I have promised God that I will never take my own life. 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. To sum up, the natural world is what we live in and we are a part of it. Ive been meaning to send you a message for a while. I think you spoke at a conference one week but I was unable to attend. SO.. Living in Africa & Japan as well as the US and working with & reading about many different kinds of Christians as a pastor, missionary & bookaholic has helped me so much, and your book will help my younger friend broaden her horizons a bit more quickly. what the contract says. I just wanted to write and thank you for Whats So Amazing About Grace? I bought the book about 20 years ago, but I never read it until now. I really was taken back by what you said about skirt lengths and hair length etc. A BIG THANK YOU Sir for contributing to the Body of Christ, indeed it is a great starter for seminary students like me. I went through very difficult times in 2016 and as I went through that I read the book Disappointment with God. I prefer the term Jesus followers, keeping the focus on the one we follow. God bless you. Philip. It impacted me so much I had to read more. I certainly dont think our Bible College is at all like what you presented in your book. But by now I was attending another. What lifts my spirit is that no matter where you walk, He is always there waiting for you. You can check both out on Amazon. It offers a glimpse of what millions of people may be going through right now, in the midst of this pandemic. Hope you understand. If God had been seen in the last 500 years helping anyone, this statement has great power. However, I was troubled by what still (after all these years) comes across as bitterness and cynicism. . Prayers, my friend! And, thank goodness, the South has changed quite a bit too. Philip, Mr. Yancey, I did a word search using some of the key words from your account, and nothing showed up. Im sure you have an opinion on the matter. all of your books-multiple times! Im now reading The Jesus I never new and having my eyes opened! I am a huge fan and have read nearly I also told myself enough is enough and finally decided to stand up to Paul. However, I know of not a single case in 5 centuries (or 20 really) where He has. I have been graced with grace in my life but in a way your book made the picture much clearer and the thankfulness much more thankful. Of course. Phil later has to correct himself with, No, Im sorry. I reclused into this judgemental spiritual superiority bigot who saw heaven for myself and hell for everyone one else. I was saved at a summer camp and came home to a completely non-Christian family. My life is over, a good man destroyed by those who hate and those who look the other way. They called her horrible names. I know that hurts deeply: grief is where love and pain converge. No one will hire me , choosing to believe the haters instead of the hated. I met Philip Yancey when we both were 22, newly minted editors at Youth for Christ's Campus Life magazine. Its just that I, and probably million others like me, seem to need the perspective of someone like you on this much stigmatized predicament (especially in a culture where I live in). Thank you again for the willingness to have the discussion. My writings have now prompted me to start the journey of writing a book (an art form that I know nothing about!) My wife and I have slowly been working our way thru all of your books. Here is the story. Today is finally that day. "His openness and transparency are appealing, and he writes with love.". Around that time the director initiated a program to purge Threshold Ministries of anyone who had had any homosexual involvement, no matter how long ago or whether it was consensual or not. At times, it seemed that the only people that did not deny the problems that to me were as plain as day were the people who most vehemently rejected the faith that I was holding on to. Is Peterson something similar? I recently read Whats So Amazing About Grace? and I find myself trying to apply the lessons I learned from it everyday. Thank you for providing encouragement to those like me who secretly need reassurance when following conviction and taking positions that lose many friends. Strangely, I can find most of them articulated in the Bible itselfJob, Lamentations, Habakkukso were in good company. Its an honest representation of what a Christian walk really is. Im a pilgrim, recovering from a bad church upbringing, searching for a faith that makes its followers larger and not smaller. Gwen and Mike invited me into their home to look after their 5-year old son when they were both working the same shift. I detected what might be arrogance or at least superciliousness. Dear Mr. Yancey, Born 1939, in Chicago, IL; married Roger Winter (an artist); children: Jonah, Max. Thank you for your time and for your sermon! And Ill quote some advice from a pastor friend of mine in Chicago. I wanted to share it with you to let you know how you have been part of my faith journey, In love he[b] predestined us for adoption to sonship[c] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and willto the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. Ephesians 1:5-6 He didnt sin, He loved sinners, but I still wonder what would be His words and action before all this. I teach philosophy in Chicago. You depict the Jesus of the gospels and of the unparalleled sermon on the mount in ways that people can grasp. So many storms have hit since then, and I have learned how simple and how fragile my first faith really was. I remember reading Job and this began to open