Comments on: The Future of the Church

By: Niall Walshe

Niall Walshe — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 16:25:33 +0000

Just read the comment you left for Philip Yancy on 4th October 2024. It was a joy to read! You are absolutely right in what you wrote; but you are in a minority within the body of Christians. The problem of merging the Old and New Covenants is not one of which many Christians are aware. Likewise, your correct understanding of the forgivenes of sins (Jesus took them away) is also not generally understood amongst Christians. You are, though, not alone in your views. I don’t know if you are a Bible teacher; if you are not someone who regularly teaches the Bible (as I have been doing in many churches across several countries since 1987) I would like to advise you of my second book – “Powerless and Irrelevant: How Society sees the Church, and how to radically change that view.” It essentially reveals the foundational doctrines of Christianity freed from Old Covenant doctrines, it presents Jesus’ teachings freed from incorrect and misleading cultural overlays, it challenges traditional but incorrect Bible teachings familiar to all churchgoers, highlights unbiblical practices widespread within churches and points the way for all Christians. I still find a great deal of rejection of what you and I believe whenever I preach or teach, so I know it can be a lonely road. I also know there are few trustworthy Bible teachers who have grasped these issues. Dr. Kenneth E Bailey is the best Bible teacher I have ever encountered if you would like to encounters others with great knowledge on these matters. Any of Dr. Bailey’s books are well worth reading. My latest effort to help Christians understand where we have got things wrong for so long – “Powerless and Irrelevant… – is due to be published on 3rd October. You will, depending what other resources you already have, find it enlightening. It is being published by Kharis Publishers in the USA. Their website is kharispublishing.com. If you are in the USA it will be easy to get a copy post-3rd October through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones etc. If you want a copy and have difficulty getting hold of one e-mail me Niall.Walshe@gmail.com. God bless you, and keep spreading the Word!

By: Darrel David Giesbrecht

Darrel David Giesbrecht — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 18:16:20 +0000

Good day Philip
Last night, I woke up at 1:30AM and read the last half of your book, Where The Light Fell, thanks! I think that God does more with our weakness and mistakes than with our strengths and successes, although, He uses them also. I believe that what you wrote demonstrates your courage and freedom in Him!
I want as many people as possible to know personally permanently abundant indestructible eternal life in Jesus. That doesn’t depend on their ability or performance but only on what Jesus has done and will do! We are no longer living in the first covenant, actually as Gentile we were never living under the law. Even the Jews could not live under the law. One of the biggest problems with the church today is dragging the first covenant into the present covenant.
I have been living in Jesus for over 38 years. During the past 2 years I believe that God has given me many new insights. If you’re interested, I would like to give you an example of these insights for possible future conversations?
Philip, what would you think if a man told you that God didn’t forgive your sins? But, told you that Jesus TOOK away, ( John 1:29 ), all the sins that you would ever commit close to 2000 years before you were born? I hope that that got your attention because that is my intention! In fact, Jesus took away, then, every sin that everyone who has ever lived, is now living and everyone who will ever live in the Universe. The Greek for “world”, in John 1:29, is Cosmos which means world or more accurately Universe. NO! I am not talking about Universal Salvation! Everyone must still believe and receive Jesus as their Saviour in order to have Eternal life in Him. Salvation is not about sin or not sinning, it is about LIFE! God’s intention from before creation was to be more than walking with Adam and Eve in Eden! His intention was to permanently live in us and for us to permanently live in Him. Adam and Eve did not wreck God’s plans, their disobedience was voluntary but always was part of His plans. God never intended to give them everlasting life ( DESTRUCTABLE life with a beginning but no end ). If an elephant stat on Adam or Eve the would have died!
God intended to give them Eternal life, ( indestructible life with no BEGINNING and no END ), by living in them. So, in order to creat a dwelling place for Himself, He had to permanently solve the problem of sin because no one stops sinning at Salvation. We only stop sinning by being in Jesus and physically dying. If God was living in us and we committed a sin that wasn’t taken away we would physically die! Which would prevent Him from permanently living in us as His desire and intention is! I have much more to share like the permanent gifts of Justification and Righteousness, which are (just as if we had never sinned ), and a permanent right standing with God. Gifts of a new, clean and good heart and a new and good self. We still sin because our minds are in a process of renewal and transformation. Also, we still have sinful habits. Our old sinful self was crucified, died and was reborn with a new self (that we are not to deny ) and resurrected with Jesus! I think that God left us with minds that need transformation by renewal because He wants us to depend on Him for that renewal.
Philip, I noticed that your second name is David as mine also is, do you know that David means dearly loved? My first name Darrel also means dearly loved. There is no way that my parents knew in 1951 that both the names that they gave me meant dearly loved. But God knew what my names meant! And, I now know that God loves me more than twice! Actually, He loves me more than I can possibly imagine!
Thanks, I would be happy to answer any questions that you might have.

