audiobooks

Mr. Yancey is a pleasure to read in his latest book "Soul Survivor". In its pages he relates feeling very abused and mislead by his "conservative" boyhood church, thus the title "Soul Survivor". The book takes the form of several mini-bios of people who Yancey considers to be some of his most important spiritual influences. Beginning with the great civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and ending with the celibate homosexual priest Henri Nouwen, the book covers such luminaries as Dostoevsky and Gandhi.

It is very refreshing that Yancey can find inspiration in the troubled and downtrodden; and even in non-Christians like Gandhi. It seems, that Yancey relates to such people who
struggled with faith as he admittedly does. And he does succeedin producing golden nuggets from each of the lives that he writes about. Especially the life of Martin Luther
King Jr.

There is much to be gained by conservatives who will expose themselves to Christians who would normally be overlooked by traditional churches. Conservatives will find that
God can use even the stragglers and troubled of the faith. A refreshing thought for all of us who struggle to some degree with the faith and the life such faith would have us
pursue. It is an especially appealing message for Western Christians who are increasingly influenced and compromised by an increasingly decadent Western lifestyle.

Yet Yancey does us a grave disservice by not including even one traditional Christian saint. Not a traditional martyr among them! While it is comforting to know that Hindus,
celibate homosexuals, adulterers, and a divorcee with a 3 pack a day smoking habit can indeed be used by God. It is troubling that Yancey can't find a "hero" among all the worlds traditional Christian martyrs and persecuted, past and present. It seems that those who are "persecuted" by Yancey's "conservatives" with mere words and attitudes are
more deserving of his accolades than those who have risked life and limb and even given their lives for the faith and their fellow Christians.

This predisposition of Yancey's of seeing the whole church and the whole faith only in light of his struggle with his boyhood "conservative church" severely limits Yancey's
truly gifted writing and ministry. If Yancey would overcome this predisposition and "spread his wings" he would be one of God's greatest.

Yancey, describes his faith as a "Pascalion Wager", referring to the mathematician Pascal who decided to believe in God simply because if he was right he would gain everything, and if he was wrong the results would be the same as if he bet that there was no God. He admits that he is troubled by many doubts. Perhaps, this is why he fails to include a Paul, a Watchman Nee, a Deitrich Bonhoeffer, or any other Christians who developed rock
solid faith and morals and shed their blood as an undeniable testimony to such faith. Yancey even includes quotes in which his "spiritual influences" say, in effect, that such
faith is impossible.

I highly recommend the book. Allow Yancey to expand your horizons and your faith. But beware, Yancey is a double edged sword, his assumptions about faith can also limit your faith if you let them.

SOUL SURVIVOR is a big departure from Philip Yancey's usual style of book. It reads more like a pseudo-biography -- both for him and for the thirteen people who have most influenced him in his walk of faith. Much of the territory here will be familiar to long-time readers of Yancey's, but it works because of the different way it is presented.

Each chapter is devoted to an individual. Always readable, SOUL SURVIVOR reaches beyond that into more powerful air when the subject becomes more weighty (read: controversial). Chapters on Martin Luther King Jr., Paul Brandt, Mahatma Gandhi, and C. Everett Koop, in particular, I found the most enjoyable and enlightening. Yancey tells their tales in an honest manner, recognizing their shortcomings, and in doing so makes their examples all the more powerful.

As I read his (and their) story, I had to marvel at the grace of God, because Yancey has come a long way. No other person, outside of my parents, has had a greater influence on my Christian walk than Philip Yancey. Realizing that this same man was once a blatant racist (among other flaws which he is open about) amazes me. It also gives me hope, as it should his other readers, for if God can take a man and change him this much (using the influence of various authors and historical figures) it should help us to see the possibilities of what God can do in our own lives, as well as recognize the effect that our lives can have upon others.

SOUL SURVIVOR is not my favorite Philip Yancey book, nor is it his best (that title still belongs to WHAT'S SO AMAZING ABOUT GRACE). But it is a fantastic, personal journey that I am so pleased to have been allowed to be a part of. If you are disillusioned by the institution of the church here is a book that will help you to see past those flaws to recognize how God really works through individual men and women. And that is what the church is really all about. FOUR 1/2 STARS.

I just finished reading "What's so Amazing About Grace" and this book is a great follow up. I grew up in Alabama going to churches similar to those described by Yancey and I am still trying to recover. The 13 biographical sketches in this book present inspiring details about the subjects but also allow the reader to see their human flaws as well. Read this book and learn about history, faith, and struggles of extraordinary people trying to live up to God's purpose for their lives.