Philip Yancey

'Why does the church stir up such negative feelings?' This is a question that Philip Yancey has been asking all his life - for himself, as a pilgrim; for others, as a journalist. The question is more relevant now than ever: in the UK Christianity continues to decline, even as it is increasingly thought to be linked with intolerant, fundamentalist attitudes. Yet while identification with traditional forms of Christian religion is dropping, indicators show that interest in spirituality is rising. Why the disconnect? Why are so many asking, 'What's so good about the "good news?"'Yancey's lifelong writing career has always focused on the search for honest faith that makes a visible difference for a world in pain. In his landmark book What's So Amazing about Grace? he issued a benchmark call for Christians to be as grace-filled in their behaviour as they are in asserting their beliefs. People inside and outside the church are still thirsty for grace, Yancey points out. Perhaps what the church seemed to lack in its heyday is now, in its increasingly marginalised stance, exactly what it needs to recover in order to thrive. Grace can bridge the gap across the movement away from Christianity, inviting outsiders as well as insiders the chance to take a deep second look at why it matters and what could reignite its appeal to future generations. How can Christians offer grace in a way that is compelling to a jaded society? And how can they make a difference in a world of such wrenching need? Vanishing Grace: What Ever Happened to the Good News is a milestone book for all those who are striving to make sense of their faith and live it out amid the changing landscape of our day. Philip explores how Christians may have contributed to hostility toward them by presenting the gospel in ways that come across as strident and judgemental. Then he explores what kind of news is good to a culture that thinks it has rejected the Christian version. And finally, he offers illuminating stories of how faith can be expressed in ways that disarm even the most cynical critics - through pilgrims, activists, and artists rather than through preachers, evangelists, and apologists.

Por que la iglesia provoca sentimientos tan negativos? . Philip Yancey ha estado haciendo esa pregunta toda su vida como periodista. Su pregunta es mas relevante ahora que nunca: en un periodo de veinte anos comenzando desde mitad de los noventa, la investigacion muestra que las opiniones favorables hacia el cristianismo se han desplomado de manera drastica; y las opiniones de los evangelicos han caido incluso mas profundamente. Yancey examina lo que pudo haber contribuido a la hostilidad hacia los evangelicos. Ofrece esclarecedoras formas de como la fe puede expresarse de maneras que desarmen incluso a los criticos mas cinicos y examina que son las Buenas Nuevas y lo que vale la pena preservar en una cultura que cree que ha rechazado la fe cristiana."

En su libro mas impactante desde que escribiera Gracia Divina vs. Condenacion Humana y El Jesus que nunca conoci, Philip Yancey examina el nucleo vital --el aspecto mas fundamental, controvertido, desconcertante y profundamente enriquecedor-- de nuestra relacion con Dios: la oracion. Que es la oracion? Como opera? Y el punto mas importante: Sirve para algo? En teoria, la oracion es el hecho humano esencial, el punto de contacto mas valioso entre nosotros y el Dios del universo. En la practica, la oracion a menudo es frustrante, confusa y llena de misterios. Oracion: sirve para algo? explora el lugar misterioso donde Dios y el ser humano se encuentran y se relacionan. Yancey comparte sus inquietudes y plantea preguntas tales como: - Estara escuchando Dios? - Por que habria de interesarse Dios en mi? - Si Dios conoce todas las cosas, que sentido tiene la oracion? - Por que las respuestas a la oracion parecen ser tan arbitrarias y caprichosas? - Por que a veces Dios parece estar tan cerca de mi y otras veces tan lejano? - Como puedo hacer para orar mas? He descubierto que el proposito mas importante de la oracion tal vez sea dejar que Dios nos ame, dice Yancey. Este libro nos anima a orar a Dios el Padre, que sabe que nos deparara el futuro, que conoce nuestras fibras mas intimas, y que nos invita a consolidar nuestra relacion eterna con el por medio de la oracion.