my heart. it Just is not there.. Back in the day, I loved What is so Amazing About Grace. We are walking different paths but yet come to the same conclusions. I would also like to encorage you to continue taking on the hard topics and shareing your viewpoint. I have recently read and resonate w/ Tolstoy (Anna Karenina) . Few months after my daughter was identified autoimmune, my Mother-in-law at the same time was diagnosed cancer. We here calls to defend Trump (OK, not at our Lutheran and Reformed churches). My Dismissal My experiences with the church, and personal hardships association with the PK life left me quite bitter and disillusioned. Im not making this up. I am disappointed as I come to the end of your books, but Ive also benefited from authors you speak about such as CS Lewis and Jurgen Moltmann. It would mean a lot if you would take time to read it. He is the only One who defines christianity. I attended a Bible college where the dean announced one morning in chapel that anyone who wore a black armband to protest the Vietnam war would be expelled immediately. We are a fellowship of Christian men who are struggling with lust, in one form or another. Thank you! Ive found life through so many of your words. Ive stood in front of the ovens in Auschwitz. I tried replying to the initial comment and response you left, but my phone would not let me. Thank you for your words. I now own and have read all of your books. You express thoughts so well as if your words are directly from Christ loving, forgiving, non-judgmental, compassionate and caring for the hopeless and marginalized of this world. Anyway, I have wanted to contact you for a long time and just tell you the impact your writings have had on my life. In fact, as Ive pointed out before, the biggest group of givers on Kiva is Atheists, second are Christians. But to come onto someones website (who I suspect you dont know, obviously) and to misrepresent them and attempt to dictate their livelihood wouldnt come into my definition of loving your neighbour as yourself. I wish you the best. I could understand why he would ask me to distribute his memos, since this is a lengthy process. The Regional Chaplain for CSC kept promising me a contract over and over again, but after one year it still had not materialized. I was reading through some of your Q&As and noticed the following from you: As I mentioned before, I have read most all of your books but have also enjoyed reading Bishop Jack Spong, Marcus Borg and Brian McLaren and would probably categorize myself as a member of the church alumni association. Im curious to know if you have ever read some of these authors, and, if so, what your thoughts are. We each grew up in a conservative church. (With Brenda Quinn) The Jesus I Never Knew Study Guide, Zondervan (Grand Rapids, MI), 1997. It humbles me to hear that my writings have been companions with you through this process, and I rejoice in the positive turn of events. I am Munir Masih from Pakistan. If this was the end of the story, it would not have been worth telling. We wrote more in a book called The Gift of Pain. What's So Amazing about Grace?, Zondervan (Grand Rapids, MI), 1997. Can he elaborate/ clarify as I ended up with egg on my face. Capt. It has been a number of years since I read your book The Jesus I Never Knew, but I recently picked it up again and used it to describe the incarnation (salt-water aquarium) for a Christian Worldview Course that my wife and I are doing for people. I wish that he might see that it is obvious God cares about him. Philip. In Gethsemane, he did not pray, "Thank you for this opportunity to suffer," but rather pled desperately for an escape. Has it ever been translated? BlessingsI know your country is going through hard times. I want to lash out too, and say, read Matthew 7:1-5, for Heavens sake! Hi Mr.Yancey! We dealt with this story in church yesterday and I feel I have to defend the Samaritan woman at the well. For some kind of answer, for some kind of hope, for some kind of a break. I want to be more like Jesus, I want to react as He would. I remember thinking, yeah, like that will help. I havent read Hell: The Logic of Damnation by Jerry Walls, but that may be helpful too. Brand, updating the medicine, cutting duplication, and improving the text. Just curiousdo you believe that John the Baptist ate locusts and wild honey? I wonder if God planned it that way on purpose, so we, His children, would Your book should have been Vanishing Truth. Please stop over-emphasizing grace at the expense of living out the true gospel. My guess is that you are somewhat melancholic as well as very bright. Annie Dillard and Henri Nouwen have also brought inspiration and encouragement. Philip Yancey is the author of more than a dozen books and hundreds of columns and is an editor-at-large for Christianity Today. Lastly knowing that my good deeds doesnt matter, neither in writing or not writing. Heres my interview, edited for space, with Philip Yancey, an evangelical Christian writer who has more than 15 million books in print in more than 50 [], Hi Mr Yancy! Moreover, at no point did he say he was going to write an SOR. You warm my heart. Later I realized that we were the bad guys." So, I went back, the door opened for me, and I stepped in. Does God have a right to twist our beliefs to something untrue? God can and will transform our suffering. Years ago,early in my faith walk, I read the books you wrote with Dr. Thank you. It is truly heart warming and humbling. I began to study seriously. In fact, a Jewish prisoner was stabbed later that same week. Was this question not asked at any time before the Sandy Hook shootings? 