Books by Philip Yancey

NIV Student Bible, Revised Edition (New International Version)

by Philip Yancey

The Student Bible's proven, commonsense approach to studying the Scriptures appeals to high school and college readers as well as adults of every age. Its carefully researched features will help you overcome common obstacles to reading and understanding the Bible. Edited by award-winning authors Philip Yancey and Tim Stafford, this Bible enables you to understand what you read, find the topics you're looking for, and make real progress in your studies. Also included is a study track that takes you on a fascinating and enriching year-long tour of the Bible. Recommended for homeschool use.

The Jesus I Never Knew

by Philip Yancey

How does the Jesus of the New Testament compare to the Jesus we think we know so well? Join bestselling author Philip Yancey as he conducts an enlightening biblical and historical investigation into the real Jesus.
From the manger in Bethlehem to the cross in Jerusalem, Philip Yancey presents a complex character who generates questions as well as answers--a disturbing and exhilarating Jesus who wants to radically transform your life and stretch your faith.
In The Jesus I Never Knew, Yancey: Cuts through existing views and preconceptions of Jesus, citing experts from church history, modern history, and popular culture Discusses how different people and cultures view Jesus Dissects popular quotes about Jesus Points us back to the Bible
The Jesus I Never Knew will engage your heart, mind, emotions, and senses, preparing you for a new, life-changing encounter with the real Jesus described in the Gospels.
Praise for The Jesus I Never Knew:
"This is the best book about Jesus I have ever read, probably the best book about Jesus in the whole century. Yancey gently took away my blinders and blazed the trail through my own doubting fears, pious know-it-all, and critical balderdash until I saw the Savior anew and thought I heard him ask me, 'Now whom do you say that I am?' and I understood the question as I never had before."
--Lewis B. Smedes, Senior Professor, Fuller Seminary
"Philip Yancey takes the reader with him on his very personal journey to Jesus. In The Jesus I Never Knew, I became convinced that the Jesus I met--in some ways for the first time--has known me all along. This book is destined to become a favorite--to recommend to those still seeking Jesus and to pass along to those who've met him, but long to know him more."
--Elisa Morgan, President Emerita, MOPS International

What's So Amazing About Grace?

by Philip Yancey

In 1987, an IRA bomb buried Gordon Wilson and his twenty-year-old daughter beneath five feet of rubble. Gordon alone survived. And forgave. He said of the bombers, " I have lost my daughter, but I bear no grudge . . . I shall pray, tonight and every night, that God will forgive them." His words caught the media's ears -- and out of one man's grief, the world got a glimpse of grace. Grace is the church's great distinctive. It's the one thing the world cannot duplicate, and the one thing it craves above all else -- for only grace can bring hope and transformation to a jaded world. In What's So Amazing About Grace? award-winning author Philip Yancey explores grace at street level. If grace is God's love for the undeserving, he asks, then what does it look like in action? And if Christians are its sole dispensers, then how are we doing at lavishing grace on a world that knows far more of cruelty and unforgiveness than it does of mercy? Yancey sets grace in the midst of life's stark images, tests its mettle against horrific "ungrace." Can grace survive in the midst of such atrocities as the Nazi holocaust? Can it triumph over the brutality of the Ku Klux Klan? Should any grace at all be shown to the likes of Jeffrey Dahmer, who killed and cannibalized seventeen young men? Grace does not excuse sin, says Yancey, but it treasures the sinner. True grace is shocking, scandalous. It shakes our conventions with its insistence on getting close to sinners and touching them with mercy and hope. It forgives the unfaithful spouse, the racist, the child abuser. It loves today's AIDS-ridden addict as much as the tax collector of Jesus' day. In his most personal and provocative book ever, Yancey offers compelling, true portraits of grace's life-changing power. He searches for its presence in his own life and in the church. He asks, How can Christians contend graciously with moral issues that threaten all they hold dear? And he challenges us to become living answers to a world that desperately wants to know, What's So Amazing About Grace?

