# Phillip Yancey.



## etexas (Apr 2, 2008)

His name came up in another thread but I did not want to hijack it (I only do that to my own threads) anyway, someone gave me one of his books and I never read it, not even sure where it is now. What is he "about"? Is he Liberal, Evangelical, Neo-Orthodox. (I just recall not being impressed with what little I read.) What is the story on this guy.


----------



## etexas (Apr 2, 2008)

.....hello.......tumbleweed blows by.


----------



## Pilgrim (Apr 2, 2008)

I haven't read any of his books. He has always seemed to be sort of a kinder and gentler evangelical to me. I think he is one of the editors of Christianity Today if not the editor in chief.


----------



## etexas (Apr 2, 2008)

Pilgrim said:


> I haven't read any of his books. He has always seemed to be sort of a liberal (or mabye it's just kinder and gentler) evangelical to me. I think he is one of the editors of Christianity Today if not the editor in chief.


You know....I do remember now that he used to write for CT, but since I have not taken that in a long time I really can't remember much about his articles. They must not have impressed me.


----------



## JBaldwin (Apr 2, 2008)

He is the editor at large for _Christianity Today_, he is evangelical and well-liked by Billy Graham. I have one of his books here, but I stopped reading it after about 60 pages. He is a former fundamentalist, and says he writes for people who are having trouble with Christianity.


----------



## etexas (Apr 2, 2008)

JBaldwin said:


> He is the editor at large for _Christianity Today_, he is evangelical and well-liked by Billy Graham. I have one of his books here, but I stopped reading it after about 60 pages. He is a former fundamentalist, and says he writes for people who are having trouble with Christianity.


What on earth does he mean by that:writes for people having trouble with Christianity......


----------



## Pilgrim (Apr 2, 2008)

etexas said:


> JBaldwin said:
> 
> 
> > He is the editor at large for _Christianity Today_, he is evangelical and well-liked by Billy Graham. I have one of his books here, but I stopped reading it after about 60 pages. He is a former fundamentalist, and says he writes for people who are having trouble with Christianity.
> ...



It probably means people who have been turned off by fundamentalism, legalism, etc.


----------



## etexas (Apr 2, 2008)

Pilgrim said:


> etexas said:
> 
> 
> > JBaldwin said:
> ...


Oh! Like a 12 step program. I dig it.


----------



## RamistThomist (Apr 2, 2008)

I have read 3 or 4 of his books when I was struggling with the Christian faith. Technically speaking, he is a talented writer. He started out strong in debunking christianity = legalism. But he got annoying after a while.

He isn't "liberal" or "neo orthodox." Run of the mill evangelical.


----------



## etexas (Apr 2, 2008)

Ivanhoe said:


> I have read 3 or 4 of his books when I was struggling with the Christian faith. Technically speaking, he is a talented writer. He started out strong in debunking christianity = legalism. But he got annoying after a while.
> 
> He isn't "liberal" or "neo orthodox." Run of the mill evangelical.


I have a buddy who is all into him, reads all his books, wants to loan them to me. That kind of thing.


----------



## RamistThomist (Apr 2, 2008)

_Reaching for the Invisible God_ is okay. If you are bored on a car trip, it would be worth your time. And your friend wants to _loan_ them to you. So you don't have to spend money.


----------



## etexas (Apr 2, 2008)

Ivanhoe said:


> _Reaching for the Invisible God_ is okay. If you are bored on a car trip, it would be worth your time. And your friend wants to _loan_ them to you. So you don't have to spend money.


So if I am on a long flight that is the one I should ask for? I might do it to see what the fuss is about.


----------



## danmpem (Apr 2, 2008)

etexas said:


> JBaldwin said:
> 
> 
> > He is the editor at large for _Christianity Today_, he is evangelical and well-liked by Billy Graham. I have one of his books here, but I stopped reading it after about 60 pages. He is a former fundamentalist, and says he writes for people who are having trouble with Christianity.
> ...



It means that he is trying to bridge the gap of ideology between the Christians with a conservative approach to both theological and social issues and any other people, whether Christian or unaffiliated, who are trying to survive in a culture with so many intolerant people. And I don't mean intolerant in the way that we need to be tolerant of other religions, but intolerance in the way that single mothers get judgmental looks in church, or the first exhale after someone makes the reference that another person is gay. The fact that someone's sin causes another Christian to treat them differently. As if now that someone has this sin or that sin, NOW they must be evangelized.


----------



## Reformed Covenanter (Apr 2, 2008)

etexas said:


> Ivanhoe said:
> 
> 
> > _Reaching for the Invisible God_ is okay. If you are bored on a car trip, it would be worth your time. And your friend wants to _loan_ them to you. So you don't have to spend money.
> ...