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. His writing took a more personal, introspective turn even as his activities turned outward. Ruby is my wife. Its had a large imprint on my life. Then one day word came that a couple from America was going to adopt a little boy. This YWAM leader left me on the streets of Grand Junction for the night and I was terrified. On page 119 the words discussion of parenthood helped to define my purpose more clearly and keep me focused. He reminded me that Paul was not my boss, that we were equals. Change is most certainly on the docket for the next few years. At the group home where I stay, people say I pick up diseases from these ladies, because I developed a mystery physical illness some years ago, complete with black skin sores and blocked urinary tract! Born 1960, in Nyack, NY; son of a teacher and an artist; married June, 2002; wife's name, Audrey. The problem was that I had reason to fear for my life. I have asked for an apology so many times. described as a personal relationship with God. Your books are a great help for my spiritual growth, but I must say, Ive never been angry with God and never questioned God as Father and his Son as my Savior. I look forward to reading the rest of your books! The Commissioners Affirmation Im glad to make this connection, and thank you for the encouragement Philip. Contemporary Authors, New Revision Series. The Deputy Wardens response to my comments was to praise me. several times together (Whats So Amazing About Grace, Prayer), wore them out, and I feel tired, unattractive, washed up, and I look it, too. Funny you should ask. At the time I was worshiping at a conservative Baptist church, convinced that drinking and swearing were terrible sins, and watching fearfully for the signs of the coming rapture and the real-world Nicolae Carpathia. From there I received encouragement and God strengthened me at every step. But they dont satisfy the soul. Diabolically crafted as a mere language construct to fool humanity I have read it at very different stages in my life and get something fresh and encouraging each time. Im preparing to use your 6-session video on Prayer as a class in the prison our church volunteers in. Threshold Ministries denounced me for my same-sex attraction, even though I had not been living a homosexual lifestyle since my teenage years. Read it. Please let me know if there is anything specific that I can pray for you. Do you remember that story, if you do can you tell me which book it is from? To be honest I am, by personality and church background, a legalist, and for much of my life I have lived with a conception of God as a kind of stern parent or teacher who keeps a ledger of all my successes and failures. Recently a friend of mine deconstructed his faith, and then decided to leave entirely. Using many of the same techniques Jesus employed in his own ministry, Yancey tackles tough theological questions in a style that general readers can easily understand. Zadok Online,http://www.zadok.org.au/ (July 9, 2007), Gordon Preece and Paul Mitchell, "Treasure Hunting with Philip Yancey," author interview. I told her what happened to me after I reported Gord Domineys sexual abuse of young offenders at the Edmonton Young Offenders Center, and Don Westmans voyeurism at the Fort Saskatchewan Correctional Centre. Ive often thought that the worst part of a recurring sinsay, an addiction to pornography, very common these daysis not so much the sin itself as the feeling that follows, that one is cast aside, disqualified for use by God. They had noticed my Franciscan Habit . Neither of us was what you'd call a "happy" student. For me, there are two principles to keep in mind. I saw that you are on the schedule to speak this semester during our chapel. Very sorry! I am ready to read it again this year as part of my Advent reading. So Id best decline. (I was raised in the evangelical tradition and figured out early on how the system works and how to work it too.) You each speak to the same truth from different directions and style and I am a lifetime reader of something every day. pleased that you honor him in this way. Thank you for your time. You affirm and encourage me. Several times the Epistles urge us to bring God pleasure. More secure. The fact that just from the distance of the Moon you can put your thumb up and you can hide the Earth behind your thumb. In a world spinning out of control, people have little absolutes to hand on Do not touch my things! He said this over and over again. Of course, I was present and took notes! But I try to show Gods grace to others. I am a 60 year old physician who became a christian while an undergraduate at Michigan State University many years ago. I crossed the border into Canada and headed for Saint John New Brunswick where there was a YWAM base where I knew people. Sincerely, Dwight. I read you comments concerning your struggles with mental illness and the lack of resources available. I read your book the question that never goes away. Everyone wants to focus on politics. He was there for me when I was that child, teen, young adult and now. Before I learned about you, I sometimes wondered if there was anyone that asked the questions I asked, or saw the issues that I saw. Welcome to the oh-so-fulfilling (and odd) family of writers. I was first introduced to your work through my dad, who has been an avid fan of yours since his days as a college student. I have prayed the prayer of salvation too many times to count, starting in my teens and continuing well into my thirties. Thank you in advance. I just came back