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毓賳丿賲丕 賱丕 鬲賲胤乇 丕賱爻賲丕亍: 孬賱丕孬丞 兀爻卅賱丞 賱丕 賷胤乇丨賴丕 兀丨丿 噩賴乇丕賸
賷胤乇丨 賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 孬賱丕孬丞 兀爻卅賱丞 賷鬲爻丕亍賱 丕賱賲丐賲賳賵賳 亘卮兀賳賴丕 廿賱丕賻賾 兀賳賻賾賴賲 賳丕丿乇賸丕 賲丕 賷鬲賮賵賻賾賴賵賳 亘賴丕 噩賴乇賸丕:
賴賱賽 丕賱賱賴 馗丕賱賲責 兀賴賵 氐丕賲鬲責 兀賴賵 賲購禺鬲亘卅責
賷購噩賷亘 賮賷賱賷亘 賷丕賳爻賷 毓賳 賴匕賴 丕賱兀爻卅賱丞 亘賵囟賵丨 賵氐丿賯 賵賷賯賷賳賺 賲購爻鬲賲賻丿賺賾 賲賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 丕賱賲賯丿賻賾爻. 賵賴賵 賷兀禺匕 亘兀賷丿賷賳丕 賱鬲賻禺胤賽賾賷 禺賷亘丕鬲 丕賱丨賷丕丞貙 賵賲丕 賷賲賰賳 兀賳 鬲購賳鬲賽噩賴 賲賳 卮賰賵賰 賵賱丕賲亘丕賱丕丞 賵爻禺乇賷丞貙 廿賱賶 廿賷賲丕賳賺 亘丕賱賱賴 兀賯賵賶 賵兀丨賰賲.
賴賱賽 丕賱賱賴 馗丕賱賲責 兀賴賵 氐丕賲鬲責 兀賴賵 賲購禺鬲亘卅責
賷購噩賷亘 賮賷賱賷亘 賷丕賳爻賷 毓賳 賴匕賴 丕賱兀爻卅賱丞 亘賵囟賵丨 賵氐丿賯 賵賷賯賷賳賺 賲購爻鬲賲賻丿賺賾 賲賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 丕賱賲賯丿賻賾爻. 賵賴賵 賷兀禺匕 亘兀賷丿賷賳丕 賱鬲賻禺胤賽賾賷 禺賷亘丕鬲 丕賱丨賷丕丞貙 賵賲丕 賷賲賰賳 兀賳 鬲購賳鬲賽噩賴 賲賳 卮賰賵賰 賵賱丕賲亘丕賱丕丞 賵爻禺乇賷丞貙 廿賱賶 廿賷賲丕賳賺 亘丕賱賱賴 兀賯賵賶 賵兀丨賰賲.
296 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
797 people are currently reading
4879 people want to read
About the author
Philip Yancey
285听books2,335听followersA native of Atlanta, Georgia, Philip Yancey earned graduate degrees in Communications and English from Wheaton College Graduate School and the University of Chicago. He joined the staff of Campus Life Magazine in 1971, and worked there as Editor and then Publisher. He looks on those years with gratitude, because teenagers are demanding readers, and writing for them taught him a lasting principle: The reader is in control!
In 1978 Philip Yancey became a full-time writer, initially working as a journalist for such varied publications as Reader鈥檚 Digest, Publisher鈥檚 Weekly, National Wildlife, Christian Century and The Reformed Journal. For several years he contributed a monthly column to Christianity Today magazine, where he also served as Editor at Large.
In 2021 Philip released two new books: A Companion in Crisis and his long-awaited memoir, Where the Light Fell. Other favorites included in his more than twenty-five titles are: Where Is God When It Hurts, The Student Bible, and Disappointment with God. Philip's books have won thirteen Gold Medallion Awards from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, have sold more than seventeen million copies, and have been published in over 50 languages. Christian bookstore managers selected The Jesus I Never Knew as the 1996 Book of the Year, and in 1998 What鈥檚 So Amazing About Grace? won the same award. His other recent books are Fearfully and Wonderfully: The Marvel of Bearing God鈥檚 Image; Vanishing Grace: Bringing Good News to a Deeply Divided World; The Question that Never Goes Away; What Good Is God?; Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?; Soul Survivor; and Reaching for the Invisible God. In 2009 a daily reader was published, compiled from excerpts of his work: Grace Notes.
The Yanceys lived in downtown Chicago for many years before moving to a very different environment in Colorado. Together they enjoy mountain climbing, skiing, hiking, and all the other delights of the Rocky Mountains.
Visit Philip online:
Catch his monthly blog:
In 1978 Philip Yancey became a full-time writer, initially working as a journalist for such varied publications as Reader鈥檚 Digest, Publisher鈥檚 Weekly, National Wildlife, Christian Century and The Reformed Journal. For several years he contributed a monthly column to Christianity Today magazine, where he also served as Editor at Large.
In 2021 Philip released two new books: A Companion in Crisis and his long-awaited memoir, Where the Light Fell. Other favorites included in his more than twenty-five titles are: Where Is God When It Hurts, The Student Bible, and Disappointment with God. Philip's books have won thirteen Gold Medallion Awards from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, have sold more than seventeen million copies, and have been published in over 50 languages. Christian bookstore managers selected The Jesus I Never Knew as the 1996 Book of the Year, and in 1998 What鈥檚 So Amazing About Grace? won the same award. His other recent books are Fearfully and Wonderfully: The Marvel of Bearing God鈥檚 Image; Vanishing Grace: Bringing Good News to a Deeply Divided World; The Question that Never Goes Away; What Good Is God?; Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?; Soul Survivor; and Reaching for the Invisible God. In 2009 a daily reader was published, compiled from excerpts of his work: Grace Notes.
The Yanceys lived in downtown Chicago for many years before moving to a very different environment in Colorado. Together they enjoy mountain climbing, skiing, hiking, and all the other delights of the Rocky Mountains.
Visit Philip online:
Catch his monthly blog:
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 475 reviews
July 2, 2012
I read this many years ago for someone else's benefit. You know, when you saw what they're problem was and bought a book to help them. It didn't really mean anything to me then. Of course, I was only 19 years old. Now at 42, I find myself disappointed. Actually, disappointed is too gracious of a word. Jaded, cynical at times. Sad, tired mostly. Waiting for this period of my life to be done and for things to return to normal with God. This book, I hope, was a small step in that direction.
September 1, 2016
Phillip Yancey writes with such honesty and compassion. You get the feeling that there is nothing about the hard life of faith that could shock him or make him think poorly of you. In this book he tackles three questions he says aren't admitted or discussed enough among Christians. Is God unfair? Is he silent? Is he hidden?
Even though this isn't one of his better books, Yancey still wrestles with these questions well. He makes some points so well that although I had considered them before, it was obvious I needed to reconsider.
It's hard to write about doubt well. Despite some of the personal stories he shared at the end, I never could shake the feeling that he was writing from a place of a foreigner to the land of deep doubt. Without making a comment on his personal life, this book just doesn't convey the feeling of someone who has spent sleepless nights terrified that they might be wrong about this loving God they follow. Nonetheless, I'm grateful that people like him bring their voices to the topic of doubting God.
Even though this isn't one of his better books, Yancey still wrestles with these questions well. He makes some points so well that although I had considered them before, it was obvious I needed to reconsider.
It's hard to write about doubt well. Despite some of the personal stories he shared at the end, I never could shake the feeling that he was writing from a place of a foreigner to the land of deep doubt. Without making a comment on his personal life, this book just doesn't convey the feeling of someone who has spent sleepless nights terrified that they might be wrong about this loving God they follow. Nonetheless, I'm grateful that people like him bring their voices to the topic of doubting God.
