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

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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.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting...
Review: **** Being in the world but not of the world is a challenge for most Christians. Recognizing that fact, popular author Phillip Yancey deals with that in his newest book. We live in a world that demands that things be concrete and proveable to be real, but at the same time, faith insists that what is the most real can not be seen, touched, or heard except deep inside. With touching, illuminating illustrations, Mr. Yancey guides readers through this other world that our souls live in, the world that gives the substance to the one that we can see. Your reality will not be the same after reading Rumors of Another World, but it will be better. ****

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore

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Summary: For the pragmatic spiritualist...
Review: A friend of mine shared this book with me, and frankly, I didn't think I'd be interested in it. I'm a Unitarian/Universalist, and I thought this book, written by a well-know Christian writer, wouldn't really be my "cup of tea".
However, I was pleasantly surprised. Whatever your religious persuasion, if you have wondered about your spiritual path, or are still trying to define what precisely you believe in, this book is an interesting and thought provoking read.

The website rumorsofanotherworld.com is also pretty cool. Check it out, and you'll likely conclude that you want the book as well.

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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: I like it
Review: Are you one of the many people searching for more signs of heaven here on earth? In Rumors of Another World, Philip Yancey, the prolific writer of Christian non-fiction, aims to help readers grasp the reality of the heavenly kingdom ruled by God.

Yancey offers a contemplative, intelligently written commentary of the tensions between the spiritual and the physical, heaven and earth, good and evil, the seen and the unseen, and faith and unbelief. The book flows steadily as Yancey cogently addresses topics that fall into three main categories: 1) What are We Missing? 2) Signs of Disorder, and 3) Two Worlds.

According to Yancey's note, he writes this book for people who live in the borderlands between belief and doubt. In the book, Yancey thinks aloud to answer questions such as "Is the visible world around us all there is?"

Yancey describes himself as being, at times, a "reluctant Christian, buffeted by doubts and `in recovery' from bad church encounters." For himself and the readers, he explains why he believes in Jesus and the invisible spiritual realm.

I have not read a contemporary Christian writer that incorporates such a plethora of references as Yancey does in this book. Highlights include quotes by C.S. Lewis, Thomas Merton, Milton, T.S. Eliot, Einstein, William James, Blaise Pascal, and many more poets, philosophers, authors and saints.

Perhaps the most effective reference covers several pages devoted to the story of John Merrick, the Elephant Man. Yancey discusses Ashley Montagu's poignant book, The Elephant Man, illustrating how Merrick remained a gentle, compassionate human despite the brutal treatment he received at the hands of most of the people he encountered during his brief life. Yancey uses the story to show how heaven reveals itself in the most unusual places, where we least expect to witness the divine. Yancey emphasizes other points by interspersing similar analogies throughout the book.

Yancey draws on his experiences in nature from around the globe, his interactions with people in the United States and other countries, and his positive and negative interactions in churches. These stories combined with the many references serve to elucidate Christian perspectives on day-to-day activities and on spiritual conundrums. One of the most intriguing chapters compares the world's versus the Christian's attitude toward sex, and another looks at the conflicting ideas of the "good life."

Although the book fails to deliver a crescendo, it coherently provides logical reasons to believe in the substance of the Christian worldview and, most importantly, in the presence of a loving and caring God.

I think Yancey's writing is a gift to modern readers so that we might see past the titillating distractions of our world to the eternal spiritual realm. Yancey draws from many impressive thinkers to articulate a persuasive defense of the gospel. This book is ideal for the skeptic and the fundamentalist, as it serves to strengthen a reader's faith and to soften his or her heart.

Rating:
Summary: An intelligently written, stimulating defense of the gospel
Review: Are you one of the many people searching for more signs of heaven here on earth? In Rumors of Another World, Philip Yancey, the prolific writer of Christian non-fiction, aims to help readers grasp the reality of the heavenly kingdom ruled by God.

Yancey offers a contemplative, intelligently written commentary of the tensions between the spiritual and the physical, heaven and earth, good and evil, the seen and the unseen, and faith and unbelief. The book flows steadily as Yancey cogently addresses topics that fall into three main categories: 1) What are We Missing? 2) Signs of Disorder, and 3) Two Worlds.

According to Yancey's note, he writes this book for people who live in the borderlands between belief and doubt. In the book, Yancey thinks aloud to answer questions such as "Is the visible world around us all there is?"

Yancey describes himself as being, at times, a "reluctant Christian, buffeted by doubts and 'in recovery' from bad church encounters." For himself and the readers, he explains why he believes in Jesus and the invisible spiritual realm.

I have not read a contemporary Christian writer that incorporates such a plethora of references as Yancey does in this book. Highlights include quotes by C.S. Lewis, Thomas Merton, Milton, T.S. Eliot, Einstein, William James, Blaise Pascal, and many more poets, philosophers, authors and saints.

