In recent years . Yet that hope, that what Im working on today will connect with someone like you out there somedaythats the hope that keeps me going. To me, what you mention is more a personality issue than a spiritual issue. I thought I would mention it to you in case you have come across anything about this in your research/writing. I am a Christian and have been helped by many of your books. Keep writing HONESTLY, because you build bridges to others who are struggling to figure out what the heck the Christian life is all about. I must admit, it took several health issues to break me, and in my brokenness, I found meaning, and I found Jesus. I am angry at the indifference and cowardice that kept me silent for over twenty-five years while I was being honored as one of the best and brightest theologians at The Athenaeum of Ohio. I know thousands of Southern Baptists and none fits the Elmer Gantry or Mitchners preacher in Hawaii in the slightest. The doctor declared her status free from cancer, post operation and surgery. Ive read explanations from Christian apologist but I just dont find them very convincing. I am a Christian, a believer in God who will not give up. You are one of those essential spiritual fathers for me like Lewis, and Chesterton, and Tim Keller. 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. It just seems like the bad far outweighs any good that can come of this short life. I will pray for you. In 1988, after 4 years as a well-liked chaplain at the TEDC [1], I moved to Alberta to become the Protestant chaplain at the Fort Saskatchewan Correctional Centre (FSCC). We trusted God for everything, was faithful and active in Church, praying and tithing. I was told yes, I could. Philip. Philip. Thank you. So basically, l believe in a penal/substitutionary view while trying to incorporate parts of the Christus Victor view. Brand. Its just illogical, but somehow this notion survives. [4] When he was one year old, his father, stricken with polio, died after church members suggested he go off life support in faith that God would heal him. I wrote a book on Jesus a few years ago, and agree about our underemphasis of his humanity. I guess I tilt in their favor because that is my background, and also my callingto reach those wounded by the church. I didnt feel like a giant. They finally threw me out saying God had told Ken Wright from New Zealand that I was to leave and be dependent on no one and to work. May He continue to bless you. But it wasnt. I have just finished reading Where the Light Fell. I mean, feel free to believe in the spirits of thetans blown up in a nuclear explosion on earth by the evil dictator Xenu 75 million years ago if youd like. His honesty and search for meaning in his own life has influenced my life in positive ways. I have yet to receive a reply. If we do not ask, we do not receive forgiveness we receive hell I cannot be more holy and righteous than God Im his creation saved by grace. After laying my hands 15 years ago on The Jesus I never knew, I have read 7 of your books and every book ignite a fire in me and to see the missing part of Christianity. Ive just published a memoir, Where the Light Fell, which details my own struggle with these same questions. (With Paul Brand) In the Likeness of God: The Dr. Paul Brand Tribute Edition of Fearfully and Wonderfully Made and in His Image, Zondervan (Grand Rapids, MI), 2004. I would also like to encorage you to continue taking on the hard topics and shareing your viewpoint. This incident, along with a recent CBC investigation [33], lead me to believe that the bullying in the Edmonton Institution is not confined to the chaplaincy office. I very much enjoyed your book, and was utterly floored by one of the first sentences (we can only Watch) which represents the essence of my entire collection of work and thought! 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. Though Ive never seen you speak, your voice was familiar as I have several of your audio books. I have purchased the Participants Guide (Zondervan 2000) and the DVD (both have the pink cover with pasture and fence). Denounce it so people know its cunning use of the sacred prefix Its the abject smallness of the earth that gets you. Stuart Roosa, Apollo 14, We learned a lot about the Moon, but what we really learned was about the Earth. During this time I was reading the book Disappointed with God by Philip Yancey (Christian World Publishing House), and decided to live. And then, as I waited with the crowd for lunch, I turned around and there you were, right behind me. a cell phone in the gutter. I spent my childhood and early teenage years in a strict fundamentalist church, and I found myself saying, Me too! throughout the book. I lived on $644 a month. You are indeed a Gift: of honesty and humility. I could empathize with the path youve trod through the years, and many of your words resonated strongly with me. The other side of the coin is that while art today is here and present, it lives on, not necessarily as a piece (or artist) itself, but in the minds of those who encounter it and the influence they have on others, who in turn influence still others, and so on. And how fortunate I am to read your writing & share it to help with that. Recently I got obsessed with Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe and his books. The Deputy Wardens response to my comments was to praise me. Unfortunately, it was a one-sided plea. Id like to hear what you think, and no I do not expect you to have all the answers Im looking for, but probably reading what you have to say would help me see it in a different light. I am ready to read it again this year as part of my Advent reading. I am Munir Masih from Pakistan. My mind senses and processes things that I am somehow able to determine did not originate from me, if that makes sense. Having to create fictional religions has been challenging being a man of faith, history suggests that people from different regions were susceptible to different beliefs, as far fetched as worshiping water its-self. Hi Dr. Yancey. Philip. Education: Columbia Bible College, Columbia, B.A., 1970; Wheaton College, Wheaton, M.A., 1972; University of Chicago, M.A., 1990. Question for you, sir. And how insignificant we really all are, but then how fortunate we are to have this body and to be able to enjoy loving here amongst the beauty of the Earth itself. Jim Lovell, Apollo 8 & 13, It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I continued to serve those under my care and enhanced the chaplaincy services there [4]. Each has received good reviews from people who count. Its a very confusing (and contentious) topic. Thinking