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

Rating:
Summary: Use for apologetics
Review: I am not sure if this book is the best for apologetics, or is it not meant to be used that way? So, I think this book can be useful for non-apologetical purposes, but for those who desire more rigor, I would recommend Gordon Clark and Vincent Cheung. You can find Clark's books from The Trinity Foundation, and Cheung's are free on his web site. Search the web for "vincent cheung theology," and I think you will find him.

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Summary: Preaching to the choir
Review: In comparison to most contemporary christian authors, Philip Yancey stands above the crowd. At least he is willing to tackle some difficult issues without resorting to condescending platitudes and cliches. As with "Disappointment with God" and "Reaching for the Invisible God", Yancey is best at identifying the spiritual difficulties people face. Where he falls flat is in looking for the answers to these difficult issues. He never ever, considers one answer to these difficulties. Just maybe, his anthropomorphic "God" doesn't exist.

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Summary: Yancey has the power to transform
Review: Philip Yancey has been one of my favorite writers for many years. As I write that sentence, I realize it does not express a fraction of what I mean or feel when describing the profound effect his writings have had on my life. There are many writers who have shaped my intellectual life-literary critics, poets, historians, but Yancey has changed my life. As a Christian who has never found a church or community to share and worship with (most I have encountered have placed a greater emphasis on "family values" and as a single person, I disappear or am viewed with suspicion), I have stumbled along with my faith in relative isolation. And a profession of faith to the general population can precipitate an array of responses, most of which are incredulous. But as my life has moved along, punctuated more recently with great sorrow and profound disappointment, I find a special wisdom in Yancey's work. At a time when I was at a terrible crossroads professionally, Yancey's writing led me to understand and absorb the miracle of forgiving enemies. And with Rumors of Another World, I found myself beginning to understand the degree to which I belonged to God, the beauty and grace that is abundant, the balance between gratitude and recognition of the source of Good and Beauty, without converting those feelings to idolatry. And I came to understand that I had compartmentalized parts of my life I wanted to remain unchanged, leaving little leeway for the "Father's Mansions" to be built in the framework of my soul.

Philip Yancey is a writer who exposes much of his personal inner workings, including his struggles. This may be a common technique of secular writers, but not among most Christian writers who seem to profess instant answers to their prayers and all of their problems solved as a result of their belief. But what of the believer who still experiences lonliness or pain? The struggles and failures Yancey describe mirror my own, and as his faith is tested but emerges afresh, my experience as a reader is parallel. I have come to know (and to pursue) his favorite writers (Tolstoy, St. Augustine, Annie Dillard, Simone Weil) people who have made a difference by example (Martin Luther King, Dr. Paul Brand) just as I have come to know his biography (growing up in a fundamentalist church in racist Atlanta, but rediscovering faith through a careful study of Jesus). He confesses his doubts and discontent. Thankfully, Yancey does not exegete a Jesus who guarantees prosperity or a jingoistic vision of Norman Rockwell's America. In his writings, I see compassion, mercy, forgiveness and love demonstrated in the life of Christ and His teachings, the foundation of Christianity.

An amazing thing happens towards the end of all of Yancey's books, and Rumors of Another World is no exception. As Yancey reaches his epiphany, the message behind pain, the miracle of forgiveness, the heartbreaking love behind grace and the presence of God in the world as a hint of the eternal kingdom, his (Yancey's)revelation becomes my own, and I feel transformed. I close the book and know I am changed, and will carry the message forward. At this moment, I feel what is referred to as "the invisible church," whereby we are joined together as the body of Christ.

Rumors of Another World is well written, clear and significant. Unlike so many spiritual writings which promise healing, success and prosperity, this book has the quiet truth that Yancey captures so beautifully and so consistently in his books. I encourage everyone to read this book.

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Summary: This book will keep you thinkin!!!
Review: Rumors of Another World is a very thought provoking book! I think Yancey writes for people like him, people who have been driven away from organized religion but still feel a void, or people living ordinary lives who can't shake the feeling that there must be something more. This is one of my favorite phrases from this book, "We live among clues, like rescuers sifting through pieces of stained glass shattered by a bomb, and only with a blueprint or some memory of original design can we begin to connect the shards, to assemble them into a pattern that makes sense of our world."