By: Marty

Marty — Sat, 03 Aug 2024 14:02:55 +0000

The issue with the church in the West is the loss of the reality for the necessity of conviction. Yes, the Gospel is offensive. We are born sinners and have no means of escaping a righteous judgment from the Holy God who created us. With Grace and Mercy Jesus took on all sin, died on the cross as our substitution, and God resurrected Him to life eternal and rule over the heavens and earth. Belief in that brings the Grace gift of the Holy Spirt into us, completely changing us from the inside out, and now are seen blameless before God and will see life eternal with Him. Further Grace given to us is in Gods Word, the Bible, the inerrant Word of God. These are the simple versions of the facts of God and Christianity ……. Trick now is to find a pulpit it the West or anywhere that this is the focus, period stop!
50 foot video screens and the “come to Jesus and have a better life” all inclusive prosperity now messages are the problem. There is no convicting truth in that message. How and why would they stay when trouble hits their lives?
The truth is simple, not easy or popular. Jesus didn’t come only to be our friend, He came to save our souls!
Maranatha!
Marty

By: Phil

Phil — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 02:01:02 +0000

Do you think preaching is vital in a church?
Jesus and the Apistles put an emphasis on preaching and teaching.

By: Bobbe Pennington

Bobbe Pennington — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 16:42:28 +0000

Thanks, Philip. Your comments are helpful. Currently re-reading What’s So Amazing About Grace? and thinking quite a bit about what it means to walk with Christ day-to-day and to be a light. I so appreciate your thoughtfulness!

By: Philip Yancey

Philip Yancey — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 16:25:42 +0000

In reply to Bobbe Pennington. According to my reading, there were almost no full-time missionaries or evangelists in the century or so after the Apostle Paul. Rather, churches met in private, and only the initiated could attend services. "Outsiders" were attracted by the contrast in how Christians lived, not usually by direct attempts to evangelize. More recently, estimates of how many Christians were martyred or persecuted have been lowered, and the persecutions varied a lot from province to province.

By: Bobbe Pennington

Bobbe Pennington — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 16:16:59 +0000

Hi Philip,

I always appreciate your thoughtful views on our Christian faith. You write, “There were few missionaries or evangelists in the Roman Empire…” I would think there were quite a few since the Empire was huge, Christians were so persecuted, and the Word kept spreading nonetheless. Am I mis-reading here or just misinformed?

Thank you,

Bobbe

By: Suzanne Jones

Suzanne Jones — Sun, 09 Jun 2024 15:50:02 +0000

Well done and so true. I do wish more churches were truly a community, but those churches are few and far between. One thing no one brings up in the declining church argument is the fact the majority of churches are structured as an institution for couples and families; even though, there is a huge population of single adults in the United States. I am single and I have given up finding a church because of the issue. Instead I listen to worship serves on line. Why is this issue never talked about or addressed? I wonder this often.

By: Roy David Stafford

Roy David Stafford — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 23:38:04 +0000

We love all your books. The Christian church has an aspect that is being ignored and that is a commitment to justice. The church played and important role in the civil rights movement, but failed in fascist Germany. There is a looming crisis in November. Abraham Lincoln led us through the civil war and touched moral hearts for what equality is about. My wife and I felt very moved and uplifted with hope for our country after reading the transcript of the commencement address at Brandeis University by the historian and documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, who is loved and respected for his art of filmmaking . The series “The Civil War” and “The History of Baseball” were major hallmarks of his art. His message to the graduates was profound and wise and made me think of Abraham Lincoln’s words of healing to a torn nation. It moved us to tears and I hope you and all your readers find it important and moving also and choose to spread the word and share this message at this terrible juncture in our American history.
Roy and Carol Stafford

https://www.brandeis.edu/commencement/2024/burns.html

By: Marta

Marta — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 11:27:40 +0000

“Sermons—more like meditations—were lively and inspiring, and none lasted more than 15 minutes.”
Pity they’ve dropped this format as this is precisely what’s needed these days. What will happen when ‘mobile phone children and teenagers’ grow up? They won’t sit in a church for 1-2 hours listening to a very long sermon. The whole methodology has to change, the church needs to get online with a short form message. I don’t know what the future of church attendance in an actual physical building is. It doesn’t look good when one considers that kids cannot/do not want to separate from their phones even in classes. And then we have the growth of AI which will impact physical contact and relationships in a tremendous way.