May 8, 2014
The major part I most admired about this book is the author's honesty. There are no shallow Christian cliches or well-intended remedies for those walking through grief. Disappointment with God is real and even the most mature of Christians come to experience the great well of anger or sorrow when stripped by the harshness of life. I truly appreciate the approach Yancey took to wrestling with this disappointment with God. He takes the reader through the history of mankind, from the OT when God was manifesting Himself day and night, to when Christ came in the flesh, to the age of the Holy Spirit. It is humbling to be reminded that God's miracles and face-to-face encounters never produced lasting faith or joy (we are no better than the Israelites!). And it also true that even God in the flesh as Christ, a part of our ordinary life, wasn't enough to secure our faith in Him. The Life of His very Spirit has to be reproduced in us in order to secure us with His abiding presence, promises, and love. The indwelling life of Christ is what births endurance, faith, and hope. Yancey, taking his readers through the book of Job and various Biblical accounts, anchors our faith, even in the midst of crippling disappointments and sufferings, in the knowledge of the true character of our loving and patient God. Each chapter of this book covered a different layer to our experiences of disappointment. Yancey isn't afraid to cover the raw questions we all feel inside when God seems "hidden" from us in our pain. This book was good counsel for my tender heart.
July 14, 2021
Phillip Yancey attempts to provide answers for three questions that can rattle the faith of any theist; Is God unfair? Is He silent? Is He hidden? Not through philosophy but through the Christian faith and how the Bible addresses these issues throughout the old and new testaments with a focus on the story of Job, alongside a few personal stories of the author's friends one of whom鈥擱ichard鈥攍ost his faith because of those same questions.
The book is wonderfully written in a way that's organized and easy to follow. The first half tries to analyze God and His actions seen through the lens of the Bible vs our own expectations of Him. The second half uses that analysis to try and answer those 3 questions. (I really liked how Yancey chose to use biblical verses in his chapters while leaving the refrences for the end of the chapter)
I found some of the arguments presented to be very beautiful, some others I already knew and agree with. I found a couple of arguments honestly irrelevant. And I really wished some ideas would be mentioned but weren't. Anyways, the book as a whole does a really good job of discussing these questions in light of Christian faith, yet I couldn't help but notice how this book is influenced by western culture and its problems, because although these questions plague every believer no matter their ethnicity, the entitlement of western society and their reliance on miracles as a proof of faith is itself an obstacle to profound faith thus the author had to state some basic concepts of Christianity that don't receive much attention anymore in the west and aren't a part of the rhetoric they regularly hear in sermons, which I completely understand. That's why I feel like these same topics would have been tackled a bit differently had the book been written by someone with an eastern Christian background. Nevertheless, I greatly enjoyed this book and learned from it especially that I have pondered the answers to those questions countless times before and still do from time to time.
The book is wonderfully written in a way that's organized and easy to follow. The first half tries to analyze God and His actions seen through the lens of the Bible vs our own expectations of Him. The second half uses that analysis to try and answer those 3 questions. (I really liked how Yancey chose to use biblical verses in his chapters while leaving the refrences for the end of the chapter)
I found some of the arguments presented to be very beautiful, some others I already knew and agree with. I found a couple of arguments honestly irrelevant. And I really wished some ideas would be mentioned but weren't. Anyways, the book as a whole does a really good job of discussing these questions in light of Christian faith, yet I couldn't help but notice how this book is influenced by western culture and its problems, because although these questions plague every believer no matter their ethnicity, the entitlement of western society and their reliance on miracles as a proof of faith is itself an obstacle to profound faith thus the author had to state some basic concepts of Christianity that don't receive much attention anymore in the west and aren't a part of the rhetoric they regularly hear in sermons, which I completely understand. That's why I feel like these same topics would have been tackled a bit differently had the book been written by someone with an eastern Christian background. Nevertheless, I greatly enjoyed this book and learned from it especially that I have pondered the answers to those questions countless times before and still do from time to time.
April 26, 2010
Yancy begins his book with examples of circumstances from several Christians who have suffered greatly and feel disappointed with or abandoned by God. The author chooses the situation of Richard, the person suffering the least of the examples (but a fellow author), to follow throughout the book.
Using OT scriptures, Mr. Yancy tries to explain the mind of God. His attempt actually turns eerie (downright creepy) when Yancy imagines himself as God questioning in his mind whether or not man would obey when created.
It is my opinion that Mr. Yancy conveys the message that those who are disappointed in God are pretenders. They are people who never had 鈥渞eal鈥� faith so they never were true believers. Instead of helping a friend out of a spiritual depression, Mr. Yancy slapped him down and decided he just did not have enough faith.
There was no compassion in the book for the suffering Christian. Mr. Yancy has his own experience being a pretender as he explains in the book that he deliberately pretended to be a Christian in college until one day he began praying out loud and 鈥渉ad a vision of Jesus鈥�. It is also my opinion that Mr. Yancy鈥檚 answers in this book are no better than the callous conversations the friends of Job had for his sufferings.
Mr. Yancy鈥檚 questions in the book were:
1. Is God unfair?
2. Is God silent?
3. Is God hidden?
My questions for Mr. Yancy are:
1. Are you trying to prove the old adage 鈥淐hristians shoot their wounded鈥�?
2. Do you have no compassion for a suffering Christian?
3. Did a tree have to die for this book?
I would never recommend this book to a Christian who is going through trials.
Using OT scriptures, Mr. Yancy tries to explain the mind of God. His attempt actually turns eerie (downright creepy) when Yancy imagines himself as God questioning in his mind whether or not man would obey when created.
It is my opinion that Mr. Yancy conveys the message that those who are disappointed in God are pretenders. They are people who never had 鈥渞eal鈥� faith so they never were true believers. Instead of helping a friend out of a spiritual depression, Mr. Yancy slapped him down and decided he just did not have enough faith.
There was no compassion in the book for the suffering Christian. Mr. Yancy has his own experience being a pretender as he explains in the book that he deliberately pretended to be a Christian in college until one day he began praying out loud and 鈥渉ad a vision of Jesus鈥�. It is also my opinion that Mr. Yancy鈥檚 answers in this book are no better than the callous conversations the friends of Job had for his sufferings.
Mr. Yancy鈥檚 questions in the book were:
1. Is God unfair?
2. Is God silent?
3. Is God hidden?
My questions for Mr. Yancy are:
1. Are you trying to prove the old adage 鈥淐hristians shoot their wounded鈥�?
2. Do you have no compassion for a suffering Christian?
3. Did a tree have to die for this book?
I would never recommend this book to a Christian who is going through trials.
