He goes on to say, I dont think so. Yancey expressed his doubts about the Republican presidential candidate and his Christian supporters during an interview with website Evangelical Focus. ), it does not mean that Jesus was actually extending forgiveness to his murderers at that moment. I have spoken to various pastors, councellors etc and they all spew the same garbage and meaningless words. Thats also the way Ive treated my friends and family for as long as I can remember. Youre very welcome. Thank you for your book. More confident. I happened to have a padded envelope that would be much be more suitable and sturdy, so I put the items into it and took it to V and C. I asked the guard in charge about how the item could be mailed out, as I did not know how. Philip. Its clear he hopes for this. How do you deal with that? Philip. Dear Philip, Keep up the honest and transparent dialogue in the church. In this session, it was taught that all breaches of the law or prison security rules must be reported. Pious fools believe that ritual and tradition can achieve perfection, COMMUNISM has fallen, let Christianity be the next to fall apart I have only just stumbled upon your beautiful library of books and would like to purchase the paperback version of an earlier book, The Question That Never Goes Away: Why? I have checked all book sellers (Christianbook.com; Barnes & Noble; and Amazon but could not find it. Brad gave me a big hug and told me to run my programs in spite of Pauls objections or criticisms. I grew up confused by the contradictions. Now I am 68yrs old, retired nurse and creative therapist: my husband a clergyman, divorced 17yrs ago but remarried to the same man(!) what bible college did philip yancey attend. I could empathize with the path youve trod through the years, and many of your words resonated strongly with me. I am really curious about forgiveness. Hi Philip, If the conclusion of commandments is love, then is forgiveness the conclusion of salvaton? Its one thing to outwardly portray stoicism; its quite another to face daily the doubts and second guessing. Now you too can be a grace-dispenser! I never found a way that I could remain loyal to my Chinese heritage, and be Christian at the same time, it seemed to be asking me to say Who are you to me mother to my cultural heritage, and to the indigenous Spirit of this Land. My pain, as I type is palpable. A lawyer with the Edmonton Legal Centre told me that the envelope incident was not sufficient reason to dismiss me. Although I had more seniority and was more experienced than Paul, he regularly belittled and discredited me in communications with the guardsand other staff [24]. There is nothing in Johns account to suggest she was an amoral woman. I was first introduced to your work through my dad, who has been an avid fan of yours since his days as a college student. Im proud and thankful to say I knew you when as I have watched, read and listened through all these years . Grace has been defined as unmerited favor, something man does not possess in his own right or power, something the Bible says is quite foreign to him outside of God. My ladies small group have voted to read Disappointment With God this fall a unanimous vote, which may tell you that we are all struggling with this issue! Ive been meaning to send you a message for a while. He shook my hand, and said twice said, Father Richard you are a good man.. I hope that helps. What Bible did Philip Yancey attend? He is already on enough ballots to win or to take votes away from T and C so that the House can choose another. Things were not going well and I was finally sent out to work in the Community working at DE Klok Soap Factory 12 hours a day and the money I made went to pay for my food and to pay the morgage on the property that was owing and they did not have . It was refreshing to be reminded that although God is unlikely to magic a solution to all of my fears and doubts, that he is steadfast and sure in his promises. Friends even repeatedly appealed to the premier of PEI, Robert Ghiz [13] [14]. I considered not commenting, but I just gotta be me. I went onto a security assessment in Houston. is that one difference in Job and Richard is that Job did not have Jesus! Thank you for writing it has helped me immensely!! The Langauge of God ~ Francis Collins. This weekend to come I anticipate having the privilege of speaking at a small church Christian womens retreat and my kick-off question is Do you see God working through all of the prayers He hasnt answered the way you would have wanted? So most likely you are the person who built that foundation in my life. 