Rating: 
Summary: Not his Best, but a Solid Work
Review: Philip Yancey writes this book as an exploration of what we can expect from our individual relationships with God. "One partner is invisible, overwhelming, and perfect; the other is visible, weak, and flawed. How can the two possibly get along?" He explores this question thoroughly (albeit rehashing and many times inserting sections of his previous works) and there are many points to ponder and paradigm shifting ideas. He examines what our attitude towards God should be (worship) and why that often isn't the case. He also writes about how we are to deal with God even when things in our life are not going well, or at least not according to our plans (his answer to this question is more beautifully answered in his book Disappointment With God, but it's good in this book as well). Yancey is one of the best writers EVER at honestly pointing out how struggles, pain, and everyday problems can be used as tools of growth in our lives if we see their value and use them to draw us to dependence on God. He helps us move out of the realm of blame (e.g., "Why did God do this to me?") and into a life of dependence (e.g., "I know that God redeems bad situations--so let me use this trial as a way for me to grow and gain more faith and depth of character.") If you have read all of Yancey's other works, you may find this one repetitive of themes and stories you have already heard; but they're worth hearing again. And if you haven't read any Yancey yet, I'd start off with The Jesus I Never Knew or What's So Amazing About Grace instead. But this book is solid, and carries on the deep questions and themes that all of Yancey's books have had to this point. It is worth your time. [And, as a response to the reviewer who submitted their review (10/19/00) entitled "What am I missing?" I would like to say that what you are missing is the fact that Yancey is not a philosopher. He is a practical Christian writer who writes about following God in the real world--and his books are written mainly for Christians about the reality of the Christian life, not for skeptics who are looking for proof for the existence of a good God. But if that is something you'd be interested in, I recommend God and Other Minds by Alvin Plantinga.]
Rating: 
Summary: Maybe Yancey's Best Yet
Review: Rarely do I reread a book--there are just too many good books yet to read--but I am on my second reading of Reaching for the Invisible God. This is a tremendous book and Philip Yancey at what may well be his thought-provoking best. Not only did it encourage me, but it simultaneously challenged me in a very profound manner. I am planning to give this book as gifts to friends who are agnostics or seekers as I believe it presents a very real view of the hopes and fears of those who pursue a relationship with God, and an intelligent response to many common questions about the Christian faith. This isn't supposed to be a "scholarly work" in the sense of the one critical review found elsewhere here, but it is intelligent and well-written.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping and honest. What a way to look at doubt!
Review: Reaching for the Invisible God is an incredible and honest way to look at doubt. You can really see, from previous works, how Yancey more fully gives himself into the fact that there is no real good answer for dealing with human doubt. With real stories from hurting people who can't seem to get the right answers and from his own experience.
The answers which so many people give to life's tough questions never tend to be satisfying to so many people and Philip Yancey addresses the issue head on coming to a very comforting conclusion, "I don't know." Which to some may not seem like much, yet at the same time to others may be a world of relief to know that everybody else really doesn't have all the answers.
Rating:
Summary: Oh my God!
Review: See, it's such a cliche to say - Oh my God, for Christians and non-christians alike. And that's what I liked about this book. It explored a side of God, which no-one ever bothered to explain, simply because they did not know how to do it. Did you accept Jesus of the Baptist Church, Jesus of the Pentecostal church, or Jesus of some Catholic church? It's time that you find Jesus for yourself, the real Jesus that is, not the one that denominations and religious people paint to you every Sunday, simply to justify their version of who God is. I HIGHLY reccommend this book to anyone searching for a more meaningful relationship with God. But be warned, if you want to stay in the comofort zones of your religion, don't read it, but if you truly want to know more about God - I DARE YOU!