September 17, 2015
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July 6, 2015
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丕賱氐賵乇 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳賷丞 丕賱鬲賷 賯丿賲鬲 賮賷 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 氐賵乇 賵丕賯毓賷丞 鬲丨丿孬 亘丕賱賮毓賱 丨賵賱賳丕
賵丕賱鬲爻丕丐賱丕鬲 賳乇丕賴丕 賮賷 丕賱毓賷賵賳 賵賮賵賯 丕賱卮賮丕賴 賮賷 兀賵賯丕鬲 賳丕丿乇丞
廿賱丕 兀賳 丕賱廿噩丕亘丕鬲 丕賱鬲賷 賯丿賲賴丕 丕賱賲丐賱賮 賱丕 鬲賰賮賷 賱賱乇丿 亘丨夭賲 賵廿賯賳丕毓 賰丕賮
賮囟賱丕賸 毓賳 兀賳 丕賱賲丐賱賮 賮賷 丕賱賳賴丕賷丞 賯丿 兀賵囟丨 兀賳 丕賱廿賷賲丕賳 爻賷賳亘毓 賲賳 丕賱丿丕禺賱 賲賴賲丕 賯丿賲 賲賳 廿噩丕亘丕鬲 毓賯賱賷丞
賵毓賳丿賴 丨賯 賮賷 匕賱賰
賮賰賱 丕賱廿噩丕亘丕鬲 丕賱匕賰賷丞 賵丕賱賲賯賳毓丞 賱賳 鬲鬲噩丕賵夭 賯賱亘丕賸 賲賵氐賵丿丕賸 兀賲丕賲 丕賱廿賷賲丕賳
丕賱賯賱亘 賴賳丕 氐賵鬲賴 兀毓賱賷
November 30, 2014
賰鬲丕亘 爻卅 賱賱睾丕賷丞 ... 胤乇丨 兀爻卅賱丞 賵賵毓丿賰 亘丕噩丕亘鬲賴丕 毓賱賷 賲丿丕乇 丕賱氐賮丨丕鬲 ... 孬賲 鬲鬲賵丕賱賷 丕賱氐賮丨丞 賵乇丕亍 丕賱兀禺乇賷 賵賱丕 鬲噩丿 兀賷 丕噩丕亘丞 毓賱賷 丕賱兀爻卅賱丞貙 賱丕 鬲噩丿 爻賵賷 鬲胤賵賷賱 賵賲胤 賵鬲賰乇丕乇 賱賱丕賮賰丕乇 丕賱賲爻鬲賴賱賰丞 賲賳 賯乇賵賳 ... 賰賲丕 兀賳 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 爻毓賷 賱鬲賯爻賷賲 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 亘丕賱賳賲胤 丕賱賱丕賴賵鬲賷 丕賱賲丿乇爻賷 丕賱鬲賯賱賷丿賷貙 亘鬲賮氐賷氐 丕賱孬丕賱賵孬 賮賷 丿乇丕爻鬲賴 賱孬賱丕孬丞 賵噩賵賴 賵賵丿乇丕爻丞 賰賱 賲賳賴賲 賮賷 鬲亘賵賷亘 賲賳賮氐賱貙 賮氐丿乇 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 亘睾賷乇 鬲爻賱爻賱 賵丕囟丨 賱賱賲毓賳賷 丕賵 鬲乇丕亘胤 亘賷賳 丕賱丕賮賰丕乇 賮賯胤 賱賷賱鬲夭賲 亘賴匕丕 丕賱鬲賯爻賷賲 丕賱毓賯賷賲貙 賱賲 賷賰賳 賴賳丕賰 丕賷 丿丕毓賷 賱賴匕丕 丕賱鬲賯爻賷賲 丕賱匕賷 賱賲 賷禺丿賲 丕賱賮賰乇丞 亘賱 丕丿禺賱賴丕 賮賷 賲鬲丕賴丞 賲囟賷賮丕 氐毓賵亘丞 丕賱賷 氐毓賵亘丞 丕賱賲賵囟賵毓 丕賱賲毓丕賱噩 賱賲 賷賰賳 丕賱賯丕乇卅 賮賷 丨丕噩丞 丕賱賷賴 ... 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 睾賷乇 賲賮賷丿 丕胤賱丕賯丕! ... 賱賲 賷噩賷亘 毓賱賷 卮卅貙 賵賱賲 賷胤乇丨 賲丕 賱賲 賷胤乇丨 賲賳 賯亘賱 亘賱 賰乇乇 丕賱丕爻卅賱丞 丕賱賲毓乇賵賮丞 丕賱鬲賷 賮賱爻賮賷丕 賷氐毓亘 丕賱丕噩丕亘丞 毓賱賷賴丕 賵賱丕賴賵鬲賷丕 賷爻鬲丨賷賱 丕噩丕亘鬲賴丕貙 丨賯賷賯丞 丕鬲毓噩亘 賱賲丕匕丕 丕爻鬲禺丿賲 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 賰賱 鬲賱賰 丕賱氐賮丨丕鬲 賮賷 賯氐氐 賱丕 賮丕卅丿丞 賲賳賴丕 爻賵賷 丕孬亘丕鬲 丨亘 丕賱賱賴 賵丨夭賳賴 賵噩乇丨賴貙 乇睾賲 丕賳 賴匕丕 賱賷爻 賲賵囟賵毓 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 丕賵 毓賳賵丕賳賴 丕賵 丨鬲賷 毓賳丕賵賷賳 賮氐賵賱賴貙 丕賳 賰丕賳 賷乇賷丿 丕賳 賷賰鬲亘 毓賳 鬲賱賰 丕賱賲賵丕囟賷毓 賮賱丕 賲丕賳毓 亘丕賱胤亘毓貙 賵賱賰賳 賲丕丕賱賴丿賮 賲賳 丕賯丨丕賲 賯氐丞 丕賱丕爻卅賱丞 睾賷乇 丕賱賲噩丕亘 毓賳賴丕 賵丕賱賵毓丿 亘丕噩丕亘鬲賴丕 賵賰兀賳賴丕 丕賱賲賵囟賵毓 丕賱丕爻丕爻賷 毓亘乇 氐賮丨丕鬲 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 責 丕鬲賵賯毓 丕賳 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 賮卮賱 賮賷 丕賱丕噩丕亘丞 賮賲丕 賰丕賳 賲賳賴 丕賱丕 兀賳 賲賱兀 氐賮丨丕鬲 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 亘亘囟丕毓丞 賱丕賴賵鬲賷丞 賲爻鬲賴賱丞 毓賳 丨亘 丕賱賱賴 賵丨夭賳賴 丿賵賳 丕賷 丕囟丕賮丞 賮賰乇賷丞 丕賵 鬲兀賲賱賷丞 賮賷 丕賱賲賵囟賵毓 丕賱兀爻丕爻賷 ... 丕賱禺賱丕氐丞 貙 賱丕 鬲氐丿賯 賵毓賵丿 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 亘丕賳鬲馗丕乇 丕噩丕亘丕鬲貙 丕賳賴 賮賯胤 賷乇賷丿 乇亘胤賰 亘丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賲賳鬲馗乇丕 丕賱丕噩丕亘丞) 丨鬲賷 丌禺乇 氐賮丨丞 ... 賱丕 賷賳氐丨 亘賯乇丕亍鬲賴)
September 24, 2013
Is God unfair? Silent? Hidden?
Where is God when you need Him?
I know every Christian has fought this battle when things go wrong and evil seems to reign in the form of disasters beyond our means, but as I was reading this book- Phillip took me through the Bible and shed light on God, people and His hope and dreams for us as His children.
I did get to understand better- and have a new perspective on the Bible and the stories told in there, and this has prompted me to read the Bible again, by going through each story and taking in details that I was oblivious of.
It's a good book, one that you can read when it seems that God has let you down, or a friend. The down side about this book though is that- if you are truly angry at God, reading this will require you to sober up and be willing to listen to another point of view...and that I confess might be quite a challenge.
Where is God when you need Him?
I know every Christian has fought this battle when things go wrong and evil seems to reign in the form of disasters beyond our means, but as I was reading this book- Phillip took me through the Bible and shed light on God, people and His hope and dreams for us as His children.
I did get to understand better- and have a new perspective on the Bible and the stories told in there, and this has prompted me to read the Bible again, by going through each story and taking in details that I was oblivious of.
It's a good book, one that you can read when it seems that God has let you down, or a friend. The down side about this book though is that- if you are truly angry at God, reading this will require you to sober up and be willing to listen to another point of view...and that I confess might be quite a challenge.