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. My experiences with the church, and personal hardships association with the PK life left me quite bitter and disillusioned. Beyond that writers psychosis you were dead-on in describing, the truth is a huge part of me loves it. Poisoned carrots are the lure, the gullible receive man-made wisdom I moved to Florida when I was 18 and Prayer was the first book I bought, this time in English. I have read others books by you, but this one strikes a special chord with me. Every day I felt as if I was in a war zone. I fell in love and was married before I entered medical school to a young woman who was reared in a very fundamental baptist church. Because of the denomination I used to belong to, I am now a social worker in Southern California and all my four children graduated from college. Nobody was saying a word and looked hopeless. You might not want people to see you wiping your eyes and reflecting on your own shortcomings and repentance. Greetings in the Christ name! . Blessings to you always. The Memos After high school, he attended a Bible college in South Carolina, which imposed 66 pages of rules on students, including forbidding bowling, billiards, dancing, playing cards, watching movies,. After few more meetings, she invited me to attend her church of three years an Independent Baptist Fundamental church. It seems that God has blessed you much and used you for His glory. Im glad you did leave a message, Jess. You may be thinking to visit in Austria. I understand quite frankly that this is an emotional appeal, Mr. Yancey, but if these circumstances dont warrant it, Im not really sure what does. More faithful. After reading Whats So Amazing About Grace for the first time, I wrote a short devotional about it for my churchs Lenten devotional book written by members of the congregation. Philip Yancey - Amazing Grace? With kind regards Alison Veness, I do indeed get to U.K. now and then, so watch my Facebook site. Annie Dillard and Henri Nouwen have also brought inspiration and encouragement. I tried working different hours to avoid all this hatred. You have had an influence on me, and my great-grandchildren will be the beneficiaries of some of that influence, and may never know your name or read anything you wrote. Thank you! For two years she lived on the streets until finally she made her way to an orphanage. After the initial shock wore off I agreed to a taped interview in the RCMP station in Summerside, PEI. But then I heard the story above from a man who has suffered needlessly due to prejudice: Let the people around you know that you are serious about institutional corruption and the protection of whistleblowers. This is his call to be vindicated! I have always admired your books. Many years ago I read a wonderful article in Campus Life magazine about the solo experience of the Vanguard program at Honey Rock Camp. You confirm my suspicions. As we were chatting, he told me that he had not been asked to write any report on the envelope incident either. Yanceys father died of polio when young and his mother was left to provide for the brothers, the eldest whom she vowed should be a missionary. Keep your spiritual eyes open and rest assured that God wants to communicate with you also! I am in leadership at Church, people come to me for comfort, counsel or prayer but I am in a dry hot desert now. I did continue to worship with the denominational churches I used to belong to but I find myself arguing in my mind against the messages I hear Sunday after Sunday. Then late last year, I randomly picked up a copy of The Jesus I Never Knew since I knew the author! . It certainly left me with feelings of disappointment with God! Its refreshing to me that you dont focus on the distinctions. that settles it. I finally got permission to bring in bins with lids for the garbage, to cut down on the flies buzzing around. Maybe your book will help guide me to the answers I am looking for. [] like how Phillip Yancey explains it, stories are easier to remember than concepts or outlines. It is one thing to []. Youve have a profound influence on countless numbers of readers. My grandmother and my aunt fell in love with it almost twenty years ago, and after they shared it with me, I fell in love with it too. I have not seen her since. This came at a good time to encourage me. Ive often written about the problem of pain, and my latest attempt is The Question That Never Goes Away. Yet the cultural patterns you mention are certainly true. I wasnt aware of it at the time, but I leaned heavily toward a Calvinistic view of grace at a heart level, but my head as always lagged behind. My first permanent duty station was in Frankfurt, Germany and at that time I joined an Anglican Church. Perhaps I will continue to struggle with guilt for a very long time. Ill have a memoir out in 2021, if plans hold, and you can read the rest. And thank you for this most encouraging grace note. Philip. I fell now I will have to say I am sorry to my children after reading your book. I told him that I did not think I would be accepted, since Monty Lewis and Frank Costantino with Bridges of Canada had refused to give me a job due to my same-sex attraction and my frequent reporting of sexual abuse of children by priest and pastors in Canada and in the USA. The idea is new to me. And frankly, obscene. However, most of the election discussions have instead fostered hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, dissension, factions and envy (Galatians 5: 20-21). 