Rating:
Summary: What you are missing
Review: The previous reviewer asked the question, "What am I missing?" Apparently what the reader is missing is an ability to be comfortable when someone expresses their feelings, struggles, joys, and comforts in an honest and open way. If the reviewer faults the book for not being a philosophical or scholarly treatment of the epistemological issues surrounding a relationship with God, then the problem is simply that the reveiwer is looking in the wrong place. There are plenty of such treatments available. This just isn't one of them. We should not fault an apple for not being an orange. I suspect, however, that the reviewer shares the common discomfort in evagelicalism with anyone who is honest about their struggle with and for faith. Evangelicalism (of which I profess to be a part--at least most days) tends to be dualistic and defensive. "You are for us or you are against us." Little room is offered for those who want to express struggle and doubt while at the same time retaining a warm commitment to Jesus and God the Father, whom Jesus reveals. Pascal remarked, "The heart has reasons that reason knows not of." So, too, the heart has questions that reason alone cannot satisfy. This is faith seeking understanding--an understanding of the heart, and not just the mind. I affirm the positive reviews given below.
Rating:
Summary: If there's a god, let him bless Phillip Yancey...
Review: There are too few Phillip Yancey's about: believers who admit that belief isn't easy, that questions are fair and unavoidable, that meaningful answers aren't pat ones. This book did not bring me back into the fundamentalist fold, but I truly felt blessed by Christian compassion and understanding when I read it. "By their works shall ye know them": this guy's the real thing, and while we do not share every belief about the nature of God and reality, he commands my profound respect.
Rating:
Summary: If there's a god, let him bless Phillip Yancey...
Review: There are too few Phillip Yancey's about: believers who admit that belief isn't easy, that questions are fair and unavoidable, that meaningful answers aren't pat ones. This book did not bring me back into the fundamentalist fold, but I truly felt blessed by Christian compassion and understanding when I read it. "By their works shall ye know them": this guy's the real thing, and while we do not share every belief about the nature of God and reality, he commands my profound respect.
Rating:
Summary: Honest, Direct, and Encouraging
Review: This book is not for the timid! Yancy again writes a book which says what so many of us think. He writes about the doubts, the questions, and the soul searching which is part of any relationship. What is remarkable about this book is that while he addresses honestly the ups and downs of a relationship with God, it is written in such a way as to be encouraging and helpful. Like a friend who listens, supports and challenges without being judgemental, Yancy has illustrated a maturity lacking in most "Christians" who sell quick fixes and leave the daily realities of faith under wraps. If you are a Christian, this book will challenge the way you think about your faith, and be encouraging in the process. If you are not a Christian, this book will help illustrate what its all about in a way that is open, honest, and never "preachy". An excellent read!
Rating:
Summary: A Book for Seekers, Lost and Found
Review: This book speaks powerfully and compassionately to all of us -- believers and agnostics -- who long for a touch of eternity. We desperately long for empirical or experiential "proof" that our prayers are not bouncing off the ceiling. Yancey masterfully writes about the journey of faith, about how we go about having a relationship with a God we cannot touch, taste or smell, and One who seems to enjoy playing hard to get even more than playing found. Drawing on his own experiences, reader's experiences, and sources both secular and sacred, Yancey fully and lovingly explores the paradox, the mystery of placing your life in the hands of such a deity. This is not a book for skeptics or apologists looking for logical and verifiable evidence of God. Nor is it a book for those who want a repeatable formula or by-the-numbers solution to their crises of faith. Yancey has written a book that manages to both comfort and compel, challenging you to dig deeper, and cling to the bedrock of belief and faith. In reading the book, I have been amazed and touched to see Yancey mirror many of my own thoughts and doubts, and to read that many giants of the faith have wrestled similarly. From his lonely writing room in the Rockies, Yancey has truly reached out and embraced and gently pushed fellow doubters and travelers farther down the road of faith.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: This book, believe it or not, is even better than "What is so Amazing About Grace," which was the best religious/spiritual book I ever had read. "Reaching for the Invisible God" is the most profound book I ever have read. All persons should read it, especially non-believers. Christians will have their faith and their personal relationship/encounters with God become as real as touching a loved one. Even Philip, God's servant, outdid himself in this one. He raised the bar almost too high for any other author to come close. AWESOME!
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