March 23, 2012
pg. 236 - From Job, we can learn that much more is going on out there than we may suspect. Job felt the weight of God's absence; but a look behind the curtain reveals that in one sense God had never been more present.
pg. 245 - The Bible never belittles human disappointment (remember the proportion in Job - one chapter of restoration follows forty-one chapters of anguish), but it does add one key word: temporary. What we feel now, we will not always feel. Our disappointment is itself a sign, an aching, a hunger for something better. And faith is, in the end, a kind of homesickness - for a home we have never visited but have never once stopped longing for.
pg. 245 - The Bible never belittles human disappointment (remember the proportion in Job - one chapter of restoration follows forty-one chapters of anguish), but it does add one key word: temporary. What we feel now, we will not always feel. Our disappointment is itself a sign, an aching, a hunger for something better. And faith is, in the end, a kind of homesickness - for a home we have never visited but have never once stopped longing for.
August 2, 2014
A difficult topic tackled with empathy and skill
19 November 2014
The topic of 'if God is good and all powerful then why does he allow suffering' is a difficult topic at best and when you need to tackle it emphatically it becomes almost impossible. Actually, anything to do with Christianity, where you are trying to balance the esoteric truth of the faith with people's feelings is, once again, a very difficult task. Mind you, if you want to write a Christian book that explains Christianity without offending anybody then, well, you might as well look for another topic to tackle because whatever way you approach the topic you are going to offend somebody.
The question of suffering is one of those questions that has plagued humanity for centuries, though I must say that the short (if unempathetic answer) to that question is 'if there was no suffering then we would be in heaven already'. Further, the reason why God does not intervene is because he is a merciful God. Basically, if God were to return in two minutes time and obliterate everybody who has upset another person then, well, there will be nobody left because I assure you that we all have done something, whether intentionally or not, to upset another person (and that is not going into the debate as to whether our actions were right or wrong).
Anyway, I believe that Yancy has tackled this topic superbly because I believe that he outlines the situation quite well. He also effectively tackles the the questions: Why is God Silent; why does God not reveal himself; and why does God not act. Well, the simple answer is, and he points to the book of Exodus to show us, is that if God did audibly speak, if God did make himself visible to us, and if God did perform miracles, then we would still spit in his face.
Basically, the book of Exodus begins with the Israelites enslaved in Egypt, and then God comes along. In a great display of power he obliterates the Egyptian army and guides the former slaves (along with all of the wealth that they had plundered from the Egyptians) out into the desert. Since deserts are well known for their lack of food and water, he then miraculously makes bread (and meat) appear, as well as arranging for water to gush out of a rock. All the time he is hovering in front of the Israelites as a pillar of cloud at night and a pillar of fire during the day. Oh, he also spoke audibly to Moses, and told them what they needed to do to be on his right side.
How did the Israelites respond? They complained about how bad their lot was, that they had been dragged out into the desert to die, and pined for a return to their life of slavery.
Talk about gratitude.
But, as Yancey points out here, and in other parts of the bible, just because God is visible, is audible, and performs great and powerful feats of magic (if you want to call it magic) does not mean that we will all bow down and worship him and dedicate our lives to him. So what that shows us is that if somebody comes up to you and says 'I'll only worship God if he revealed himself to me' you can, with a cheeky smile on your face, say, 'I bet you won't'.
That comment on a bet leads me to the next part of this dissertation because that is the main theme that runs through the book of Job, to which Yancey dedicates the second part of his book. The idea here is not so much looking at Job's predicament from a bottom up view, but coming to understand it from a divine view. Basically, as a lot of pastors have suggested, the thing about the Book of Job is that we see what is happening to Job from a heavenly point of view. Further, it seems to come about as a wager between God and Satan. Now, many of us baulk at this idea that God and Satan are having bets over our lives, and that God is bowing to Satan's demands, but consider that Satan does have a point 鈥� Job has been exceedingly blessed by God and Satan's argument is that the only reason that Job loves God is because God showers him with gifts.
And that is true 鈥� if you have money, and lots of it, you can get a lot of people to do things for you by showering gifts on them. I'm sure you have heard of the term Trophy Wife. This is where a wealthy man buys himself a wife, not in the sense that you go to an action house, or a third world country (or a people smuggler) but simply find a woman who is amicable to being showered with gifts and money, and continue to do so until you tire of her. While not everybody can be bought, there are certainly an awful lot of people out there who can.
So, what is the deal then? Well, the deal comes down to the question of love. God wants us to love him, and love him through thick and thin. However, love cannot be bought, and love cannot be induced by fear. God loves us unconditionally, and he wants the same in return, not a conditional love where we say 'I'll love you God, but only if you shower me with wealth and make my life a happy life with no problems' nor does he want a love that comes about through fear, because instilling obedience through fear does not generate love, it just generates resentfulness. Thus, because God loves us, and because he wants us to love him unconditionally, and because the world in which we live is a fallen world, God withdraws himself, and sometimes he will appear to withdraw himself even more, watching us, and waiting for that time when we will be remade in the image that we were supposed to be, not the image that we bear now.
19 November 2014
The topic of 'if God is good and all powerful then why does he allow suffering' is a difficult topic at best and when you need to tackle it emphatically it becomes almost impossible. Actually, anything to do with Christianity, where you are trying to balance the esoteric truth of the faith with people's feelings is, once again, a very difficult task. Mind you, if you want to write a Christian book that explains Christianity without offending anybody then, well, you might as well look for another topic to tackle because whatever way you approach the topic you are going to offend somebody.
The question of suffering is one of those questions that has plagued humanity for centuries, though I must say that the short (if unempathetic answer) to that question is 'if there was no suffering then we would be in heaven already'. Further, the reason why God does not intervene is because he is a merciful God. Basically, if God were to return in two minutes time and obliterate everybody who has upset another person then, well, there will be nobody left because I assure you that we all have done something, whether intentionally or not, to upset another person (and that is not going into the debate as to whether our actions were right or wrong).
Anyway, I believe that Yancy has tackled this topic superbly because I believe that he outlines the situation quite well. He also effectively tackles the the questions: Why is God Silent; why does God not reveal himself; and why does God not act. Well, the simple answer is, and he points to the book of Exodus to show us, is that if God did audibly speak, if God did make himself visible to us, and if God did perform miracles, then we would still spit in his face.
Basically, the book of Exodus begins with the Israelites enslaved in Egypt, and then God comes along. In a great display of power he obliterates the Egyptian army and guides the former slaves (along with all of the wealth that they had plundered from the Egyptians) out into the desert. Since deserts are well known for their lack of food and water, he then miraculously makes bread (and meat) appear, as well as arranging for water to gush out of a rock. All the time he is hovering in front of the Israelites as a pillar of cloud at night and a pillar of fire during the day. Oh, he also spoke audibly to Moses, and told them what they needed to do to be on his right side.
How did the Israelites respond? They complained about how bad their lot was, that they had been dragged out into the desert to die, and pined for a return to their life of slavery.
Talk about gratitude.
But, as Yancey points out here, and in other parts of the bible, just because God is visible, is audible, and performs great and powerful feats of magic (if you want to call it magic) does not mean that we will all bow down and worship him and dedicate our lives to him. So what that shows us is that if somebody comes up to you and says 'I'll only worship God if he revealed himself to me' you can, with a cheeky smile on your face, say, 'I bet you won't'.
That comment on a bet leads me to the next part of this dissertation because that is the main theme that runs through the book of Job, to which Yancey dedicates the second part of his book. The idea here is not so much looking at Job's predicament from a bottom up view, but coming to understand it from a divine view. Basically, as a lot of pastors have suggested, the thing about the Book of Job is that we see what is happening to Job from a heavenly point of view. Further, it seems to come about as a wager between God and Satan. Now, many of us baulk at this idea that God and Satan are having bets over our lives, and that God is bowing to Satan's demands, but consider that Satan does have a point 鈥� Job has been exceedingly blessed by God and Satan's argument is that the only reason that Job loves God is because God showers him with gifts.