Or, alternatively, you could read books by Daniel F.N. Ritchie instead.


----------



## Guido's Brother (Apr 2, 2008)

He has an affinity for open theism, "God takes risks" -- that kind of stuff. His books are easy reading, but awful theologically. I've read a few of his books, not because I wanted to, but because I was asked to by a magazine editor. The result was an article entitled, "Disappointment with Philip Yancey."


----------



## etexas (Apr 2, 2008)

Daniel Ritchie said:


> etexas said:
> 
> 
> > Ivanhoe said:
> ...


I would love to read one of your books!


----------



## Reformed Covenanter (Apr 2, 2008)

etexas said:


> Daniel Ritchie said:
> 
> 
> > etexas said:
> ...



Read two; one on the way there and one on the way back.


----------



## etexas (Apr 2, 2008)

Daniel Ritchie said:


> etexas said:
> 
> 
> > Daniel Ritchie said:
> ...


How do I get your books?


----------



## danmpem (Apr 2, 2008)

Guido's Brother said:


> He has an affinity for open theism, "God takes risks" -- that kind of stuff. His books are easy reading, but awful theologically. I've read a few of his books, not because I wanted to, but because I was asked to by a magazine editor. The result was an article entitled, "Disappointment with Philip Yancey."



 Interesting. Although I have only read one of his books, I didn't get that impression. Which ones did you read?


----------



## Guido's Brother (Apr 2, 2008)

danmpem said:


> Guido's Brother said:
> 
> 
> > He has an affinity for open theism, "God takes risks" -- that kind of stuff. His books are easy reading, but awful theologically. I've read a few of his books, not because I wanted to, but because I was asked to by a magazine editor. The result was an article entitled, "Disappointment with Philip Yancey."
> ...



Disappointment with God, Where is God When It Hurts, The Jesus I Never Knew, What's So Amazing About Grace? 

Here's a choice quote (The Jesus I Never Knew, p.76):

"God made himself weak for one purpose: to let human beings choose freely for themselves what to do with him."


----------



## etexas (Apr 2, 2008)

Guido's Brother said:


> danmpem said:
> 
> 
> > Guido's Brother said:
> ...


Yuck! Did Yancey know Jesus was fully God and fully man when he wrote this absurd statement!


----------



## Grymir (Apr 2, 2008)

Guido's Brother said:


> Here's a choice quote (The Jesus I Never Knew, p.76):
> 
> "God made himself weak for one purpose: to let human beings choose freely for themselves what to do with him."




In another word....BORING!!!!! Bland. like vanilla ice cream...french vanilla ice cream.


----------



## DMcFadden (Apr 2, 2008)

Yancey was raised as a brittle fundamentalist, received his M.A. at Wheaton (of course), and began working for Campus Life magazine almost immediately after grad school. Writing for kids and writing so much prepped him for his role as an author with a popular style, designed for the masses. Jacob got it just about right. He is a mainstream evangelical. My only tweak would be to say that like most ex-fundamentalists, he seems a bit tender on that topic.


----------



## danmpem (Apr 2, 2008)

Guido's Brother said:


> danmpem said:
> 
> 
> > Guido's Brother said:
> ...



What did you think of What's So Amazing About Grace? A couple of years ago I read it, and I don't recall reading anything too objectionable in it, but I could have completely forgotten something.


----------



## Guido's Brother (Apr 2, 2008)

danmpem said:


> What did you think of What's So Amazing About Grace? A couple of years ago I read it, and I don't recall reading anything too objectionable in it, but I could have completely forgotten something.



It was just more of same drivel. Here are a couple of examples:

"Grace has about it the scent of scandal. When someone asked theologian Karl Barth what he would say to Adolf Hitler, he replied, 'Jesus Christ died for your sins.' Hitler's sins? Judas's? Has grace no limit?" (p.178)

"God took a great risk by announcing forgiveness in advance, and the scandal of grace involves a transfer of that risk to us." (p.180)


----------



## Beoga (Apr 2, 2008)

Guido's Brother said:


> Disappointment with God, Where is God When It Hurts, The Jesus I Never Knew, What's So Amazing About Grace?



I have a soft spot in my heart for Yancey because when I was young (12-14?) I read these books and really enjoyed them. I don't remember anything that I would object to, however, if I read him again I would probably object to some things.


----------



## Reformed Covenanter (Apr 3, 2008)

etexas said:


> Daniel Ritchie said:
> 
> 
> > etexas said:
> ...



Answered by PM.


----------