In a time of division and discord, Christians have come to be seen not as bearers of good news and love but of judgement and intolerance. How did we get here? And what can we do about it? In this Bible study guide (DVD/video steaming sold separately), Philip Yancey--bestselling author of What's So Amazing About Grace?--suggests practical ways in which we can live as salt and light within a society that is radically changing. In Vanishing Grace, Yancey tackles challenging and timely questions and offers a discerning look at what contributes to the rising hostility toward Christians--acknowledging the ways that Christians themselves have contributed to this hostility and exploring how we can respond with both grace and truth. In the wake of recent events and cultural shifts, people both inside and outside the church are thirsty for grace. Vanishing Grace calls us to see their thirst, and ours, in a hopeful new light as we listen, love, and offer a grace that is truly good newsSessions include: We've Got ProblemsWhat Can We Do About It? Who Are the Grace Dispensers? Is It Really Good News? Holy SubversivesDesigned for use with the Vanishing Grace Video Study 9780310825500 (sold separately).

Some days, the news seems too much to bear. Yet another tsunami or earthquake or flood or fire or war atrocity. One more gun-toting madman stalking young people in idyllic Norway or moviegoers in Colorado or schoolchildren in Newtown, Connecticut. We turn off the news only to get a phone call about expectant parents with a stillborn baby, or a loved one whose cancer has returned. If we have faith in God, it gets shaken to the core. What was God doing in the moment when that tragedy could have been prevented? If we can't trust God to keep our children safe or our loved ones from dying in agony, what can we trust God for? In his classic book WHERE IS GOD WHEN IT HURTS?, Philip Yancey gave us permission to doubt, reasons not to abandon faith, and practical ways to reach out to hurting people. Now, with new perspectives and stories gathered across nearly twenty-five years, once again he tackles the hard questions head-on. His visits to three places in 2012 raised the old problems with new urgency. More veteran pilgrim than curious journalist in his later years, Yancey faces with his trademark honesty the issues that often undermine faith, yet he emerges with comfort and hope. Along the way, he shows that Christians have an important role to play in bringing healing to a deeply wounded world. There are hopeful reasons to ask, once again, the question that never goes away...

Journalist and spiritual seeker Philip Yancey has always struggled with the most basic questions of the Christian faith. The question he tackles in What Good Is God? concerns the practical value of belief in God. His search for the answer to this question took him to some amazing settings around the world: Mumbai, India when the firing started during the terrorist attacks; at the motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated; on the Virginia Tech campus soon after the massacre; an AA convention; and even to a conference for women in prostitution. At each of the ten places he visited, his preparation for the visit and exactly what he said to the people he met each provided evidence that faith really does work when what we believe is severely tested. What Good Is God? tells the story of Philip's journey -- the background, the preparation, the presentations themselves. Here is a story of grace for armchair travelers, spiritual seekers, and those in desperate need of assurance that their faith really matters.

"Jeg holder Philip Yancey for å være den beste kristne forfatter i vår tid." Billy Graham Av en eller annen grunn har forfatteren for vane å havne midt i dramatiske omstendigheter på sine mange reiser rundt omkring i verden. På hvert sted møter han mennesker og situasjoner som krever at han tenker gjennom troen på nytt for å se hva den faktisk betyr og om den virkelig gjør en forskjell for mennesker i forskjellige livssituasjoner. I sin nye bok forteller han om reisene og lar oss få høre de talene han holdt på hvert sted. Vi møter en forfatter som våger å stille ærlige og nærgående spørsmål, men som nettopp derfor makter både å formulere og by på en troverdig tro. Forfatteren av bestselgeren Nådens gåte.

Speaker, journalist and bestselling author, Philip Yancey has travelled the world tackling the most challenging questions: Can God truly bring solace to the terrorised people of Mumbai, or the students who witnessed the murder of their classmates? Will the deep scars of racism ever heal in post-apartheid South Africa, or the American South? Can a persecuted Christian minority have any impact in places as hostile as China or the Middle East? For each of his ten destinations, WHAT GOOD IS GOD? shares Philip's inspiring words of encouragement and reveals the compelling story behind the speaking engagement. Whether he's addressing alcoholics or Bible college students, sex workers or C. S. Lewis enthusiasts, Yancey's experiences of redemption, hope and grace provide evidence that when we are severely tested, faith really does matter.

