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BOOK REVIEW
VANISHING GRACE
Philip Yancey
Its been nearly two decades since the publication of Philip Yanceys Whats So Amazing About Grace, a life-altering book that is already a Christian classic. What the book taught me was that grace, like love and forgiveness, is not just something I simply receive from God, but something God requires I give to others. I am meant to be a conduit, a channel of his grace to the world. Grace is something you do not deserve, a gift you cant earn. You cant add to it and the only way it works is by giving it away. When you add anythinganythingto it, the good news of grace becomes bad news. And now, almost twenty years later, Yancey returns to the subject in his latest book, Vanishing Grace: Whatever Happened to the Good News? (Zondervan, 304pp, $23h).
In the book Yancey cites a quip made by Andy Rooney that drew a lot of flak. In his 60-Minutes commentary Andy observed, Ive decided Im against abortion. I think its murder. But I have a dilemma in that I much prefer the pro-choice to the pro-life people. I would rather eat dinner with pro-choicers. For that comment CBS was swamped with emails, letters, and phone calls from irate pro-lifers, many of them quoting scriptures, who passionately (and vociferously) found it inconceivable that Rooney would prefer the company of those who murder innocents to those who dont. In short, Yancey wrote, the responses underscored Andys point. Who would want to have dinner with such flame-throwers?
Yancey also reveals something very lacking among Christs followersthe art of graciousness. Yancey cites mega-bestselling novelist Anne Rice, who converted to Christ several years ago, but who later declared, I quit being a Christian. I remain committed to Christ but not to being Christian or to being part of Christianity. Its simply impossible for me to belong to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. Ouch! Its hard to believe that the word Christian is becoming a four-letter word. But if my experience with non-churchgoers is any indication, it may be true.
Of course, theres more, much more, to the subject of grace, especially when observed from someone who, like Yancey, actually understands it. He explores what has contributed to such broad hostility toward conservative evangelicalism, especially in their mixing faith and politics, that instead of embracing grace-filled ways of presenting the gospel takes an aggressive, militant approach. He offers illuminating stories of how faith can be expressed in ways that disarm even the most cynical critics. Then he explores what the Good News really is and worth preserving in a culture that thinks evangelicals are preaching bad news, just calling it good news, and thus are befouling Christian faith in the eyes of pre-believers. Yancey wisely suggests a way of reviving the only thing that makes the good news goodGrace! And we need to revive it before it vanishes altogether.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author bio
Philip Yancey was born in Atlanta and grew up in nearby suburbs. When Yancey 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. This and other negative experiences with a rigid church contributed to Yancey's losing his faith at one point of time, returning to Christianity while still in high school. After high school he attended Columbia Bible College, where he met his wife, Janet. His two graduate degrees in Communications and English were earned from Wheaton College Graduate School and the University of Chicago.
Yancey moved to Chicago, Illinois, and in 1971 joined the staff of Campus Life magazinea sister publication of Christianity Today directed towards high school and college studentswhere he served as editor for eight years. Yancey was for many years an editor for Christianity Today and wrote articles for Reader's Digest, The Saturday Evening Post, Publishers Weekly, Chicago Tribune Magazine, Eternity, Moody Monthly, and National Wildlife, among others. He now lives in Colorado, working as an editor-at-large for Christianity Today. He is a member of the editorial board of Books & Culture, another magazine affiliated with Christianity Today, and travels around the world for speaking engagements.
Yancey is also the author of several bestselling and award-winning books including Where Is God When It Hurts?; Fearfully and Wonderfully Made (with physician Paul W. Brand); Whats So Amazing about Grace?; Disappointment With God; The Jesus I Never Knew; What Good is God?; and Vanishing Grace.
Ref. Zondervan
VANISHING GRACE
Philip Yancey
Its been nearly two decades since the publication of Philip Yanceys Whats So Amazing About Grace, a life-altering book that is already a Christian classic. What the book taught me was that grace, like love and forgiveness, is not just something I simply receive from God, but something God requires I give to others. I am meant to be a conduit, a channel of his grace to the world. Grace is something you do not deserve, a gift you cant earn. You cant add to it and the only way it works is by giving it away. When you add anythinganythingto it, the good news of grace becomes bad news. And now, almost twenty years later, Yancey returns to the subject in his latest book, Vanishing Grace: Whatever Happened to the Good News? (Zondervan, 304pp, $23h).
In the book Yancey cites a quip made by Andy Rooney that drew a lot of flak. In his 60-Minutes commentary Andy observed, Ive decided Im against abortion. I think its murder. But I have a dilemma in that I much prefer the pro-choice to the pro-life people. I would rather eat dinner with pro-choicers. For that comment CBS was swamped with emails, letters, and phone calls from irate pro-lifers, many of them quoting scriptures, who passionately (and vociferously) found it inconceivable that Rooney would prefer the company of those who murder innocents to those who dont. In short, Yancey wrote, the responses underscored Andys point. Who would want to have dinner with such flame-throwers?
Yancey also reveals something very lacking among Christs followersthe art of graciousness. Yancey cites mega-bestselling novelist Anne Rice, who converted to Christ several years ago, but who later declared, I quit being a Christian. I remain committed to Christ but not to being Christian or to being part of Christianity. Its simply impossible for me to belong to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. Ouch! Its hard to believe that the word Christian is becoming a four-letter word. But if my experience with non-churchgoers is any indication, it may be true.
Of course, theres more, much more, to the subject of grace, especially when observed from someone who, like Yancey, actually understands it. He explores what has contributed to such broad hostility toward conservative evangelicalism, especially in their mixing faith and politics, that instead of embracing grace-filled ways of presenting the gospel takes an aggressive, militant approach. He offers illuminating stories of how faith can be expressed in ways that disarm even the most cynical critics. Then he explores what the Good News really is and worth preserving in a culture that thinks evangelicals are preaching bad news, just calling it good news, and thus are befouling Christian faith in the eyes of pre-believers. Yancey wisely suggests a way of reviving the only thing that makes the good news goodGrace! And we need to revive it before it vanishes altogether.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author bio
Philip Yancey was born in Atlanta and grew up in nearby suburbs. When Yancey 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. This and other negative experiences with a rigid church contributed to Yancey's losing his faith at one point of time, returning to Christianity while still in high school. After high school he attended Columbia Bible College, where he met his wife, Janet. His two graduate degrees in Communications and English were earned from Wheaton College Graduate School and the University of Chicago.
Yancey moved to Chicago, Illinois, and in 1971 joined the staff of Campus Life magazinea sister publication of Christianity Today directed towards high school and college studentswhere he served as editor for eight years. Yancey was for many years an editor for Christianity Today and wrote articles for Reader's Digest, The Saturday Evening Post, Publishers Weekly, Chicago Tribune Magazine, Eternity, Moody Monthly, and National Wildlife, among others. He now lives in Colorado, working as an editor-at-large for Christianity Today. He is a member of the editorial board of Books & Culture, another magazine affiliated with Christianity Today, and travels around the world for speaking engagements.
Yancey is also the author of several bestselling and award-winning books including Where Is God When It Hurts?; Fearfully and Wonderfully Made (with physician Paul W. Brand); Whats So Amazing about Grace?; Disappointment With God; The Jesus I Never Knew; What Good is God?; and Vanishing Grace.
Ref. Zondervan