And that is true 鈥� if you have money, and lots of it, you can get a lot of people to do things for you by showering gifts on them. I'm sure you have heard of the term Trophy Wife. This is where a wealthy man buys himself a wife, not in the sense that you go to an action house, or a third world country (or a people smuggler) but simply find a woman who is amicable to being showered with gifts and money, and continue to do so until you tire of her. While not everybody can be bought, there are certainly an awful lot of people out there who can.
So, what is the deal then? Well, the deal comes down to the question of love. God wants us to love him, and love him through thick and thin. However, love cannot be bought, and love cannot be induced by fear. God loves us unconditionally, and he wants the same in return, not a conditional love where we say 'I'll love you God, but only if you shower me with wealth and make my life a happy life with no problems' nor does he want a love that comes about through fear, because instilling obedience through fear does not generate love, it just generates resentfulness. Thus, because God loves us, and because he wants us to love him unconditionally, and because the world in which we live is a fallen world, God withdraws himself, and sometimes he will appear to withdraw himself even more, watching us, and waiting for that time when we will be remade in the image that we were supposed to be, not the image that we bear now.
April 20, 2025
This book is for you if you've struggled with quantifying the brokenness and evil of the world with a supposedly good God. Yancey looks at three questions: Is God unfair? Is God silent? Is God hidden? from the book of Job.
I must say that reading his memoir has given me a greater respect for this book.
I must say that reading his memoir has given me a greater respect for this book.
August 15, 2017
This--everybody who has ever even tangentially been connected to Christianity should read this. Yancey does a phenomenal job in this two-part book (one book but really two halves: how we are disappointed and a case study of disappointment via Job) of never glossing the real anger and pain we can feel toward God. He says he's not going to be an apologist for God, but he kinda is--and that's okay, because he does it in such a way that it's not "buck up because God's God and that's that." He acknowledges sorrow, and loss, and uncertainty, and gives them space in the life of faith because they are absolutely part of the creations we are.
Yancey expects certain things of his readers: you have to be familiar with the Bible at least a little and he's not going to help you with chapter-and-verse-specific references. He puts in Scripture and expects you to connect his endnotes. And he's certainly not shy about his own background and influences, so if you're offended by authors like C.S. Lewis and the idea that God is truly omnipotent, you're just going to get frustrated with this.
But it's a great read and my neck hurt from nodding so much; it resonated strongly, clearly, and I'm going to go buy my own copy so I don't steal this one from the friend who very kindly loaned this to me.
Yancey expects certain things of his readers: you have to be familiar with the Bible at least a little and he's not going to help you with chapter-and-verse-specific references. He puts in Scripture and expects you to connect his endnotes. And he's certainly not shy about his own background and influences, so if you're offended by authors like C.S. Lewis and the idea that God is truly omnipotent, you're just going to get frustrated with this.
But it's a great read and my neck hurt from nodding so much; it resonated strongly, clearly, and I'm going to go buy my own copy so I don't steal this one from the friend who very kindly loaned this to me.
June 3, 2009
I really enjoyed this book. It deals with the topic of how sometimes (or most times) we feel like God isn't near us. We go through tough times and wonder where God is in all of that, but really, another way to view it is where are we in all of this? What is our response to God when we endure heartache or disease?
Many people want to see God, to have miracles happen all the time, to have every prayer answered. Philip Yancey gives some good arguments as to why God doesn't do this. It's not because he doesn't care or he's not powerful. It's because back in the day, when he did those things with the Israelites, they turned away from Him. It's like a damned if you do, damned if you don't scenario. A really interesting way of thinking about things, though.
Many people want to see God, to have miracles happen all the time, to have every prayer answered. Philip Yancey gives some good arguments as to why God doesn't do this. It's not because he doesn't care or he's not powerful. It's because back in the day, when he did those things with the Israelites, they turned away from Him. It's like a damned if you do, damned if you don't scenario. A really interesting way of thinking about things, though.
October 6, 2019
What a classic treatment of a generations long issue. Why me? Why doesn't God answer me? Phillip Yancey is incredibility honest and thorough in his look at a question most of us have wondered but been afraid to ask. I read this book many years ago but I was at a point in my life that I needed to read it again. I had just finished reading the Biblical book of Job so that was fresh in my mind and Yancey gives a different perspective on the theme of Job. Disappoint With God gets rather heavy and didactic in the middle but I encourage readers to hang in there and plow through. Get what you can from this reading and read it again in six months or a year. You will gleam new truths each time.
February 2, 2022
Couldn't recommend more highly for anyone struggling with questions about God's character, choices, etc.
September 20, 2018
Phillip Yancey discusses in great detail about many aspects of our disappointment with God. But is it true disappointment or just our inability to understand God and what the Bible teaches us? I would lean toward the absolute belief that we have a tough time understanding the teachings from the Heavenly because we are so worldly. Colossians 3:2 says "Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth." Yet, even with such a caveat, we still lean toward the world in which we live. He spends several chapters discussing Job and many people with whom he had discussions or interviews. Well worth the read for those who seem to misunderstand God and His teachings.
The Bible never belittles human disappointment (remember the proportion in Job 鈥� one chapter of restoration follows forty-one chapters of anguish), but it does add one key word: temporary. What we feel now, we will not always feel. Our disappointment is itself a sign, an aching, a hunger for something better. And faith is, in the end, a kind of homesickness 鈥� for a home we have never visited but have never once stopped longing for. ~Phillip Yancey, DISAPPOINTMENT WITH GOD
This book also serves as a study guide for discussion, self or group, with a list of questions for each chapter.
The Bible never belittles human disappointment (remember the proportion in Job 鈥� one chapter of restoration follows forty-one chapters of anguish), but it does add one key word: temporary. What we feel now, we will not always feel. Our disappointment is itself a sign, an aching, a hunger for something better. And faith is, in the end, a kind of homesickness 鈥� for a home we have never visited but have never once stopped longing for. ~Phillip Yancey, DISAPPOINTMENT WITH GOD
This book also serves as a study guide for discussion, self or group, with a list of questions for each chapter.
