Philip Yancey Books In Order

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Growing Deeper Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Philip Yancey is an American author of spiritual books. His books have sold more than 15 million copies and have been translated into more than 30 languages making him one of the bestselling authors of spiritual books. Two of Philip’s books, What’s So Amazing About Grace and The Jesus I Never Knew, have won the ECPA Christian Book of the Year Award. Born and raised in Atlanta, Yancey almost lost faith in God at one point in life. At church, members suggested his father go off the life support machine in faith that God would heal him. After completing high school, he went to South Carolina, where he joined Columbia Bible College and met the love of his life, Janet. He also earned degrees in communications and English from the University of Chicago and Wheaton College Graduate School.

Yancey worked as an editor for Campus Life Magazine for eight years. He also contributed as editor for Christianity Today. He wrote articles for different publications, including, The Saturday Evening Post, Reader’s Digest, The Atlantic, Publishers Weekly, National Wildlife, Chicago Magazine, and Christian Century. As a journalist, Philip Yancey interviewed two US presidents and other prominent people, such as Billy Graham and Bono. Yancey is a Colorado resident. Besides writing, he’s traveled to more than 85 countries for speaking engagements.
While Grace is a simple English word, it can take an entire book to explain, and Yancey does a fantastic job in his What’s So Amazing About Grace (1997) to explain this subject. He meticulously explains what it means, what the Bible says about it, what it’s essential, and what it looks like in our churches and the world.

Through this book, Yancey examines Grace through stories such as Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman and the story of the prodigal son to show the Grace that Jesus himself desires from us. He captures instances of legalism and its effects on both Christians and non-Christians. This is a book written for Christians, and the author can prove to us that without Christ, Grace has no meaning.

In the 21st century, the church has fallen short of Grace repeatedly, and so has been the case throughout history. When people speak against church or religion, they speak of judgment-legalism- a lack of Grace, whether or not they use the term directly. God offered his people the ultimate measure of Grace through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ even though we never have or will never deserve that Grace- but it’s offered to us freely, so God calls us to respond.

Through Yancey, we learn that the solution to sin is to know God and not impose a strict code of behavior, and that’s a challenge the author imposes on the Christians. Even though published in 1997, the book remains relevant to this day as the issues and the events he talks about are hugely relevant to this day. News that has dominated the 21st century: wars, homosexuality, racism, refugee crisis, and civil rights are major issues in the world, and the church needs to play a bigger role in leading Grace to everyone across the globe, for Jesus never let anyone or institution interfere with his love for people.

Yancey never shies away from his earlier lack of Grace and the extend of the legalism in which he was raised. He talks about this in the book and how his childhood church fought for segregation in Southern US- a church without Grace. Through this book, the author can bring into the limelight themes that concern Christian living.

For example, we learn that forgiveness doesn’t start with us. Through his perspective, Yancey argues that the human race needs forgiveness to break the chain of ungrace and that divine forgiveness depends on us. He references this to the Lord’s Prayer, which says God won’t forgive us if we don’t forgive others. At the same time, he wishes these words weren’t in the Bible, for they turn Grace into law. He argues that we are not worthy of forgiveness if we don’t forgive others. Yancey is impressed with the grace-giving practices of Alcoholics Anonymous. He strongly suggests that the church would be better off adopting AA’s principles of utter dependence and radical honesty on God.

The Jesus I Never Knew is a Christological novel by Philip Yancey, published in 1995. It’s a book that appeals to Christians due to its approach to Jesus from a vivid portrayal obtained from the four gospel books.

With this publication, Yancey aims to provide readers with a new and distinctive viewpoint on the character and works of Jesus Christ, including his life and teachings, miracles, death and resurrection, and overall identity and purpose for coming into the world. Looking through widely held misconceptions about Jesus, the author reports facts concerning him and his teachings as the writers of the gospels to document them. He describes his path of discovery in this book. The Jesus I Never Knew vividly portrays this important historical person by juxtaposing the events of the Gospel with the world we currently live in. To answer their challenging concerns, the author explores some of Jesus’ extreme statements and wonders if modern Christians take them very seriously enough.

Yancey candidly recalls his experience of rediscovering Jesus to show his readers the progression of many Christians’ philosophical faith journeys. He starts by clearing up any misunderstandings regarding Jesus’ physical attributes, then he discusses his personality, his relationships with others, and his relationships with his followers. He draws from various sources, including several of Hollywood’s cinematic renderings, to challenge established beliefs about who Christ was and is.

Throughout the book, Yancey crafts what is effectively a prose harmonization of the Gospels, recreating the struggles and teachings of Jesus in a conversational and understandable style. Although the material is not scholarly, the research is thorough and varied, with some sections examining critical issues and others reminding the reader of essential elements of Jesus’ life that they may have forgotten. While Yancey may have theorized how the ministry of Jesus would have differed if it had been centered in a significant city (ultimately unimportant), his recollection of this fact adds to the amazement that Jesus’ ministry spread so far.