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! This lack of information got me into trouble, as described later in this report. In a few paragraphs before you wrote that AVM is not completely clear of all these developments in the Balkans and the former Yugoslavia. Phil also told me that Don would make prisoners stand facing the wall on the unit for his whole shift, not allowing them to move. The reason was a stores propaganda where we could see a clear apology to Gender Ideology. Thank you. And all of us Americans are addicted to Comfort. However, I was troubled by what still (after all these years) comes across as bitterness and cynicism. We heard about love and grace, but I didnt experience much. II look like? Let me try that sentence again with a substitution: For us who believe in Germanic gods, the death and resurrection of Odin is proof positive that love is stronger than hate, that life is stronger than death, that light is stronger than darkness, that laughter and joy, and compassion and gentleness and truth, all these are so much stronger than their ghastly counterparts. Or better, how about from my perspective, For us who are non-believers, my life experience is proof positive that love is stronger than hate, that life is stronger than death, that light is stronger than darkness, that laughter and joy, and compassion and gentleness and truth, all these are so much stronger than their ghastly counterparts. Why use Jesus? To be honest I am, by personality and church background, a legalist, and for much of my life I have lived with a conception of God as a kind of stern parent or teacher who keeps a ledger of all my successes and failures. There you agree, that Christians have been killing a lot of other humans. And Kristin and I were married a month later. While reading your book called Whats so amazing about grace? , I found their answers was full of contradictions. Already on edge because of Pauls warnings, I asked if he wanted me to resign. Nor steering people away from teachings that are suspect. Just a word of thanks & encouragement. It all makes a lot more sense now. What an honour to have an opportunity to write to you and express my sincere gratitude in your work. These days I am much calmer. My lovely wife does not attend church with me, or share in regular bible reading, but she does believe in God. In contrast when you hear Sec Clinton talk about her faithit barely gets mentioned.her work for women and children world-wide.her daughter Chelsea has written a good book for teens about service and groups that help othersMr trump is full of himself and wealth and WINNING.at any cost! Upon arrival in Grand Junction Colorado on the grey hound bus,I called Janice Green (YWAM UK -Lynn Greens mother)the Base leaders mother in law as instructed , she said I could sleep on the street for the night and go without food ,she had no intention of picking me up. Philip. (With Tim Stafford) The NIV Student Bible, Revised, Compact Edition, Zondervan (Grand Rapids, MI), 2002. Nunnally, a professor of Hebrew and early Judaism made this statement. Im from Indonesia, and I love to read your books. I have read your books over the years and gained from them. I am ashamed about not having written to thank you decades ago. Like you, I have had quite a journey from that fundamentalist type upbringing to where my faith is now. The Christian part of us is called to respond with forgiveness if it is sought we must forgive because we were forgiven (because we also sin). I love Korean people, but it hurts me because of the pressure to perform, and the perfectionism that can become a huge burden. And how intimately? I have been wrestling with these issues for my entire writing career, hence previous book titles like Where Is God When It Hurts, Disappointment with God, and The Gift of Pain. Required fields are marked *. You show such a spirit of humble openness and authenticity. maybe another book can come out of it, and I will hope to meet you and even host you (I live in Nigeria). A reflexive Christian, (raised Baptist, drifted in and out of different denominations from college years deep into my 40s), I have tried to turn to God and fight through all this with Him, but I realized I didnt know how. My two most common phrases are I dont know what to believe and Lord, is this really you?. Lately I have been seeking a concrete example of God being present today. Like you, I feel Im sometimes on a high-wire act, tiptoeing through the culture and subculture both. In your place, I would simply be honest in the endnote, saying that you were unable to track down the original source. While Chapel is intended for VBC students, everyone is welcome to attend. Philip. Ive stood