What's So Amazing About Grace?

by Philip Yancey

OVER ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD!
Discover grace as you've never known it before: the most powerful force in the universe and our only hope for love and forgiveness.
Grace is the church's great distinctive. It's the one thing the world cannot duplicate, and the one thing it craves above all else--for only grace can bring hope and transformation to a jaded world.
In What's So Amazing About Grace? award-winning author Philip Yancey explores grace at street level. If grace is God's love for the undeserving, he asks, then what does it look like in action? And if Christians are its sole dispensers, then how are we doing at lavishing grace on a world that knows far more of cruelty and unforgiveness than it does of mercy?
Yancey sets grace in the midst of life's stark images, tests its mettle against horrific "ungrace": Can grace survive in the midst of such atrocities as the Nazi holocaust? Can it triumph over the brutality of the Ku Klux Klan? Should any grace at all be shown to the likes of Jeffrey Dahmer, who killed and cannibalized seventeen young men?
Grace does not excuse sin, says Yancey, but it treasures the sinner. True grace is shocking, scandalous. It shakes our conventions with its insistence on getting close to sinners and touching them with mercy and hope. It forgives the unfaithful spouse, the racist, the child abuser. It loves today's AIDS-ridden addict as much as the tax collector of Jesus's day.
In his most personal and provocative book ever, Yancey offers compelling, true portraits of grace's life-changing power. He searches for its presence in his own life and in the church. He asks, How can Christians contend graciously with moral issues that threaten all they hold dear?
And he challenges us to become living answers to a world that desperately wants to know, What's So Amazing About Grace?

Finding God in Unexpected Places: Revised and Updated

by Philip Yancey

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.

The Jesus I Never Knew [Large Print]

by Philip Yancey

Offers a new perspective on the life and work of Jesus Christ, relating Gospel events to contemporary life

The Gift of Pain: Why We Hurt and What We Can Do About It

by Philip Yancey, Paul Brand

Pain is not something that most of us would count as a blessing; however, renowned surgeon Dr. Paul Brand and award-winning writer Philip Yancey shed fresh light on the purpose of our pain.
Wouldn't it be nice to never experience pain or never have to take drugs to deal with pain? Many people think so, but they're missing one key piece of information: Pain is the body's built-in warning system that something is wrong and needs to be fixed.
Follow world-renowned physician and surgeon Dr. Paul Brand around the world as he shares his humble beginnings as the son of medical missionaries in India to his medical training in London during the Blitz to his groundbreaking medical research with leprosy patients in the United States and India.
His work with leprosy patients is what convinced him that pain truly is one of God's great gifts to us. In these pages he shares what he's learned about pain, its purpose in our lives, the impact it has on our daily lives and overall health, and how we can better respond to it.
Perfect for those in the medical field or those looking for a firsthand look into the mystery of pain, this book will give you a new perspective on the gift that none of us want and none of us can do without. You'll never look at pain the same way again.
Spanish edition also available.
Note: The book includes some frank descriptions of medical procedures, illnesses, and diseases.

Rumors of Another World: What on Earth Are We Missing?

by Philip Yancey

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.

Grace Notes: 366 Daily Inspirations from a Fellow Pilgrim

by Philip Yancey

Daily meditations—drawn from the beloved and award-winning writings of Philip Yancey—will take you through an entire year of his spiritual insight and imagination.
Philip Yancey's words—captured in his many bestselling books—have influenced the lives of millions of readers by strengthening their faith, building their hope, sparking their creativity, and challenging their comfort zones. Grace Notes covers a broad range of topics, including: How to rediscover God through the wonders of nature, music, and romantic love Why grace means you can't do anything to make God love you more or less What happens when you cut through preconceptions to encounter the "real" Jesus How to renew your understanding and practice of prayer Where you can see God in unexpected people and places How to cope when life crashes in around you
Every day, experience the best from a beloved author who, with freshness, clarity, and energy, has so brilliantly articulated God’s wonderful but mysterious relationship with you.
"There is no writer in the evangelical world that I admire and appreciate more." - Billy Graham

