Do you know any Pakistani Christian publishers I could try? Keep up the good work. And I just wanted to tell you thank you for leading the way. I thought I would mention it to you in case you have come across anything about this in your research/writing. Dear Philip, For Yancey, prayer involves listening as well as speakingand often the listening is the more important of the two. In receiving all good things from God, we are greatly benefited. I also told Brad again about Pauls bullying, and how Bridges did nothing to investigate it or to help me. Have you written any book that specifically address the questions raised in Bart Ehrmans book titled Gods Problem How the Bible fails to answer .Why we suffer? Or are there any book by any body else that refutes Bart Ehrmans claims? I read it and put it on my bookshelf, stirred but not capable of truly understanding the idea. That's probably one of the main reasons why I'm a writer today: because there are millions of people in a [closed] world like [the one in which I was raised]. However, consider this summation but from a secular perspective: 1. Philip. Embracing the sacrilege the Church ever since has been shafted, Great Christian authors, preachers, renowned leaders unknowingly Reinforce the satanic suffix foolishly extending its legitimacy I just need something, I need to know youre there. No one has influenced me more, he says. It has been life-enriching. 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. Very few had come to my aid. I drove out into the Countryside and in a farmers field took 200 pills , a passing farmer found me unconscious in a coma and called for help, I remained in a coma in hospital , I did not want to die . of lectures from a Rabbi. She not so much. The pastor wrote later, Was God in Dunblane? I served as EX Dir of Hampstead YFC in MD. One question that just wont go away for me is the story of Israel conquering the Promised Land. 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. God is always there when the eyes of faith are open. At the same time we, not being Jesus, can easily move from appropriate righteous anger into the wound/revenge cycle. Prayer: Thank you Lord for Your sacrifice, your unconditional love and for Your hope. I have read one of your books. There is a supernatural God, but he put himself back in with the ancient Mid Eastern gods of darkness if you believe in Genesis. I thought, At last something will change for the better. Philip. I have written two books that might be of interest to you: 1) Subversive Meals, an analysis of the Lords Supper under Roman domination, and 2) Heaven on Earth: Experiencing the Kingdom of God in the Here and Now, which picks up where Dallas Willard left off. I wanted to ask you about your thoughts on atonement. And that is why Im writing today. You are doing very important work, Emily, and Im delighted to hear that weve come to some similar conclusions. [17]. Youll see for yourself that the Atheists lead the pack. When I questioned Paul about writing to the Commissioner about this, he told me that this was perfectly okay. what bible college did philip yancey attend. Sincerely. Volunteer Greg Northill witnessed this behavior by the guards a number of times. Interesting about Richard. Your books have inspired me greatly, especially those on suffering. 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. Funny (and a little sad) that it didnt occur to me to pray for you & your ministry until after Id been reading your books for awhile. Im 23, a recent college grad, and Ive been telling my friends that youre my favorite author since high school, when I first read Whats So Amazing About Grace. God bless you Phillip. Perhaps ask a Christian bookstore to order for you? You absorbed exactly what I hoped to accomplish, and thanks for letting me know. Hi Phillip. Im reading through Vanishing Grace for a second time right now, and I keep thinking, this is what I want!, sometimes with tears. We all die, some old, some tragically young. 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. I was excited to share with him and recommend your books to him. The problem today is the lack of truth in the church. I lost my job at the prison for reporting abuse of prisoners ,one a guard for having a retarded female North American Indian prisoner naked on the floor in his control room with her legs spread apart and him looking in. It just seems like the bad far outweighs any good that can come of this short life. [5][6] After high school he attended Columbia Bible College in South Carolina, where he met his wife, Janet. Instead, I was referred to Bridges of Canada since they had contracted me out to CSC [45]. I certainly cannot. I also go to church but many Christians including me , seem like they have misunderstood the words in the Bible. And I feel the same about Jesus. Upon completion of your books, I have always thought that I must write and tell you what a great encouragement they have been to me personally. Until then, I keep you and yours in my prayers: may you persevere the race marked out for us! In the past few years where Ive finally begun to process all the pain in my life because I didnt have to be mother and just ignore the pain and push on, your books have meant the world to me. For some people, listening to music opens up the communication lines, for others, going to church. Thank you so very much. Philip. My books Disappointment with God and Where Is God When It Hurts are the main places I explore the big question you raise. Prayers, my friend! You are putting into actual practice what I write about. Only relationships turn around lives." Kathleen Norris and Richard Rohr are also helpful, especially Rohrs template of Order/Disorder/Reorder. . Growing up in a strict, fundamentalist church in the southern USA, a young Philip Yancey tended to view God as a scowling Supercop, searching for anyone who might be having a good timein order to squash them. Yancey jokes today about being in recovery from a toxic church. Certainly Jesus did come bearing grace and truth but above all he came with love. It was not long before this feeling was proven accurate. I was thrilled to be accepted, and proceeded with preparations to sell my home and to move to Winnipeg. Later renamed Threshold Ministries, the Church Army in Canada was an arm of the Anglican Church of Canada. I was a scrawny little thing. This act of forgiveness is backed up by the command that Christians must forgive (70 times 7, etc.) I too met my future wife when washing dishes in the college kitchen. Another first. She was out of control and I was feeling anxious at her aggressive verbal attack. Then I thought it would be awesome if I ever get one chance to talk to Goethe, the man who died in 1832. 