in front of the ovens in Auschwitz. There comes a point where you say *(^&* it. I was convinced that I was not good enough for God or that He hated me,or I had committed some un forgivable sin. The Hiding Place ~ Corrie Ten Boom Hi Phillip. I couldnt find another way to contact you other than this comment section, but here I am, a decade-plus later, finally saying thank you for letting God use you so mightily in my life. [7] He went on to earn graduate degrees in communications and English from Wheaton College Graduate School and the University of Chicago. Thank you Philip, for your faithfulness to Jesus and your gift. I had completely lost hope and faith and after reading the book I decided to live. She was respected enough by her community that they listened to her account about Jesus and let her lead them to him. I will try to learn from your comments, and thank you for doing the biblical and honorable thing by writing me directly. . Then, I search the scriptures and I see nowhere are we asked to give blanket forgiveness as a response to those who have done wrong to us. She is open about her partisanship, but I the spirit she expresses should apply when either side wins an election: Weve had 36 hours now to absorb the surprising results of our presidential election. Later, when puzzling over the dog handlers aggressive behavior towards me, I remembered an encounter with another guard earlier that same month. Ive been reading Vanishing Grace, and it strikes at so many points that I myself have wondered; again, I want to thank you for what youre doing. However the last few months have been some of my most desperate. My family and I plan to visit the USA in June 2023. Meanwhile, Im simply grateful for the privilege of making a living by exploring what I would do anyway. I laugh, because I used to not believe in the glory signs like gold dust and things that happen, but one night, I was sitting, praying, telling God that I hated Him and I had gold dust show up all over my hands and I know that I cant explain it to my friends that God knows the difference between when one of His kids really hates Him and when they are in such pain that they need Him. Im a lot easier lunch date than the Admiral. The ground feels like it has been shifting as I am re-examining much of what I was taught growing up in the church, and I have felt quite alone in knowing who to turn to to talk about my long felt but newly realised doubts. Right there and then Paul informed me that he had no intention of helping me to get oriented or settled in. What I can do however is give an indication as to its importance in my life based on a recent event. One of them was Soul Survivor, a book I read more than ten years ago and whose influence I still feel today. We would do better to learn from them rather than belittle them, suggesting we know and are better. 3. many thanks, Philip. This year, our Medical Doctor told us that we have an almost nil chance because of my past chronically health problems that never seem to end. You have encouraged me, and shown me that its not wrong to ask these questions, to wonder about faith, to grasp with the issues that many seem to ignore. Dear Sirs, I had to express my gratitude (theres that word again). Muslims try to wipe out Christians, and that is evil. I cant unsee a call to justice in the scriptures that I was blind to once. My favorite book that you wrote is Reaching For The Invisible God. Things all came to a head a few weeks ago. I want you to know how much your journey through your writings has impacted my life. Everyone knew and talked about this lawyers, guards, management, Elizabeth Fry Society members yet no one stopped him or reported him. I went through a period of reacting against everything I was taught, and even discarding my faith. Yesterday she asked for me and said I wish I had your religion now which gave me an opening to share the faith. You, Milt Richards, Tim Stafford and Ron Hutchcraft were leading the sessions. In 1994, evangelical author Philip Yancey reported, "I have not met a single Christian leader who, after meeting with Clinton, comes away questioning his sincerity." It made quite an impact on both my wife and I and I actually believe if it were not for that book and The Jesus I Never Knew we would have abandoned our faith. Philip. The Earth was formed 4.6 billion years ago and life has changed through the ages. President emeritus, Washington Bible College/Capital Bible Seminary, I thank you for the spirit of your letter, Dr. Heater. Philip, One more, final question came from the audience on my last night in Newtown, and it was the one I most did not want to hear: Will God protect my child? I stayed silent for what seemed like minutes. I just returned from Korea in November, and I know the Korean church struggles with legalism such as you describe. Having spent 33 days in a hospital was something I needed to be able to visit people in the hospital. I feel free but I feel