Forfatteren tar opp spørsmål om bønn. Fungerer bønnen slik vi mener den burde? Hva kan vi egentlig forvente når vi ber?

Forfatteren har undersøkt nærmere hvem Jesus er, slik han blir beskrevet i evangeliene. Den Jesus han kom på sporet av var svært forskjellig fra den Jesus han lærte om på søndagsskolen. Fra krybben i Betlehem til korset utenfor Jerusalem lar Yancey oss møte en sammensatt person som både provoserer frem mange spørsmål og som gir utfordrende svar.

For those on the borderlands of belief, Philip Yancey confronts questions of faith and religion head-on. If this is God's world, why doesn't it look more like it? For anyone who's ever wondered if the visible world is all there is—for anyone who feels like an empirical understanding of reality is missing something—bestselling author and fellow pilgrim Philip Yancey comes beside you to explore this tug between the visible and the invisible. In the gentle, understanding voice of one who's been through skepticism, Yancey investigates questions like:What is the good life? Do my deepest experiences of beauty and pain have meaning? Is there life after death? If God does exist, why does this world seem to be coming apart at the seams? Does faith make any difference in my daily life? A Skeptic's Guide to Faith, previously titled Rumors of Another World, reads like a conversation, inviting those skeptical of religion and turned off by the church to consider the possibility of an unseen world coexisting with our visible world. According to Yancey, "A thin membrane of belief separates the natural from the supernatural." What makes it so hard for some of us to cross that membrane? Look inside to find out. In this powerful read, Yancey tackles the tough questions and, in the process, comes up with a fresh new approach to this timeless topic

The traces of God can be found in the most unexpected places--an Atlanta slum, a pod of whales off the coast of Alaska, the prisons of Peru and Chile, the plays of Shakespeare, a health club in Chicago--yet many Christians have not only missed seeing God, they've overlooked opportunities to make him visible to those most in need of hope. In this enlightening book author Philip Yancey serves as an insightful tour guide for those willing to look beyond the obvious, pointing out glimpses of the eternal where few might think to look. Whether finding God among the newspaper headlines, within the church, or on the job, Yancey delves deeply into the commonplace and surfaces with rich spiritual insight. Finding God in Unexpected Places takes readers from Ground Zero to the Horn of Africa, and each stop along the way reveals footprints of God, touches of his truth and grace that prompt readers to search deeper within their own lives for glimpses of transcendence.

Multi-award winning spirituality writer Philip Yancey is loved throughout the world for his honest, insightful and inspirational writing. PRAYER: DOES IT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE? carries all the hallmarks of classic Yancey, a journalist by training. His quest to unravel the mysteries of prayer reads as the journal of a fellow traveller: questioning, challenging, lamenting the unexplainable and rejoicing in the discovery of awesome insights. His journey is beautifully illustrated with moving true stories drawn from around the world. PRAYER: DOES IT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE? tackles the following questions: What is prayer? What difference does it make? Why and how should we pray? What about unanswered prayer? How should we understand prayer for physical healing? Focusing on such a universal theme, this is potentially Yancey's biggest book yet. To date, his books have sold over 14 million copies, and have been translated into 25 languages. His first book with Hodder, SOUL SURVIVOR, sold over 90,000 copies in just five years.

Disillusioned by the distortions and hypocrisies of the church in which he grew up, Philip Yancey set out in search of a life enhanced by faith instead of diminished by religion. Having struggled to forge personal convictions about God amid the ironies of life and the incongruities of religion, he looks closer at those whose lives radiate spiritual authenticity rather than pious posturing. From Dostoevsky to Martin Luther King, G. K. Chesterton to Paul Brand, Yancey pays homage to some of the most remarkable, selfless, Christ-like lives our world has known, and asks what both he and we can do to find such beautiful faith in our own lives.