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 She commented on some good discussions we had had over the phone. [41] As noted earlier, Brad had indicated to me in an e-mail in November that he considered the issues between Paul to more about Paul than about me [22]. The Letter to the Editor tells how this reader received a copy of their Easter booklet from Radio Bible Class and saw that it was written by contemplative/emerging proponent Philip Yancey. All the best! PLEASE?! I found it as I was searching if theres any of your events I could participate. And how fortunate I am to read your writing & share it to help with that. Thank you for taking the time to tell your story. I could see Bob was really talking about patience, faith and forgiveness by suspending his judgement. As a Christian I must lean in and listen; I must embrace and include. All the proceeds from this and the Medearis study guide help fund our work. I am ashamed about not having written to thank you decades ago. It loves today's AIDS-ridden addict as much as the tax collector of Jesus' day. My name is Ephraim. Saul, well (I am expecting the religious here to go and spew scripture in my face by saying this and the reasons el al). Now their daughters have thrown me out of Bridges, all based on a lies and hate . Now I am 68yrs old, retired nurse and creative therapist: my husband a clergyman, divorced 17yrs ago but remarried to the same man(!) I have read everyone of your books and genuinely appreciated the transparency of struggle that your journey of faith has provided. Roman law did not allow the marriage of previous slaves and free-borns, so common-law marriage was rife. More than anything I wanted to answer with authority, Yes! 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). After 5 years I joined the Army. Greetings in the Christ name! We hear all the talk center around homosexuals being the most evil. It starts with the story of Babots Feast that jolted me and years later I still think about it. Paul expressed no interest in reconciliation. 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! My former involvement in the gay lifestyle as a youth was public knowledge, due to an online news article [23]. Just because a fellow Christian puts a lesser importance on a sin that is extremely important to you, doesnt give us the biblical right to bash them and pronounce that in our own judgment they can not be a Christian! I have not yet received a reply. As a small step I listed the most influential books I have ever read. I take a cocktail of medications and most likely will for the rest of my life. I told them that the bullying had not just been verbal but had included shouting, physical shaking and pushing, and that it was all because I had reported pedophiles. Thanks for taking the time, Mr. Yancey. Is there someone I can contact for permission? Thank you. We went to the chapel and to my office, and Mrs. Cunningham introduced me to Paul Vanderham, the other chaplain. I was destitute and deeply in debt. Good work. (Jam. Can you recommend an amplified that youd feel comfortable reading/trusting? Thank you for sharing your wisdom with all of us. I know for a fact that the first 11 chapters of Genesis did not take place 6000 years ago because of radiogenic dating. Thank you so much for your insightful and encouraging books and responses. This young girl was constantly ridiculed. We expressed our hopes and asked protection for our country. It should be to, number two, the family of man, and number one, the planet at large. I dont know enough to comment very lucidly. Having been brought up in a brethren church that had a penchant for embracing legalism, my sheltered beliefs were only challenged after I graduated, moved back home, and started worshiping at a different church. Thank you for being you. I dont minimize the question you raise; Ive spent much of my career raising it myself. 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. I have read your books for a good many years now and found enormous comfort and guidance in your writing. There were several parts that stood out to me that I could relate to. Forget your perfect offering. U taught me that. They Speak With Other Tongues ~ John Sherrill Im afraid its not mine, David. I owe the grace of God to your book. And I now have an entirely new perspective on Him, what he promises me, and what its like to know Him. Look at Matthew 23 and Luke 11 in which Jesus lashes out against the judgmental and rigid religious leaders of his day; youll never find him more angry. Thank you for this, Sally. What a grace-filled note, Greg. Like the story about Frederick Buechner when you invited him to your church to preach, the optics in the church draw me away from worship rather than enhance it. Philip. Rollman, review of Pain, p. 1612. My position on the Board of COPE was terminated and my reputation was dragged into the dirt. With all the new discoveries about the human body since the first book was published in 1980, I am certain the research portion of that was challenging, as well as rewarding for you. I still Go to it from time to time. Where Is God When It Hurts?, Zondervan (Grand Rapids, MI), 1977, revised edition, Walker and Co. (New York, NY), 1996. I have a dream of being able to write one day and I think I would