Grace Notes: Daily Readings with a Fellow Pilgrim

by Philip Yancey

" “There is no writer in the evangelical world that I admire and appreciate more.” - Billy Graham Philip Yancey’s words—captured in his many bestselling books—have influenced the lives of millions of readers by strengthening their faith, building their hope, sparking their creativity, and challenging their comfort zones. If you’re one of those readers, you know personally how his insights have affected your mind and heart. And if you’re new to Yancey, you’re in for a life-altering experience. These meditations—all drawn from the beloved and bestselling writings of the author—will take you through an entire year of Yancey’s insight and imagination, covering a broad range of topics: • How to rediscover God through the wonders of nature, music, and romantic love • Why grace means you can’t do anything to make God love you more or less • What happens when you cut through preconceptions to encounter the “real” Jesus • How to renew your understanding and practice of prayer • Where you can see God in unexpected people and places • How to cope when life crashes in around you Every day, experience the best from a beloved author who, with freshness, clarity, and energy, has so brilliantly articulated God’s wonderful but mysterious relationship with you. "

NIV Student Bible, Revised

by Philip Yancey, Zondervan Staff

The Student Bible's proven, commonsense approach to studying the Scriptures appeals to high school and college readers as well as adults of every age. Its carefully researched features will help you overcome common obstacles to reading and understanding the Bible. Edited by award-winning authors Philip Yancey and Tim Stafford, this Bible enables you to understand what you read, find the topics you're looking for, and make real progress in your studies. Also included is a study track that takes you on a fascinating and enriching year-long tour of the Bible. Recommended for homeschool use.

Soul Survivor: How Thirteen Unlikely Mentors Helped My Faith Survive the Church

by Philip Yancey

Philip Yancey, whose explorations of faith have made him a guide for millions of readers, feels no need to defend the church. "When someone tells me yet another horror story about the church, I respond, 'Oh, it's even worse than that. Let me tell you my story.'I have spent most of my life in recovery from the church."

Yancey acknowledges that many spiritual seekers find few answers and little solace in the institutional church. "I have met many people, and heard from many more, who have gone through a similar process of mining truth from their religious past: Roman Catholics who flinch whenever they see a nun or priest, former Seventh Day Adventists who cannot drink a cup of coffee without a stab of guilt, Mennonites who worry whether wedding rings give evidence of worldliness."

How did Yancey manage to survive spiritually despite early encounters with a racist, legalistic church that he now views as almost cultic? In this, his most soul-searching book yet, he probes that very question. He tells the story of his own struggle to reclaim belief, interwoven with inspiring portraits of notable people from all walks of life, whom he calls his spiritual directors.Soul Survivor is his tribute to thirteen remarkable individuals, mentors who transformed his life and work.

Besides recalling their effect on him, Yancey also provides fresh glimpses of the lives and faith journeys of each one. From the scatterbrained journalist G. K. Chesterton to the tortured novelists Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, to contemporaries such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Annie Dillard, and Robert Coles, Yancey gives inspiring portraits of those who modeled for him a life-enhancing rather than a life-constricting faith.

"I became a writer, I now believe, to sort out and reclaim words used and misused by the Christians of my youth," Yancey says. "These are the people who ushered me into the Kingdom. In many ways they are why I remain a Christian today, and I want to introduce them to other spiritual seekers."

Soul Survivor offers illuminating insights that will enrich the lives of veteran believers and cautious seekers alike. Yancey's own story, unveiled here as never before, is a beacon for those who seek to rejuvenate their faith, and for those who are still longing for something to have faith in.

What Good Is God?: In Search of a Faith That Matters

by Philip Yancey

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.