God is not only to be found in majestic cathedrals or supernatural visions, shows best-selling author Yancey, but also and often more powerfully in the unexpected places - the might of a polar bear, the oppression of a Peruvian prison cell or in the broken cry of Shakespeare's King Lear. As we discover God's footprints in increasingly unlikely places, so our understanding of his beauty, love and power continues to grow. Finding God in Unexpected Places will sharpen your spiritual vision and challenge you to look for God outside the four walls of the church. he may not be as far away as you think. In this updated edition of an already-popular title, Yancey has removed nine of the chapters that he felt had become dated, and added another fourteen brand new chapters.

'How do I relate to a God who is invisible when I'm never quite sure He's there' --Philip YanceyLife with God doesn't always work like we think. High expectations slam against the reality of personal weaknesses and unwelcome surprises. The God whom we've been told longs for our company may seem remote and emotionally unavailable. Is God playing games? What can we count on this God for? This relationship with a God we can't see, hear, or touch--how does it really work'Reaching for the Invisible God' offers deep, satisfying insights that affirm and dignify the questions we're sometimes afraid to ask. In this Gold Medallion Award-winning book, Philip Yancey explores six foundational areas: our thirst for God, faith during times when God seems unavailable, the nature of God Himself, our personal relationship with God, stages along the way, and the end goal of spiritual transformation. Honest and deeply personal, this book offers straight talk on Christian living for the man or woman who wants more than pat answers to life's imponderables. Ultimately, Yancey shifts the focus from our questions to the One who offers Himself as the answer - the God who invites us to reach for Him--and find Him.

What on earth are we missing? Philip Yancey believes we are missing the supernatural hidden in everyday life. In Rumors of Another World, Yancey investigates the natural world and discovers the supernatural hiding in plain view. He grapples with why God made the world and what our role truly is, and seeks to answer the question, “How do I live in the natural world while expressing the values of the supernatural?” Philip writes, “I have come to understand faith as the highest form of integrated encounter. Faith puts together, assembles, re-orders, accepting the entire world as God’s handiwork. We live among clues, like rescuers sifting through pieces of stained glass shattered by a bomb, and only with a blueprint or some memory of original design can we begin to connect the shards, to assemble them into a pattern that makes sense of our world. “Nature and supernature are not two separate worlds, but different expressions of the same reality. To encounter the world as a whole, we need a more supernatural awareness of the natural world.” Yancey invites readers to join him on a journey of discovery. He challenges us to tune into “rumors of another world,” and connect the seen with the unseen. He promises that the grace-filled result will be a life of beauty, purpose, freedom, and faith.

Philip Yancey has a way of confronting our most cherished but misguided notions about faith. In 'The Bible Jesus Read', he challenges the perception that the New Testament is all that matters and the Old Testament isn't worth taking the time to read and understand. Yancey admits that, like many Christians, he usually avoided the Old Testament. After all, why bother with writings that can be so baffling, boring, even offensive to the modern mind? But a surprising discovery awaited Yancey when he began to explore how the Old Testament related to his life today. Those seemingly irrelevant Hebrew Scriptures took on a startling immediacy, portraying a passionate relationship between God and people against the broad backdrop of human experience. Like nothing else, the Old Testament depicts the cries, the complaints, the deep, insistent questionings of the heart, the stuff of life we all must contend with. With his candid, signature style, Yancey interacts with the Old Testament from the perspective of his own deeply personal journey. From Moses, the amazing prince of Egypt, to the psalmists' turbulent emotions and the prophets' oddball rantings, Yancey paints a picture of Israel's God--and ours--that fills in the blanks of a solely New Testament vision of the Almighty. Probing some carefully selected Old Testament books--Job, Deuteronomy, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and the Prophets--Yancey reveals how the Old Testament deals in astonishing depth and detail with the issues that trouble us most. The Old Testament in fact tackles what the New Testament often only skirts. But that shouldn't surprise us. It is, after all, the Bible Jesus read. 'The Bible Jesus Read' will give you abundant new insights into the heart of God the Father. And as you read with a fresh eye the prayers, poems, songs, and bedtime stories that Jesus so revered, you will gain a profound new understanding of Christ. 'The more we comprehend the Old Testament, ' Yancey writes, 'the more we comprehend Jesus.