like to know that your work reaches many people sometimes very distant but united in one faith. As an Anglican priest and a Canadian citizen with German and British roots, I have a deep respect and admiration for Queen Elizabeth II. I deeply struggle with that topic. I am a student who is currently studying at a bible college in Australia. (When they hit the teenage years, that is a different story, of course!) She feels you slandered both the church and the pastor. Youre very welcome. And what if He doesnt judge us until we stand before him, and he asks us, Who do you say I am? Perhaps from the day we are born, He lovingly and patiently waits for us to see the light (or answer the phone). Next, Id recommend Whats So Amazing About Grace. Im sure you thought the true church would react by going back to works. Life is still almost overwhelmingly hard and I know that none of my dreams are likely to become reality in this life. Keep your spiritual eyes open and rest assured that God wants to communicate with you also! After completing my training I wanted to work in the prisons as a Chaplain and so Church Army sent me to a parish in Northern Ontario. I also enjoy reading your books. Help those who suffer He did not stop to ask me if I had a place to go or ask me to explain my side of the story ,he simply dumped me and walked away.I dragged my suitcase to the local hostel and got a room for the night. As it is almost Christmas at the time of my posting this, I hope you and your Family have a wonderful Season. I tried replying to the initial comment and response you left, but my phone would not let me. Judaism is so cut and dry. Id encourage you to check it out. My heart swells here with my people and God has a special calling for us. And I know Christians dont do a lot of thinking, but they do have the Holy Spirit. I am an older mom that has pursued a very task-oriented career for most of my life in order to pay the bills and keep the household running. Philip Yancey (born November 4, 1949[1]) is an American author who writes primarily about spiritual issues. It whetted my appetite for moving to Colorado and hiking the mountains here. This is the first Philip Yancey book most of us have read so we are excited to explore this new author and his writings, and hopefully gain some clarification on this topic. You shared how you have learned to not even try to address the why questions but try to help people to see that God does care about us in our suffering. The first book I read was Soul Survivor, (which I have probably read 10 times now). Categories . I have learned a lot. You were open and receptive, and it moves me to hear that some words I wrote a number of years ago had this kind of effect on youand much cheaper than psychotherapy! For details, go to http://www.jesus4lesbians.com/. John Howard Griffin, a temporary black man, had the most impact on me because of his expose Black Like Me experiment. Then whence cometh evil? I have grown up in church and Christian schools and have experienced and witnessed both tremendous grace and painful ungrace from Christians, though I most strongly associate church and Christians with the latter. This time around, the words were a medicine to my soul. Is it possible it is taken from Where is God when it Hurts? My HIV-pos. We currently attend a small Presbyterian church. I just was so angry with Him that I hated Him and wanted Him to know that I didnt believe in Him. He noticed that I had taken off my clergy collar, and asked me if I had it off because of what Paul had said. As for Nigeria, thank you for the invitation! 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. Thank you! Your sorrow has been used to comfort so many of us. Christmas I have searched and searched and searched and have found very little that even addresses the question, and even less that at all helps. I had been raised in a church but I had never experienced the encounter I had with Jesus that morning I arrived at my friends church! Its identical. I packed up my things and was excited about the years of study ahead ,as I stood on the Train platform in Saint John waiting for the train to take me to Toronto and the Church Army,./now called Threshold Ministries. The question Why did God allow evil to arise to fullfill His plan with Christ in this world?. A year later, in 1989, I was appointed by the Alberta Solicitor General to the position of Senior Provincial Chaplain for Alberta Correctional Services. And reading your book has convinced me that something is Grace. What about those with mental illness? May our great God grant you wisdom to write more so that you can continue become a blessing for others in pain and those in great agony. .) He spoke to a number of us seminary presidents last January. The Microtech Troodon (pronounced TROH-o-don) is a slightly scaled down (75% sized) version of the Combat Troodon. Its an important question, and Im glad you mention it. The question can basically be summed up as, How can a reflective Christian remain sane while holding an orthodox view of Hell?. Let the people around you know that you are serious about institutional corruption and the protection of whistleblowers. [31], With no one in my own government showing any interest in the rights of the Jewish prisoners, I also wrote to the office of the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Born 1948, in England; married Virginia Bell (a writer); children: three. And then go back to what I did so well, Imam Ramazan Tekin did not have an office at the time, so I personally made shelf room and space for him in my office. Hi Mr. Yancey, I have a question. Currently I am reading Soul Survivor and can hardly put it down. If so, I am sure others would love to read it! If you use Facebook, I am posting on that. Your books have always been challenging my traditional beliefs in Christianity, and I thank God they do. Threshold Ministries denounced me for my same-sex attraction, even though I had not been living a homosexual lifestyle since my teenage years.