of being depressed, beyond hope I had lost faith. It is truly heart warming and humbling. It has taken me over fifty years to find my way to the Jesus of the bible, and in so doing, to reach out in genuine love and compassion to the hurting, the lonely, the lost, the struggling. As I argued with the Lord in my head, He moved me to write an article to call on Christians to pray for brothers and sisters in Christ who are under persecution. Jesus did not condemn these sinners. Phil, 121:7) No harm will overtake you; no illness will come near your home. (Psa. My two most common phrases are I dont know what to believe and Lord, is this really you?. Or shone a light towards the back exit. "His openness and transparency are appealing, and he writes with love.". Back in the day, I loved What is so Amazing About Grace. Even he does not have it all right. We will most likely never meet in this lifetime, but someday in glory we will have to sit and chat and laugh at the goodness of the Lord and rejoice at the wonderful lessons He allowed us to learn, and I will thank you in person for putting pen to paper and making sense of my recent hurts and woes. It was a lonely time as I did not speak Dutch . (With Brenda Quinn) The Jesus I Never Knew Study Guide, Zondervan (Grand Rapids, MI), 1997. I make friends with them, chat, and occasionally buy a hungry lady a pie or a can of juice, or even just fetch them a drink of water. It seems that your pilgrimage somehow inspired me to embark on mine, somewhat. From there I received encouragement and God strengthened me at every step. Dickson and also the Harbinsons of YWAM Canada . Paul tried to control and manipulate every aspect of my working life. I tried consoling her, but I struggle with doubts and am not the best at reassurance these days. But just getting through a day, through a morning takes so much strength. I have searched and searched and searched and have found very little that even addresses the question, and even less that at all helps. Whew, great question and well-expressed. If anyone will manage to get a fire going under my butt to get me writing more just reading your writings would do it! It has given me additional assurance in growing my relationship with God. and Vanishing Grace. AB Sithole, Pretoria: South Africa. Been reading almost all of your books. I wanted to take this moment and tell you the impact this book as made upon me. He threw me up against the wall, shouted at me to get out, and pushed me forcefully out of the door and back into the hallway. More secure. Mr. Yancey, Dear Philip, There are many so many and you are among those who have helped me become me. I will not mention what religion I was raised, nor the denomination of my friends church because it is not about the religion it truly is about our relationship with Him! Paul told me later that afternoon that Bridges Manager Brian Harder had been running circles around him during lunch. I had just finished reading about your accident and the call to come talk in VA, when I began to feel strange and then promptly passed out, much to my wifes surprise. Grace and peace. . I am studying communications and hoping to either fight for justice with the written word or through community engagement (at least partly inspired by the heroes I met while reading Soul Survivor as well as your other books and your blog). I read your book where is God when it hurts, that was not too long after I lost my mother and faced severe persecution from my father. This automatic OTF knife model is easier to carry and fires slightly . Thank you for this book. In January 2011 alone and hated by homophobic leadership, bullied and lied to by bishops I trusted with my life. Brand & I was blown away. Paul had told me that he was going to contact the Commissioner and the Minister for Corrections, Ralph Goodale. I am a mainline evangelical, currently using Vanishing Grace as curriculum in an adult Sunday school class. And whatever we long for, God longs for more. Again, on what grounds can you make this statement? Ive got your book on Where Is God When It Hurts but to be honest its too overwhelming to read a big book at the moment. Shine, In America, Sandakan 8, Stroszek, Scenes from a Marriage, Shy People, Amadeus, Apostle, Adu, As It Is In Heaven, East-West, God Grew Tired of Us, Greenfingers, To End All Wars, Hiding and Seeking, The Quartet, The Story of Luke, Mother and Child. Like yourself I have been exposed to toxic churches and if I am honest I was left badly wounded. Matthew had the best medical care available, a loving church that cared for him and his family, and parents who loved and prayed for him. Very sorry! Wellington, South Africa. He remarked to Berkley: "You cannot imagine, unless you've been in a background like that, how narrow it is." As a teen I was beaten and abused by my mentally ill mother and sister and ignored by my father. Education: Cooper Union Sc, Yez Santos Delgadillo, Agustn (19041980). I hope to hear from you. I decided not to send it. I sure had my eyes opened reading your book Whats so amazing about Grace. Im so glad that you have made a promise not to take your life. God bless you! as of now I am doing a book review of your The Jesus I never Knew as a requirement in one of my subject. They say, We loan because: We care about human beings and understand that it takes people to help people. The Christians say, We loan because: Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their misfortune and to keep oneself unstained by the world. The Envelope A "sometimes reluctant Christian" who has spent his entire adult life recovering from the "toxic" fundamentalist church of his childhood, Yancey walked away from religion in college. Many women in that culture would in fact kill their children because they didnt want them to face rejection. Marsha Linehan, a fellow sufferer/expert on mental health who is Catholic, once remarked that the likes of us are in hell, so to speak and we need all the help we can get to get out. The failures, obstacles of life, and disappointment had consumed all my will to continue. Your words helped me to get close to God and I wish you receive all God can give you in this life and at heaven too. God bring something good from this, God clearly told me I was going to get pregnant from the rape. I was also stunned that Paul cared about flies as brothers and sisters, while expressing hatred for evangelical Protestants, Jews and homosexuals. If I talk to someone on the phone I picture their house or what they looked like last time I saw them. It was a toxic work environment, with so many people being mocked, bullied and bossed around on a daily basis.