from a mission trip with Greg and others from Southeast in April where we got to go to Damoh as well as the Siliguri area. From your reader: Ana Paula Nascimento We first met at a YFC Directors certification course in 1972 in Rockford, IL. It whole heartedly does make a difference! many thanks, In 1994, I was introduced to Reverend Frank Costantino, an Episcopal priest in the USA and founder of Bridges of America. I am always reminded of soldiers in WWII that were of fighting age, but were not drafted. Thats a great question, and there are entire books written in answer. I just finished your book Disappointment with God. Is he neither able nor willing? The goal of parenthood is not to produce clones who replicate their parents, rather to produce mature adults who make their own choices. Finally you end the book with a statement that I had to reflect on, I have no problem believing God is good. I life what Im learning and experiencing as I explore widely, but we also want to settle somewhere. But it wasnt. Contemporary Authors, New Revision Series. It doesnt end. As a teen I was beaten and abused by my mentally ill mother and sister and ignored by my father. It has been a pretty satisfactory life. Any suggestion would be appreciated. In your place, I would simply be honest in the endnote, saying that you were unable to track down the original source. Youre right: this world is broken, badly. Philip, Very Informative article. I recently looked up the theory and equations of radioactive dating. Those of us who know the Warrens know how they have anguished over their sons illness, seeking to keep a low profile even as Rick penned the best-selling devotional, The Purpose Driven Life. This weekend, Matthew took his own life putting the issue of mental illness front and center again. I love the way you write about the Christian faith. 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. My name is Ephraim. As you say, some who find this offensive dont read my writings at all. Paul wanted to take two weeks off during the holiday season, and he told me that he did not want me to take any services during his absence. During the debriefing at the end of the evaluation, which included Bridges manager Brian, no issues or major concerns were brought up. I can live with that because I trust in the One who understands and knows all things. Lewis is the other one.) I tend to go back to the Bible as a model, because I dont know a more honest book, Yancey explains. Thanks again, I look forward to your new work. Then why call him God?. All this gets theoretical though, and doesnt help much when youre in the midst of the oppression. Open Windows, Thomas Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1982. 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. Why does He let us suffer?" He told Berkley that many of his assignments were "drama in real life; articles, where people have been involved in tragedy, and as a Christian I was puzzled by this problem of pain. "Though he comes from a conservative upbringing, he is not stuck there but has moved past any labels we might try to put on him," wrote Zander Dunn in the Presbyterian Record. And whatever we long for, God longs for more. Again, on what grounds can you make this statement? Yours in writing Men cling to spiritual pride like affluence; such a common infection If you read 3-4 chapters before each session, youll cover the relevant content. Dear Philip Yancey ,
It was your book that I had ordered for no particular reason. In their book, they recorded an eyewitness account of a miraculous resurrection of a woman died in an auto accident. What a lovely, poignant Advent book. (Wish I could post the pic) This is my 3rd time reading Rumors. The pastor wrote later, Was God in Dunblane? After reading a chapter in one of your books, I have a sense of experiencing the reality of Jesus in my life on a deeper level. Capt. All rights reserved. It turned my eyes to Gods goodness. The members of the class are diverse theologically, including some whose beliefs are evangelical but who would shun that identity given the current political environment. If we are right with God, we are right with our neighbor, isnt that what I should count one? That kid throwing a tantrum The reason evangelical Christians are supporting Trump is because they follow Christianity not Christ. Hi! Fathers want to hear from their children, no matter the mode of communication! Rob Barrett, Stay with the sunset. As you know, conversions at the age you mention are rather rare, so Im sure you have your own story! Shame on me for referring to another book, but I addressed this very problem in Reaching for the Invisible God. Its a great question, one I spent a year exploring. I asked him to return it to my office, and also told Paul about it when he returned. Brian Harder, the Bridges of Canada manager called to confront me about this, and got very upset and rude and to me. i hope to in the future. Mr. Yancy, them. I can barely get out of bed. That, We cannot really reconcile our pain-wracked world with a loving God because what we experience now is not the same as what God intends. How can he speak to this? Your note moves me deeply. body found in milford, ct . Its almost completely for your benefit if you choose to do that and essentially of no practical use to me. He was busy, so I went to see Acting Deputy Warden Albert. I make a simple mistake and you are all over me.. Thank you for writing What is so Amazing About Grace! As a 63 year old Christian I have been stirred by the topic of grace for the past 3 to 4 years.
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