I found the book's website "rumorsofanotherworld.com" very interesting. Has a lot of good information about the author and the book. I would suggest you visit the site and then buy the book.

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Summary: A fresh look at Religion in today's world
Review: This book is a refreshing view on religion and our cultures in modern society. If your an Atheist, a Christian, or a Methodist, you will find some interesting information and a new point of view in this book. It is a no holds barred book for any type of person.

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Summary: Gets You Thinking But Not Believing
Review: I find this book interesting in the fact the author acknowledges he is still searching for his own truth. We all ask the same questions, looking for answers of "Why Are We Here?". True, there are times in the book where I feel Yancey overlooks some facts that have been made about the Church itself. People do tend to forget the Church once governed everything and changed laws and religious "facts" to fit their needs at the time in order to keep control of the lands and people in it. Many things have not been told and/or changed during the couple of thousand years since Jesus. But I do find this book a very good starting point to get you comfortable with searching for your own truth. He does make you feel like you are not alone and even points to many of the same feelings he has had as a "Christian Author" that those of us Non-believers have. He makes some good points in the book and offers some good quotes from various other sources (i.e. C.S. Lewis and Lenin). I don't think he tries to offer answers as much as to get us thinking more about our own spiritual search each of us will eventually do. I think it still is a good read for anyone searching spiritually. He does not preach in the book which I did enjoy!! But I do recommend further researching and reading to help guide you further along.

Wishing you all peace and spritual growth....

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Summary: Have you heard the rumors?
Review: Surprising this is the first book I have read by the well known Christian author Philip Yancey. After reading this I want to go and get the book The Gift of Pain. If you like apologetics in the style of C.S. Lewis this is the book for you. Not only does it offer that but many interesting stories that really drive home the points Yancey is trying to make. Are you hearing the rumors in everyday life to an eternal spiritual world? Or are you missing them like the natives of Tierra del Fuego who missed Magellan's ships only because they were behind their comprehension. After reading this you will start seeing and hearing the rumors of another world yourself. There is even a chapter that shows how you can even hear a rumor in sex. This is not the usual preachy books that are out there. There is a wonderful chapter on sex found in the book. Totally changed my view points on many subjects. This book also isn't just for the Christian its meant for the "borderlanders" out there. A term the author uses for people who dont visit Christian bookstores or even churches for that matter. A story in the book that really drove home the idea of guilt and its purpose was one of Dorian Gray. Dorian Gray gets a portrait of himself done. One day he thinks that too bad his face will change and get old while this picture will not. So one day he gets his wish instead of his face changing the portrait changes instead. When he lies his mouth in the portrait twists. Well one day Dorian Gray goes up to the attic to look at this picture and finds that it disgusts him so much that he takes a knife and slashes right through the portrait. Later one of the maids finds him up in the attic with a knife right through his own heart. The painting represented his true self so when he faced his true self he killed himself. Driving home the point on how even guilt can be a rumor as well as a gift. From the book I even added a new signature to my emails and its this "When the chess game is over, the pawns, rooks, kings, and queens all go back into the same box."

Rating:
Summary: Rumors of Another World: What on Earth Are We Missing?
Review: "Rumors of Another World" will certainly never be considered a scholarly work, despite the number of quotes and references used in an attempt to bolster the author's faulty logic. How is it faulty? It ignores approximately half of the history of the Christian church. Yancy only cites the portions that support his position.

The quality of his scholarship is revealed for all the world to see on page 39, were he claims that the word "human" is derived from the word "humus." Any good dictionary will contradict this. The quality of his faith is displayed even more blatantly: He states repeatedly that he has to force himself to believe, due to the lack of evidence in support of God's existance. He goes so far as to declare sex a sacrament, just so that he can feel less guilty for loving his wife.

I would characterize this book as the extended maunderings of someone searching for something upon which to blame the world's ills. Mr. Yancy chooses to execrate "reductionism," the search for a single, unifying principal, while reducing his own explanation to multiple versions of "God did it!"

Out of five stars, I will give Rumors only one, and that single star is for the sheer number of sources used in his quotations. He does, at least, read widely. He even quotes a few athiests, such as Albert Einstein.