April 15, 2013
賰鬲丕亘 噩賲賷賱 毓亘丕乇丞 毓賳 賯爻賲賷賳 丕賱賯爻賲 丕賱丕賵賱 賲賳賴 賱丕 賷爻鬲丨賯 丕賰孬乇 賲賳 3 賳噩賵賲 丕賵 丕賯賱 賮賴賵 賲噩乇丿 爻乇丿 毓丕丿賶 賱丕丨丿丕孬 賵鬲賴賷卅丞 賱賱賯爻賲 丕賱孬丕賳賶 賵賱賰賳 丕賱賯爻賲 丕賱孬丕賳賶 噩賲賷賱 噩丿丕 乇睾賲 丕賳 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 賱賲 賷賯丿賲 鬲亘氐乇丕鬲賴 丕賱卮禺氐賷丞 賵賱賰賳 丕毓鬲賲丿 毓賱賶 賰鬲丕亘丕鬲 爻賶 丕爻 賱賵賷爻 賵亘丿賵賳賴丕 賱賲 賷賰賲 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賱賷賯丿賲 噩丿賷丿丕
賵乇睾賲 匕賱賰 賷亘賯賶 丕噩丕亘丞 噩賷丿丞 噩丿丕 毓賱賶 丕賱孬賱丕孬丞 丕爻卅賱丞 丕賱丕氐毓亘 賵丕賱匕賶 丕毓鬲賯丿 丕賳賴賲 爻丐丕賱 賵丕丨丿 賮賶 丕賱賳賴丕賷丞 賵賴賵 丕賷賳 丕賱賱賴 賮賶 丕賱囟賷賯丞
賱賲丕匕丕 賷禺鬲賮賶 丕賱賱賴 賮賶 賵爻胤 丕賱囟賷賯丕鬲 賵
賷賯丿賲 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 丕賱孬賱丕丞 丕爻卅賱丞 賮賶 丕胤丕乇 丨賷丕丞 卮禺氐 丕爻賲賴 乇卮賷丿 賵賷賯丿賲 丕賲孬賱丞 賲賳 丕卮禺丕氐 丕禺乇賷賳 賱賴賲 賳賮爻 丕賱丕禺鬲亘丕乇
丕賱賰鬲丕亘 毓丕賲丞 噩賷丿 賵爻賴賱 丕賱賯乇丕亍丞 亘丿賵賳 鬲毓賯賷丿 賷丨賲賱 丕賱毓丿賷丿 賲賳 丕賱鬲亘氐乇丕鬲 賵氐丕丿賯 丕賱賶 丕亘毓丿 丨丿
賵賱賰賳 亘毓囟 丕賱丕乇丕亍 賮賷賴 鬲丨鬲丕噩 丕賱賶 賲乇丕噩毓丞 丕賵 囟亘胤 丕亘丕卅賶 丨鬲賶 賷爻鬲丨賯 賳噩賲丞 丕禺乇賶
賵賱賰賳賴 賷賯丿賲 丕噩丕亘丞 氐乇賷丨丞 賱賲卮賰賱丞 丕賱丕賱賲 賮賶 丕爻賱賵亘 卮賷賯 賵亘爻賷胤
賵賲賳 丕賱賰鬲亘 丕賱鬲賶 賷賲賰賳 賯乇丕亍鬲賴丕 賲乇丕鬲 毓丿賷丿丞 亘丿賵賳 賲賱賱
賵乇睾賲 匕賱賰 賷亘賯賶 丕噩丕亘丞 噩賷丿丞 噩丿丕 毓賱賶 丕賱孬賱丕孬丞 丕爻卅賱丞 丕賱丕氐毓亘 賵丕賱匕賶 丕毓鬲賯丿 丕賳賴賲 爻丐丕賱 賵丕丨丿 賮賶 丕賱賳賴丕賷丞 賵賴賵 丕賷賳 丕賱賱賴 賮賶 丕賱囟賷賯丞
賱賲丕匕丕 賷禺鬲賮賶 丕賱賱賴 賮賶 賵爻胤 丕賱囟賷賯丕鬲 賵
賷賯丿賲 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 丕賱孬賱丕丞 丕爻卅賱丞 賮賶 丕胤丕乇 丨賷丕丞 卮禺氐 丕爻賲賴 乇卮賷丿 賵賷賯丿賲 丕賲孬賱丞 賲賳 丕卮禺丕氐 丕禺乇賷賳 賱賴賲 賳賮爻 丕賱丕禺鬲亘丕乇
丕賱賰鬲丕亘 毓丕賲丞 噩賷丿 賵爻賴賱 丕賱賯乇丕亍丞 亘丿賵賳 鬲毓賯賷丿 賷丨賲賱 丕賱毓丿賷丿 賲賳 丕賱鬲亘氐乇丕鬲 賵氐丕丿賯 丕賱賶 丕亘毓丿 丨丿
賵賱賰賳 亘毓囟 丕賱丕乇丕亍 賮賷賴 鬲丨鬲丕噩 丕賱賶 賲乇丕噩毓丞 丕賵 囟亘胤 丕亘丕卅賶 丨鬲賶 賷爻鬲丨賯 賳噩賲丞 丕禺乇賶
賵賱賰賳賴 賷賯丿賲 丕噩丕亘丞 氐乇賷丨丞 賱賲卮賰賱丞 丕賱丕賱賲 賮賶 丕爻賱賵亘 卮賷賯 賵亘爻賷胤
賵賲賳 丕賱賰鬲亘 丕賱鬲賶 賷賲賰賳 賯乇丕亍鬲賴丕 賲乇丕鬲 毓丿賷丿丞 亘丿賵賳 賲賱賱
April 3, 2019
A book worth multiple readings. I went back to it because the emotion has come up several times in recent conversations and I have known it in my own life. The other day in Sunday school one of my 6th grade students asked, 鈥淲hy doesn鈥檛 God do stuff today like he did in the Bible?鈥� Having spent much of my adult life as a missionary in the developing world, I am aware that God intervenes supernaturally much more in contexts where he is just beginning to be known than he does in places like North America. I was very interested in Yancy鈥檚 review of Old Testament history where God showed himself in plagues and in the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. His presence was undeniable, yet his people still rebelled instead of believing. God gave Solomon everything he wanted, yet Solomon squandered those gifts and wandered spiritually later in life. Despite God鈥檚 clear instructions (no doubt about what was expected with a choice between blessing and cursing), the Israelites ignored God鈥檚 law and then complained about the consequences. Yancy takes comfort in looking back. 鈥淲e may see the 鈥榙isadvantages鈥� to God鈥檚 closeup interventions: his Presence, too bright for us, leaves scorch marks; it creates distance; and worse, it doesn鈥檛 even seem to foster faith鈥�(p. 100). I was especially struck by the idea that miracles don鈥檛 foster faith. The image that came to my mind was a trainer who helps you lift the weights. Your own faith muscles will never develop if it is too easy.
Yancy paints a God whose desire is love not domination, hence the incarnation. 鈥淲hat could not be won through power, he would win through suffering鈥� (p. 100). Christ empties himself of the 鈥榙isadvantages鈥� of infinity. We say God is silent, hidden, unfair, but Jesus says, 鈥淔ollow me,鈥� he shows us the father and he participates in our suffering because his kingdom is not of this world. The Temptation shows Jesus refusing to take shortcuts, perhaps because he know such obvious miracles short-circuit faith and don鈥檛 allow it to grow. 鈥淗e is a king who wants not subservience, but love. Thus, rather than mowing down Jerusalem, Rome and every other worldly power, he chose the slow, hard way of Incarnation, love, and death. A conquest from within鈥� (p. 115).
鈥淢iracles attracted crowds, yes, but rarely encouraged long-term faithfulness鈥� (p. 116) Yancy points out. When Jesus healed, he often said, 鈥淭ell no one.鈥� Skeptics are always quick to explain away or suppress evidence. Yancy sees Jesus鈥� miracles as 鈥渟igns of his mission, previews of what God would someday do for all creation鈥� (p.118).
In Gethsemane and on the cross Jesus experienced the ultimate disappointment with God鈥擥od subjecting himself to the same suffering and darkness we suffer. He never forces anyone to believe. He makes possible an intimacy with God that powerful proof never could. Yancy quotes Hebrews 2:8-9 admitting, right now we can鈥檛 see it, but we do see Jesus and that makes all the difference. When Jesus returned to heaven, he delegated the kingdom of God to his disciples and gave us the Holy Spirit. Someone looking for God should be able to look at us and see him.鈥� Sobering.
As Yancy looks at the book of Job he sees that lots more is going on behind the scene than we can possibly know from our human perspective. Life is unfair, but God does not equal life. 鈥淲e need more than a miracle. We need a new heaven and a new earth, and until we have those, unfairness will not disappear鈥� (p. 186).
He quotes Paul Tournier, 鈥淲here there is no longer any opportunity for doubt, there is no longer any opportunity for faith either.鈥� Psalm 23, the Shepherd Psalm, describes childlike faith, but the psalm right before it, Psalm 22, is about fidelity鈥攆aith in the fog (p. 206). Rabbi Abraham Heschel says, 鈥淔aith like Job鈥檚 cannot be shaken, because it is the result of having been shaken鈥� (p. 208).
