Philip Yancey

VIEW GUEST

Author — field_542d8190101fc

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 time—in order to squash them.” Yancey jokes today about being “in recovery” from a toxic church. “Of course, there were good qualities too. If a neighbor’s house burned down, the congregation would rally around and show charity—if, that is, the house belonged to a white person. I grew up confused by the contradictions. We heard about love and grace, but I didn’t experience much. And we were taught that God answers prayers, miraculously, but my father died of polio just after my first birthday, despite many prayers for his healing.”

SHOW MATERIALS

View All

Where the Light Fell: A Memoir

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 fun...

Featured on: Monday, November 22, 2021

Learn More

Fearfully and Wonderfully: The Marvel of Bearing God's Image

Discover this updated and combined edition of two bestselling books! The human body holds endlessly fascinating secrets. The resilience of skin, t...

Featured on: Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Learn More

Viewpoints

View All

June 29, 2026

Kerby Anderson

Summer Jobs

Summer jobs for teenagers have been disappearing, and Harvard professor Roland Fryer has some explanations. He quickly dismissing many of the reasons given: AI, tariffs, and gas prices. He reminds us...

Listen

June 26, 2026

Penna Dexter

Downplaying “Pride”

Although it’s Pride month, June hasn’t seen much LGBT hoopla here in Texas. The Washington Stand reports that throughout the country, such celebrating “has been dialed back to a stunning degree.” The...

Listen

June 26, 2026

Kerby Anderson

God in the Capitol

This year millions of Americans will visit our nation’s capital to celebrate our 250th anniversary. I have encouraged many who plan to visit Washington, DC to look for all the references to God in the...

Listen