Where the Light Fell: A Memoir

by Philip Yancey

In this searing meditation on the bonds of family and the allure of extremist faith, one of today’s most celebrated Christian writers recounts his unexpected journey from a strict fundamentalist upbringing to a life of compassion and grace—a revelatory memoir that “invites comparison to Hillbilly Elegy” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

“Searing, heartrending . . . This stunning tale reminds us that the only way to keep living is to ask God for the impossible: love, forgiveness, and hope.”—Kate Bowler, New York Times bestselling author of Everything Happens for a Reason

Raised by an impoverished widow who earned room and board as a Bible teacher in 1950s Atlanta, Philip Yancey and his brother, Marshall, found ways to venture out beyond the confines of their eight-foot-wide trailer. But when Yancey was in college, he uncovered a shocking secret about his father’s death—a secret that began to illuminate the motivations that drove his mother to extreme, often hostile religious convictions and a belief that her sons had been ordained for a divine cause.

Searching for answers, Yancey dives into his family origins, taking us on an evocative journey from the backwoods of the Bible Belt to the bustling streets of Philadelphia; from trailer parks to church sanctuaries; from family oddballs to fire-and-brimstone preachers and childhood awakenings through nature, music, and literature. In time, the weight of religious and family pressure sent both sons on opposite paths—one toward healing from the impact of what he calls a “toxic faith,” the other into a self-destructive spiral.

Where the Light Fell is a gripping family narrative set against a turbulent time in post–World War II America, shaped by the collision of Southern fundamentalism with the mounting pressures of the civil rights movement and Sixties-era forces of social change. In piecing together his fragmented personal history and his search for redemption, Yancey gives testament to the enduring power of our hunger for truth and the possibility of faith rooted in grace instead of fear.

“I truly believe this is the one book I was put on earth to write,” says Yancey. “So many of the strands from my childhood—racial hostility, political division, culture wars—have resurfaced in modern form. Looking back points me forward.”

Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas

by C. S. Lewis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton, Henri J. M. Nouwen, Annie Dillard, Philip Yancey, John Donne, Meister Eckhart, Thomas Aquinas, Thomas Stearns Eliot, Edith Stein

This collection, born of obvious passion and graced with superb writing, is a welcome even necessary addition to the glutted holiday bookshelves. -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Though Christians the world over make yearly preparations for Lent, there’s a conspicuous lack of good books for that other great spiritual season: Advent. All the same, this four-week period leading up to Christmas is making a comeback as growing numbers reject shopping-mall frenzy and examine the deeper meaning of the season.
Ecumenical in scope, these fifty devotions invite the reader to contemplate the great themes of Christmas and the significance that the coming of Jesus has for each of us – not only during Advent, but every day. Whether dipped into at leisure or used on a daily basis, Watch for the Light gives the phrase “holiday preparations” new depth and meaning.
Includes contributions by these and other writers: C. S. Lewis, Madeleine L’Engle, Thomas Merton, and Philip Yancey Dorothy Day, Henri Nouwen, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Oscar Romero, and Edith Stein Martin Luther, Meister Eckhart, Eberhard Arnold, and Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt T. S. Eliot, John Donne, and Sylvia Plath Karl Barth, Will Willimon, Jürgen Moltmann, and J. B. Phillips Kathleen Norris, Brennan Manning, and Evelyn Underhill Annie Dillard, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Gerard Manley Hopkins Romano Guardini, St. John Chrysostom, and Giovanni Papini Jane Kenyon, Friedrich Wilhelm Foerster, Isaac Penington, and Alfred Delp

Bread and Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter

by Dorothy Day, Søren Kierkegaard, Henri J. M. Nouwen, Kathleen Norris, C.S. Lewis, Frederick Buechner, Philip Yancey, Madeleine L'Engle, Kahlil Gibran, Meister Eckhart, Augustine, G.K. Chesterton

Though Easter (like Christmas) is often trivialized by the culture at large, it is still the high point of the religious calendar for millions of people around the world. And for most of them, there can be no Easter without Lent, the season that leads up to it.