Yancy begins the book with a friend who abandons his faith because of his disappointment with God. He comes back to that friend鈥檚 struggle many times, even discussing the ideas of the book with him. This is a book that takes our doubts seriously even as it concludes with faith.
Yancy paints a God whose desire is love not domination, hence the incarnation. 鈥淲hat could not be won through power, he would win through suffering鈥� (p. 100). Christ empties himself of the 鈥榙isadvantages鈥� of infinity. We say God is silent, hidden, unfair, but Jesus says, 鈥淔ollow me,鈥� he shows us the father and he participates in our suffering because his kingdom is not of this world. The Temptation shows Jesus refusing to take shortcuts, perhaps because he know such obvious miracles short-circuit faith and don鈥檛 allow it to grow. 鈥淗e is a king who wants not subservience, but love. Thus, rather than mowing down Jerusalem, Rome and every other worldly power, he chose the slow, hard way of Incarnation, love, and death. A conquest from within鈥� (p. 115).
鈥淢iracles attracted crowds, yes, but rarely encouraged long-term faithfulness鈥� (p. 116) Yancy points out. When Jesus healed, he often said, 鈥淭ell no one.鈥� Skeptics are always quick to explain away or suppress evidence. Yancy sees Jesus鈥� miracles as 鈥渟igns of his mission, previews of what God would someday do for all creation鈥� (p.118).
In Gethsemane and on the cross Jesus experienced the ultimate disappointment with God鈥擥od subjecting himself to the same suffering and darkness we suffer. He never forces anyone to believe. He makes possible an intimacy with God that powerful proof never could. Yancy quotes Hebrews 2:8-9 admitting, right now we can鈥檛 see it, but we do see Jesus and that makes all the difference. When Jesus returned to heaven, he delegated the kingdom of God to his disciples and gave us the Holy Spirit. Someone looking for God should be able to look at us and see him.鈥� Sobering.
As Yancy looks at the book of Job he sees that lots more is going on behind the scene than we can possibly know from our human perspective. Life is unfair, but God does not equal life. 鈥淲e need more than a miracle. We need a new heaven and a new earth, and until we have those, unfairness will not disappear鈥� (p. 186).
He quotes Paul Tournier, 鈥淲here there is no longer any opportunity for doubt, there is no longer any opportunity for faith either.鈥� Psalm 23, the Shepherd Psalm, describes childlike faith, but the psalm right before it, Psalm 22, is about fidelity鈥攆aith in the fog (p. 206). Rabbi Abraham Heschel says, 鈥淔aith like Job鈥檚 cannot be shaken, because it is the result of having been shaken鈥� (p. 208).
Yancy begins the book with a friend who abandons his faith because of his disappointment with God. He comes back to that friend鈥檚 struggle many times, even discussing the ideas of the book with him. This is a book that takes our doubts seriously even as it concludes with faith.
September 19, 2020
Philip Yancey tackles three problems a lot of people have with God when they're in pain: God's apparent silence, hiddenness, and unfairness.
While his eventual conclusion is kind of the same as what one reaches at the end of the Book of Job--that sometimes we just don't know why suffering occurs, from a human perspective--I appreciated his respect for people who struggle and his honesty that even his exploration of this topic yields no satisfying answers for some.
As to God's apparent silence or hiddenness, Yancey submits that even when God doesn't "show up" in our lives, he has shown up in history in the person of Jesus Christ, and in so doing defeated death and suffering on a cosmic scale. This theme is echoed in my favorite novel, and a book of literary criticism I read on it, .
Yancey also suggests that even if God performed great obvious miracles, in our modern time, many people would choose not to believe in him anyway. I think that's probably true, although I don't necessarily believe that God used to do that either. I have trouble believing literally in much of the early part of the Old Testament.
I think it's the unfairness that I have the most difficulty with personally--not that I expect my life to be fair, but it's so hard to attribute good things to God unless we attribute bad things to him, too. Yancey tries to explain this, once again, through the ending of Job--that spiritual warfare exists, and we can't know what's happening on a grand scale, but that ultimately God isn't the one who subjects us to evil, although he created a world in which it is allowed to exist.
This argument is similar to the one in the book I read recently .
Ultimately what I found compelling about Yancey's book was his treatment of his friend Richard's ideas as nothing to be sneered at. Yancey explains that he understands how his friend's conclusion of agnosticism could be valid, but that Yancey himself still chooses to believe because of some early religious experiences he interpreted as being from God.
I loved this very honest take on faith in the face of suffering. Keeping one's faith can be a choice when we suffer, a choice we can make despite our lack of understanding. I can identify with this type of "fidelity" rather than "childlike" faith--a faith that can't accept things unquestioningly, but hangs on tightly when life gets impossibly harsh.
"...we time-bound creatures have only the most primitive manner of understanding: we can let time pass. Not until history has run its course will we understand how 'all things work together for good.' Faith means believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse. I have a friend who bristles at such a definition of faith: 鈥淵ou never blame God for the bad things and yet you give him credit for the good things!鈥� In a curious sort of way, my friend is right. That, I believe, is also what faith sometimes requires: trusting God when there is no apparent evidence of him鈥攁s Job did. Trusting in his ultimate goodness, a goodness that exists outside of time, a goodness that time has not yet caught up with."
While his eventual conclusion is kind of the same as what one reaches at the end of the Book of Job--that sometimes we just don't know why suffering occurs, from a human perspective--I appreciated his respect for people who struggle and his honesty that even his exploration of this topic yields no satisfying answers for some.
As to God's apparent silence or hiddenness, Yancey submits that even when God doesn't "show up" in our lives, he has shown up in history in the person of Jesus Christ, and in so doing defeated death and suffering on a cosmic scale. This theme is echoed in my favorite novel, and a book of literary criticism I read on it, .
Yancey also suggests that even if God performed great obvious miracles, in our modern time, many people would choose not to believe in him anyway. I think that's probably true, although I don't necessarily believe that God used to do that either. I have trouble believing literally in much of the early part of the Old Testament.
I think it's the unfairness that I have the most difficulty with personally--not that I expect my life to be fair, but it's so hard to attribute good things to God unless we attribute bad things to him, too. Yancey tries to explain this, once again, through the ending of Job--that spiritual warfare exists, and we can't know what's happening on a grand scale, but that ultimately God isn't the one who subjects us to evil, although he created a world in which it is allowed to exist.
This argument is similar to the one in the book I read recently .
Ultimately what I found compelling about Yancey's book was his treatment of his friend Richard's ideas as nothing to be sneered at. Yancey explains that he understands how his friend's conclusion of agnosticism could be valid, but that Yancey himself still chooses to believe because of some early religious experiences he interpreted as being from God.
I loved this very honest take on faith in the face of suffering. Keeping one's faith can be a choice when we suffer, a choice we can make despite our lack of understanding. I can identify with this type of "fidelity" rather than "childlike" faith--a faith that can't accept things unquestioningly, but hangs on tightly when life gets impossibly harsh.
"...we time-bound creatures have only the most primitive manner of understanding: we can let time pass. Not until history has run its course will we understand how 'all things work together for good.' Faith means believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse. I have a friend who bristles at such a definition of faith: 鈥淵ou never blame God for the bad things and yet you give him credit for the good things!鈥� In a curious sort of way, my friend is right. That, I believe, is also what faith sometimes requires: trusting God when there is no apparent evidence of him鈥攁s Job did. Trusting in his ultimate goodness, a goodness that exists outside of time, a goodness that time has not yet caught up with."