betrayed. Thank you. A few days later he came back to tell me that the book I had given him was awesome. Mdecins Sans Frontires is a godless organization. It comforted me during such sorrow today. It is my understanding that both of these practices are violations of Canadian and international human rights. Last night I finished Whats so Amazing about Grace. Much progress, and I appreciate your concern. But I have just recently come upon your books on my own, the latest one being Reaching for the Invisible God. Oh, my, what trials you have been through! My wife and I often use your books as gifts when we talk to people in need of encouragement or a different bigger picture offered than the one we find in tacky church messages or half-hearted encouragement by fellow Christians. Actually, I really wanted to say, YOUR BOOK CHANGED MY LIFE! but somehow that didnt seem appropriate. Im impressed by your openness. Thank you so much. I have called, cried and prayed over and over again and still nothing has happened. Your words have been a gift. Im so glad that you took the time to spell out your story in such detail. I can tell you within nanoseconds when that very asteroid will pass us again 1,000 years from now. But Godand prayer, Yancey concludedis much more complicated than that. I really enjoy your writing. I would love to hear what you have to say about this. God chooses not to intervene, but Mdecins Sans Frontires has a plan you can trust (to the point of losing 13 staff members to a recent US air strike). I am so disappointed. The Jesus I Never Knew, Walker and Co. (New York, NY), 1996. As you know, Dr. Heater, there are many, many people out there who were damaged by the church or its institutions. I want to refer you to a book titled Outrageous Courage by Kris & Jason Vallotton. They cut right to the truth and bypass all the wrapping and bows. Heres my interview, edited for space, with Philip Yancey, an evangelical Christian writer who has more than 15 million books in print in more than 50 [], Hi Mr Yancy! Philip. Its sane, reflective, and creative. Take a look and explore how well Alojza Stepinac rescued people. Thank you for telling me some of this story, which deeply moves me. I am a retired pastor, working on a book of my own, where God has clearly intervened in my life time and again, and yet some days I wake up in a dark place, like you have described. The clarity of your challenge What is the alternative to grace? Thats good youre asking these questions while young! gaussian elimination row echelon form calculator. Whereas I had worked in the correctional institutions for nearly 20 years and was the Senior Chaplain for Alberta Corrections, Paul had worked in Corrections for only four years. However, I wanted to let you know about my most recent read or start. I am a great admirer and follower of your writing and teaching and your Grace Notes daily readings are an essential part of my day. Cant wait to see what Its impossible to read your books, though, and not sense some of the underlying pain that you feel about your early years. He spends about an hour each morning reading spiritually nourishing books, meditating, and praying. It is a delicate flower and it must be cared for. I wish that these accusations were not true, but I am about 99.99999% they are. Even days after that final judgement, I was not able to focus on my work life seemed too heavy to face. One concentrated effort Ive made in the past year has been the regular practice of sending notes of appreciation to strangers writers, artists, varied creators whose work has moved me in some way, beamed some light into my day. He and I had been to the same evangelical Anglican theological college, and we were part of the evangelical wing of the worldwide Anglican Church. I would love to hear from you. [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]. Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), April 27, 1994, Bashir Qureshi, review of Pain, p. 1294. We talked for quite a while, and I gave him a couple of books and the names of marriage counsellors outside the system. Procrastinator that I am, Ive been meaning to write for months to thank you for your revelatory and beautiful memoir. Ive stood at Ground Zero in Hiroshima. Yes, writers need prayer, as we work in isolation and its a paranoia-producing occupation. If the Bible has so many varying interpretations, how can we feel that it is my anchor of my soul? I just came back from a mission trip with Greg and others from Southeast in April where we got to go to Damoh as well as the Siliguri area. As I left they thanked me. By the way, where did you go to college? I feel now a pull to come back to attending the local Church, even if only to reconnect with local community and participate in local charity work to which I feel a calling as well. When our children would ask us questions of why this or that we would just say whatever the Pastor and or the school said is right.