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Summary: Another book in the CS Lewis/Francis Schaeffer tradition
Review: Another book by an author in the CS Lewis and Francis Schaeffer tradition, Yancey is one of the main apologists of our times. Some people find him a little woolly at the edges, then the same could be said of CS Lewis, who was very much from the High Church tradition and not from an Evangelical background. But is the glass half empty or half full? For those of us for whom it is half full, it is great to see a book that gives 21st century people apologetics for the kind of questions that they are asking today. If the Apostle Paul quoted from pagan philosophers and poets on Mars Hill (see the Book of Acts) then we ought at least to understand the language people use in the 21st century - we can do so without in any way compromising our own firm beliefs as Christians. The fact is that, as the Psalmist put it, the "heavens declare the glory of God" and as we progress in the 21st century with all sorts of amazing discoveries, that truth becomes ever more evident! God really is there! We need great apologetics today since the spiritual hunger of today's lost people is as great as it ever was. Let's get going! Christopher Catherwood, author of CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS AND ISLAMIC RAGE (published 2003)

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Summary: Philip Yancey Tries to Dispel "Rumors"
Review: Philip Yancey is well-known as a Christian book writer. I know this because I had the surprisingly pleasurable opportunity to part of a devoted audience who came to hear him speak about his new book, "Rumors of Another World: What on Earth Are We Missing?". Having written over twenty books on Christianity and faith, he's taken a unique approach to expressing his beliefs: he poses questions that make you think about the possibilities.

The book starts out with him explaining his creative process. That is, he uses the writing experience as a means for him to answer his own questions about things he believes, he feels, and he wonders about, and, as he does, he makes the reader join in his quest for his version of The Truth. Using numerous quotes and anecdotes, he creates the feeling of a collective voice, a discussion group of which you are a part. The questions are posed, and semi-answered, leaving you to interpret the meanings for yourself. In one such story, he describes a field of sheep, in which there are females with painted bottoms. Asking why this is so, he learns that the males are equipped with paint canisters to show that they've serviced the females. But, this makes him think: if these sheep are oblivious to the fact that they are part of a rancher's grander scheme, with the dog that occasionally barks at them, the servicing of the females, and the vast land that feeds them, why can't it be possible that we, as humans, are in a similar situation. That is, are we oblivious to someone else's plan, although we exist in our own reality?

The concept of reality is explored; he suggests that there is a "visible" reality, and an "invisible" reality. The visible reality being what we see and choose to believe, but this reality is often fleeting and superficial. For example, he notes that our magazines show that "beautiful women" seem to be of utmost importance, but where are these women? Does that reflect what's real or what's unattainable? Recall that we once thought that the world was flat. Recall also that after 911, we reprioritized our lifes. People started attending church more often, people halted their divorces, people made more time to be with their friends and family, and people who were once looked up to, such as athletes and rock stars, played second chair to "real heroes", such as the policemen and firefighters. Advertising ceased, and we were still glued to our TVs. What we though was important wasn't really important. What we believe isn't always true, but there will always be The Truth.

The book does an amazing thing in making people wonder about their design, and, thus, wonder about the way that their life should be led. He gives a new code, a different way of being than we've learn from Man's history (and, notably, that of the Church): Love should guide the way -- and drive the values by which we live our lives.

I'll close with a story that he told about a police officer, that after the end of apartheid in South Africa, was made to answer for his crimes. Then-President Nelson Mandela declared that all would have clemency that committed crimes against the black majority while working in the government's interest, but they had to stand before the family (against which he committed the crime) and ask their forgiveness. This one police officer had killed the son and husband of a woman, and come the day of reckoning, he admitted the horrible things he had done -- he "spared no detail" in describing the brutal way that he murdered. When he was through, she had only three requests: to be led to her family's remains so that she could give them a proper burial, to be keep company by the policeman since he took away her family, and to be given a hug to show that all was forgiven. While the tribunal started into "Amazing Grace", she started to walk toward him to accept the hug. But, she didn't get the hug...he had fainted. Love fell the once ruthless man.

For those in the "borderlands" (a term he uses to describe those unsure of their faith), this may help you to find your way. Visit www.rumorsofanotherworld.com to find out more.