May 7, 2020
Actually six stars. I have never read a book which goes so deep in the questions of pain and suffering as this book by Philip Yancy and I have read quite a few. He poses three questions which many unbelievers and suffering Christians ask. Is God unfair? Is God hidden? Is God silent? To answer these questions he gives an amazing overview of the Old Testament and ends with an examination of the book Job. He plainly shows that the Bible does not teach the prosperity gospel, namely that all suffering and poverty will disappear if people believe in God and obey his commands. He does not give cheap answers to the problems of life. He shows that suffering won鈥檛 necessarily disappear. Our only hope lies in the future on the new earth. And all that God asks of us is not to reject God when everything around us is darkness and despair. Of course he doesn鈥檛 examine all the reasons for suffering, but that goes beyond the scope of this book. I differ on some of his views on certain persons and situations but that doesn鈥檛 spoil the fact that this book is a masterpiece.
January 29, 2023
One of the things I most admire about Yancey is his honesty. He answers three questions about God using teachings from the book of Job. Faith is at the centre of this book with Yancey producing valid questions and concerns.
October 19, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. The author does a good job with addressing some questions that may pop up when we have disappointment with God and i felt like they went over that in a clear way. It was overall a really good book
March 9, 2024
This book was really good. It looks at case studies of disappointment with God and in summary one has a choice to make. Experience disappointment with God or experience disappointment without God. Our hearts are homesick for a home it鈥檚 never known.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 7, 2024
A bit rambly for my taste but a few solid ideas to mull over and hang on to.
March 10, 2019
Yancey does what I can only feebly describe as weaving hard-hitting stories of pain and suffering gathered (notably, none of which magically morph into a happy fairytale ending) and a systematic yet accessible theological/philosophical treatment of the difficult subject into a brilliant tapestry of a book. The relatively short treatise (300 odd pages), borne out of approximately half a decade of study and many more years of experiencing the subject for himself, is also accompanied by a linguistic and stylistic flair, which few, at least those in the genre of Christian literature, can emulate; and that I suspect, has much to do with Yancey's professional experience as a journalist.
Chances are, you, like me, have been disappointed with life at some point in your life or perhaps too many points at that. Many tears have been wept and equal amounts of ink have been spilt both living and examining the ponderous subjects of disappointment and suffering. Yancey considers three main questions in this work: (1) Is God unfair? (2) Is God silent? (3) Is God hidden? In many respects, his work stands squarely on the shoulders of giants such as Augustine, C. S. Lewis, G. K. Chesterton, Kierkegaard and T.S. Eliot, to provide innumerable metaphors and allegories to illumine our understanding of suffering. Yancey also devotes about a third of the book to discussing the story of Job and does a remarkable job of highlighting relevant principles before relating them back to real life scenarios. Rather than provide pat answers, the author equips the inquirer with many general principles, which should be worth revisiting. As a matter of fact, I found it helpful to read some segments twice or perhaps thrice instead of hastening to complete the book.
What, for me, is the most evocative quality of the book is its unvarnished treatment of the personal stories of brokenness that the author himself has witnessed through his kith and kin. In this limited regard, I think Yancey's work stands apart from Timothy Keller's Walking with God through Pain and Suffering. What is also enlivening is the inquisitive spirit that undergirds Yancey's investigation into the subject, which I trust, is again a function of his journalistic endeavours. In the round, a great book.
Chances are, you, like me, have been disappointed with life at some point in your life or perhaps too many points at that. Many tears have been wept and equal amounts of ink have been spilt both living and examining the ponderous subjects of disappointment and suffering. Yancey considers three main questions in this work: (1) Is God unfair? (2) Is God silent? (3) Is God hidden? In many respects, his work stands squarely on the shoulders of giants such as Augustine, C. S. Lewis, G. K. Chesterton, Kierkegaard and T.S. Eliot, to provide innumerable metaphors and allegories to illumine our understanding of suffering. Yancey also devotes about a third of the book to discussing the story of Job and does a remarkable job of highlighting relevant principles before relating them back to real life scenarios. Rather than provide pat answers, the author equips the inquirer with many general principles, which should be worth revisiting. As a matter of fact, I found it helpful to read some segments twice or perhaps thrice instead of hastening to complete the book.
What, for me, is the most evocative quality of the book is its unvarnished treatment of the personal stories of brokenness that the author himself has witnessed through his kith and kin. In this limited regard, I think Yancey's work stands apart from Timothy Keller's Walking with God through Pain and Suffering. What is also enlivening is the inquisitive spirit that undergirds Yancey's investigation into the subject, which I trust, is again a function of his journalistic endeavours. In the round, a great book.
May 22, 2015
I've learnt so much from this book. There was a time in my life when I felt that it's not OK to feel disappointed with God, especially after hearing that other people around me say "have more faith" or "pray harder" or "stop complaining" or things happen because I'm not good enough, not Christian enough, not praying hard enough, not having a bigger faith, got giving my best to God. All these while I remain sceptical about how people around me define faith and prayer, as if those who are broken and disappointed have so little faith.
I love how the author of this book directs every main point to a Bible passage and cites some works of other authors that have written about the same issue. He writes with such compassion and from his personal stories that he shared, I can sense that he's the kind of person I would like to approach when I feel disappointed about life. He tries to understand and listen to a question or situation first before he concludes about how it relates to a certain Bible character or passage. There are no "feel-good Christianity" elements, which to be honest I happen to really hate after experiencing my first major disappointment in life. This is the kind of book that I would recommend to friends who share the same questions. This is the kind of book that makes me realise that the Bible never belittles human disappointment. Although all of the questions may be hard to answer, God is there, doing something in my life that I may not be able to understand yet.
I love how the author of this book directs every main point to a Bible passage and cites some works of other authors that have written about the same issue. He writes with such compassion and from his personal stories that he shared, I can sense that he's the kind of person I would like to approach when I feel disappointed about life. He tries to understand and listen to a question or situation first before he concludes about how it relates to a certain Bible character or passage. There are no "feel-good Christianity" elements, which to be honest I happen to really hate after experiencing my first major disappointment in life. This is the kind of book that I would recommend to friends who share the same questions. This is the kind of book that makes me realise that the Bible never belittles human disappointment. Although all of the questions may be hard to answer, God is there, doing something in my life that I may not be able to understand yet.
November 8, 2018
When you wonder why bad things happen to good people, why children die, why bad people seem to succeed... you may become disappointed with God. There have been times when I have cried out, prayed for years, begged God to help and these all seem to have fallen on deaf ears. Well- that is my perspective, and that's what this book explains. It begins in the Old Testament and shows the relationship between God, his actions and the faith people had in him. It helps you understand God is BIG BIG BIG and I am smaller than small, maybe I just can't understand the BIG picture. Basically it comes down to LIFE SUCKS, we live in a fallen world but we have God in us and we can help each other. So rather than looking for a burning bush to start talking or an angel from above to enlighten us lets love each other and do the best we can. Allow God to use us for good.
I have to say I have been looking for answers and this did not really give me one, but I guess that's because there may be no answer.
I have to say I have been looking for answers and this did not really give me one, but I guess that's because there may be no answer.
August 23, 2014
I read this book (my first by this author) after a friend had questions about it. Somewhat in the same vein as Charles Swindoll's "The Mystery of God's Will" and James Dobson's "When God Doesn't Make Sense", Yancey discusses questions all Christians eventually wrestle with, such as "Why are some prayers answered and others not"?, "What is the meaning/purpose of undeserved suffering"?, and "Why does God seem far away at times"?. A lot of the discussion centers around the book of Job, with many quotations from other authors such as C.S. Lewis. While no one book can solve these problems, reading this one will cause you to think, and may at least give you more options to consider. Note however, that for those who consider themselves weak in the faith, this book may do more harm than good.
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