A time for self-denial, soul-searching, and spiritual preparation, Lent is traditionally observed by daily reading and reflection. This collection will satisfy the growing hunger for meaningful and accessible devotions. Culled from the wealth of twenty centuries, the selections in Bread and Wine are ecumenical in scope, and represent the best classic and contemporary Christian writers.

Includes more than seventy Lenten and Easter readings by Alexander Stuart Baillie, Alfred Kazin, Alister E. McGrath, Amy Carmichael, Barbara Brown Taylor, Barbara Cawthorne Crafton, Blaise Pascal, Brennan Manning, C. S. Lewis, Christina Rossetti, Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt, Clarence Jordan, Dag Hammarskjöld, Dale Aukerman, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Dorothee Soelle, Dorothy Day, Dorothy Sayers, Dylan Thomas, E. Stanley Jones, Eberhard Arnold, Edith Stein, Edna Hong, Emil Brunner, Ernesto Cardenal, Fleming Rutledge, Frederica Mathewes-Green, Frederick Buechner, Fyodor Dostoevsky, G. K. Chesterton, Geoffrey Hill, George MacDonald, Henri Nouwen, Henry Drummond, Howard Hageman, J. Heinrich Arnold, Jean-Pierre de Caussade, Johann Christoph Arnold, John Dear, John Donne, John Howard Yoder, John Masefield, John Stott, John Updike, Joyce Hollyday, Jürgen Moltmann, Kahlil Gibran, Karl Barth, Kathleen Norris, Leo Tolstoy, Madeleine L’Engle, Malcolm Muggeridge, Martin Luther, Meister Eckhart, Morton T. Kelsey, Mother Teresa, N. T. Wright, Oscar Wilde, Oswald Chambers, Paul Tillich, Peter Kreeft, Philip Berrigan, Philip Yancey, Romano Guardini, Sadhu Sundar Singh , Saint Augustine, Simone Weil, Søren Kierkegaard, Thomas à Kempis , Thomas Howard, Thomas Merton, Toyohiko Kagawa, Walter J. Ciszek, Walter Wangerin, Watchman Nee, Wendell Berry and William Willimon.

Where Is God When It Hurts?

by Philip Yancey

Winner of the Gold Medallion Award and an inspirational best-seller for over twenty years, Where is God When it Hurts? Has been revised and updated by the author to explore the many important issues that have arisen during that time. Sensitive and caring, this unique book discusses pain--physical, emotional, and spiritual--and helps us understand why we suffer from it and how to cope with our own and that of others. Using examples from the Bible as well as the author's personal experiences, this expanded edition speaks to everyone for whom life sometimes doesn't make sense. Philip Yancey can help us discover how to reach out to someone in pain even when we don't know what to say. It shows us how we can learn to accept without blame, anger, or fear that which we cannot understand.

What's So Amazing about Grace? Revised and Updated

by Philip Yancey

OVER TWO MILLION COPIES SOLD!

It's the most powerful force in the universe, our only hope for love and forgiveness, and a foretaste of eternal life: amazing, radical, life-changing grace.

Millions of lives have been changed by award-winning author Philip Yancey's startling exploration of grace at street level. Grace is the one thing the world can't duplicate, the healing force we need, and the key to transforming a broken world.

In this revised and updated edition of his personal and provocative book, Yancey offers true portraits of grace's life-changing power. These stories, set in the midst of life's stark realities, evoke such questions as:

• If grace is God's love for the undeserving, how do I get it
• How well are we dispensing grace to a world that knows far more of strife and unforgiveness than it does of mercy
• Can grace make a difference in the midst of such atrocities as the Nazi holocaust, and how can it withstand the brutality of hate

With powerful stories, rich theology, and practical suggestions, Yancey challenges us to become living answers to a world that desperately needs to know, What's So Amazing About Grace