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

Philip Yancey serves as editor-at-large for Christianity Today magazine. He has written thirteen Gold Medallion Award-winning books and won two ECPA Book of the Year awards for What's So Amazing About Grace? and The Jesus I Never Knew. Four of his books have sold over one million copies. Yancey lives with his wife in Colorado. Learn more at philipyancey.com

 

 

In a work that is startling and original, Yancey (What's So Amazing About Grace?; The Jesus I Never Knew) writes for people on the 'borderlands' of Christian faith: those who may have been scarred by bad church experiences, or those who simply have more doubts and questions than they have faith. Most people, he says, perceive 'rumors of another world' while inhabiting this one; they long for something more, and yearn for belief in God's transcendence. We substitute other things for God in order to fill this void. (In a chapter that by itself is worth the price of admission, Yancey claims that our culture's fascination with sex stems from the fact that sex is one of the only transcendent, mysterious experiences remaining in the contemporary West.) The quality of Yancey's writing---and his thinking---are simply superb. He is fond of modern literary giants like Simone Weil, Virginia Woolf and Evelyn Waugh and is apt to defer to the insights of 20th-century poets such as T.S. Eliot and W.H. Auden. He also draws from his understanding of God-in-nature (shades of Annie Dillard here) and from his travels all over the world, using Tasmanian sheep to illustrate a point about human freedom and Costa Rican leatherback turtles to demonstrate 'the mixed messages in nature.' One particularly powerful chapter discusses the thorny---and unpopular---topics of guilt and repentance. Yancey, one of the Christian market's best writers, shows a marvelous ability to speak to the world outside that market. (Sept. 2) -- Publisher’s Weekly

'Thank goodness we have Philip Yancey as a companion on the road to faith. He is a writer known for honesty, and here is his most trenchant and honest book yet. Here, too, is his genial wit and his spellbinding storytelling. He is teacher, critic, humble seeker, and inspiring interlocutor, all rolled into one. Newcomers to the life of faith, octogenarians who've lived their lives in the church and everyone in between will find Rumors of Another World both delightful and edifying.' -- Lauren F. Winner, Author

'Whatever your understanding of an unseen world beyond, Philip Yancey offers an eloquent and engaging exploration of one of life's great mysteries.' -- John D. Spalding, Author

'There are so very many who long in their hearts for the spiritual and the eternal, yet have been disappointed by what most churches and organized religions have to say and offer. This book will bring you past the disappointments into the midst of hope, meaning and discovery of the God who truly does exist in the unseen world.' -- Dan Kimball, Author

'I loved Rumors of Another World. It makes a compelling case for the world we cannot see but believe exists. After reading Rumors, those in the borderlands should strongly consider relocating. This is the book for those who long to silence their discord of doubts and hear more evidence of God's existence. Rumors of Another World echoes with the truth of God's grace and the power of God's presence. And Philip Yancey's message is loud and clear: there is another world!' -- Vickie Newton, CBS News Anchor

'More than any contemporary author, Phillip Yancey articulates my deepest fears, questions and doubts about faith and then answers each one with such profundity, that I am reminded why I ever dared believe in the first place. In Rumors of Another World Yancey brilliantly closes the gap between the world of the visible and invisible, making belief in God not only rational, but irresistible for even the most hardened skeptic.' -- Peggy Wehmeyer, Former Religion Correspondent

'Philip Yancey is a unique modern Christian writer who combines the challenges of real everyday living with that haunting sense of responsibility and obligation to the Creator. Rumors of Another World is a work designed to inspire debate and reflection among those seeking the Kingdom. His insights will strike a chord and encourage the soul.' -- John Kasich, Managing Director