and for discussion when we meet? How on earth did you do that? I saw that you are on the schedule to speak this semester during our chapel. You'll see a clear display of his two life themessuffering and gracewhich characterize all his books. He understood my struggle with Paul, as he had witnessed Rev. One question that just wont go away for me is the story of Israel conquering the Promised Land. Ill make sure to get a front-row seat when you speak here, and to throw in some hurras and Amens , You make me want to return to Switzerland right away! Even so, AWI Brad Sass wrote me three weeks later that this is what he heard was the reason for my dismissal. I owe the grace of God to your book. Philips two books won the ECPAs Christian Book of the Year Award: The Jesus I Never Knew in 1996, and Whats So Amazing About Grace? Simply dumbfounded. So you should call the people you love and tell them goodbye, just in case.. Disappointment with God, Where Is God when It Hurts?, The Jesus I Never Knew, to name some, are brilliant titles as I most probably would not be so interested in reading them in the first place if they were not so titled. Re: When Mourning and Dancing touch each other. I find it much easier to feel (and show) true love and grace for people who are judgmental and unkind outside of the church than for those who are judgmental and unkind within the church. I have heard of you, as both of my parents view you as one of their favorite authors. The second is the reference to a spirit of deafness and muteness. My ladies small group have voted to read Disappointment With God this fall a unanimous vote, which may tell you that we are all struggling with this issue! Then one day word came that a couple from America was going to adopt a little boy. Theyve been turned off by something in the church. I would certainly include Dame Cicely Saunders, founder of the modern hospice movement; and Sir Ghillean Prance, one of the early voices in climate change and former director of the New York Botanical Gardens. Hi, Mr. Yancey, I want to thank you for writing The Jesus I Never Knew. As a nurse, I too have a deep concern for the poor, ostracised and suffering in any society, and hope to touch people in my sphere of influence by practical demonstrations of the love and grace of Jesus. Id heard about it, so I decided to check it out. Usually I end up throwing away 100-150 pages from each book, however. It is a large community of Romanians who would need your help. Regardless of what you believe about evolution, life has changed through the ages. And, fortunately, I had a much more traditional (loving) relationship with my parents and family. Thats it. The degenerative neurological condition hampers muscle-brain connections, and the severity of symptoms varies widely. This film begins with the quote No one ever converted to Christianity because they lost the argument. Following the quote in the film, it says Phillip (sic) Yancey, author, Rumors of Another World. For over 20 years, my wife, family, and I attended a wonderful evangelical church here in the South. West bow Press. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Philip Yancey. Could you be kind enough to recommend a book I can buy for her? In the short book Church: Why Bother? Then write it down. Over the years I have continued in my studies and now serve as Senior Research Professor of Biblical Exegesis atCriswell College (Dallas, Tx). Thank you for what you do, and please keep it up! There, I was told by two lawyers that my dismissal was unacceptable. I have read some of your books and enjoyed them all. In short, you are better than that, Mr. Yancey, and I hurt for you because you do not seem to want to admit it. One is to say, Thank you, thank you, thank you for your writing that has been such a gift to the church and to me.