Who is Philip Yancey?
For Yancey, reading offered a window to a different world. So, he devoured books that opened his mind, challenged his upbringing, and went against what he had been taught. A sense of betrayal engulfed him.
Read Philip's Full BioRecent Posts
My Untold Story
Posted on Wed, Apr 14 2021 in Blog, Writing | 29 CommentsFor as long as I’ve been writing, I have wanted to produce a memoir. I’ve read great memoirs on other religious groups: Frank McCourt’s account of Irish Catholics… read on
A Time to Weep
Posted on Thu, Mar 25 2021 in Blog | 26 CommentsSome days—September 11, December 7—forever stain our mental calendars, and this year March 11 joined those “days of infamy.” The date marked not only the one-year anniversary of… read on
A Time to Fear
Posted on Sat, Feb 20 2021 in Blog | 42 CommentsCOVID-19 is hardly the first pandemic to strike fear across the world. In the 17th century, the Black Death (bubonic plague) swept across Europe in waves. One of… read on
Talking with the Other Side
Posted on Fri, Jan 22 2021 in Blog | 54 CommentsI recently listened to a TED talk in which the speaker asked members of the audience, “Raise your hand if you have a loved one, neighbor, or friend… read on
Disturbing the Universe
Posted on Fri, Dec 25 2020 in Blog | 37 CommentsUnlike most people, I do not feel much Dickensian nostalgia at Christmastime. The holiday fell just a few days after my father died early in my childhood, and all… read on
A Melancholy Thanksgiving
Posted on Thu, Nov 26 2020 in Blog, Writing | 34 CommentsI’ve been working on a modern paraphrase of John Donne’s Devotions, which he wrote in 1623 during a bubonic plague outbreak. One-third of London’s residents would die, and… read on
Showing Us Another Way
Posted on Thu, Oct 22 2020 in Blog | 27 CommentsAgain and again this year, scenes of racial injustice have played out before our eyes. African Americans insist that such incidents are nothing new; the difference is that… read on
Election Year Musings
Posted on Sat, Sep 26 2020 in Blog, Politics | 47 CommentsLast year I granted an interview to the Church of Ireland Gazette, a magazine that was trying to interpret US politics for its Irish readers. In view of… read on
Family Secrets
Posted on Sun, Aug 23 2020 in Blog | 25 CommentsI’ve been writing a memoir and, like most memoirs, it deals with family secrets. Unplanned pregnancies, abortions, suicides, addictions, extramarital affairs, prison time—often families don’t speak of such… read on
The Surprising Gift of Solitude
Posted on Mon, Jul 20 2020 in Blog | 35 CommentsFor me, one scene captures the manifold tragedy of the COVID-19 pandemic. A friend named Dan was already suffering from Lewy body dementia, a brain disorder that affects… read on
About Philip Yancey
For Yancey, reading offered a window to a different world. So, he devoured books that opened his mind, challenged his upbringing, and went against what he had been taught. A sense of betrayal engulfed him.