Perhaps the most effective reference covers several pages devoted to the story of John Merrick, the Elephant Man. Yancey discusses Ashley Montagu's poignant book, The Elephant Man, illustrating how Merrick remained a gentle, compassionate human despite the brutal treatment he received at the hands of most of the people he encountered during his brief life. Yancey uses the story to show how heaven reveals itself in the most unusual places, where we least expect to witness the divine. Yancey emphasizes other points by interspersing similar analogies throughout the book.

Yancey draws on his experiences in nature from around the globe, his interactions with people in the United States and other countries, and his positive and negative interactions in churches. These stories combined with the many references serve to elucidate Christian perspectives on day-to-day activities and on spiritual conundrums. One of the most intriguing chapters compares the world's versus the Christian's attitude toward sex, and another looks at the conflicting ideas of the "good life."

Although the book fails to deliver a crescendo, it coherently provides logical reasons to believe in the substance of the Christian worldview and, most importantly, in the presence of a loving and caring God.

I think Yancey's writing is a gift to modern readers so that we might see past the titillating distractions of our world to the eternal spiritual realm. Yancey draws from many impressive thinkers to articulate a persuasive defense of the gospel. This book is ideal for the skeptic and the fundamentalist, as it serves to strengthen a reader's faith and to soften his or her heart.

Rating:
Summary: Religion adapted to today's world
Review: As a gen-X'er, the views presented in this book really appeal to me. It isn't about one particular religion, it rather encompasses all religions. I was brought up Catholic, but have some issues with that faith. That makes it difficult to believe in God, however, Yancey's views really renew my faith. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

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Summary: GETS TO THE HEART OF WORLD PROBLEMS
Review: As I read this book, I realized that I had found an ideal Christmas gift for a few friends -- friends who are continuously groaning, groping, griping, grabbing, grasping, grimacing, and grieving while being held in bondage by the jaws of materialism. Our culture is so engrossed in materialism that few people stop to think how negatively it has affected us and how it has drawn us further away from the real world, i.e., the spiritual world. Philip Yancey does an excellent job of putting things in perspective, showing how people have been led astray in their values, especially by the media. The only hope for the world, as Yancey points out, is to recognize that the world we live in is not the real world. Faith in a larger world is necessary. Yancey tells of his own tests of faith, the same tests that many of us go through and which so many fail. This book should cause some people to more closely examine their behavior and actions, perhaps allowing them to pass future tests of faith.

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Summary: A Compelling Work with an Abundance of Information
Review: Bestselling author Philip Yancey writes that he penned RUMORS OF ANOTHER WORLD to reflect on what he would say if asked to explain his faith to an unbeliever. But he admits, "I wrote it not so much to convince anyone else as to think out loud in hopes of coming to terms with my own faith," and indeed this book invites Christians as well as unbelievers to look at faith in a fresh way.

For Yancey, the great divide separating belief and unbelief can be reduced to one question: Is the visible world around us all there is? Those unsure of the answer, he writes, are in the "borderlands of belief" --- a place between doubt and faith --- a term he credits writer Mark Buchanan with coining. Yancey sets out to explain why he believes that there is indeed an unseen world, invisible and supernatural. "What are we missing? What do we not see, for lack of imagination or faith?"

To find out what he was missing, Yancey began to listen to his own longings and desires, tracing "dispersed clues (or rumors) to their original source and significance." Then, he opened his heart to the invisible world and experienced what he calls his second conversion: rediscovering the natural world from a new viewpoint. Through classical music, the beauties of nature and romantic love, Yancey discovered new windows to the supernatural.

However, we often ignore these and other windows to the invisible world. Because the Creator doesn't impose himself on us, Yancey writes that it requires "attention and effort" on our part to remember him. He writes of simple things he is doing to perceive the rumors more clearly: from observing the attractions of nature outside the windows of his mountain home in Colorado, to learning from Jesus how to be fully present to others rather than considering them as interruptions. Yancey seeks to find something of lasting value in mundane tasks (alá Brother Lawrence): "Did I treat the airline ticketing agent, the UPS driver, my readers, with the attention they deserve?" And in doing so, Yancey glimpses the relationship that matters the most, and names his goal for growing older: "to care less about how others view me and more about how God views me."

In his self-examinations, he is relentlessly vulnerable. As Yancey plumbs the question of disorder --- "in short, if there is another world out there, shouldn't this one give more evidence of it?" --- he examines the sins that he wrestles with most often: discontent, hypocrisy, pride and greed. However, he no longer envisions God as a cosmic police officer, keeping him from doing things he would enjoy. Rather, he sees God "as a Spirit within, coaxing me to realize fully what I was created to be in the first place."

Yancey writes that he thinks out loud by putting words on paper, and this is in full evidence in RUMORS OF ANOTHER WORLD. As with many great writers confronted with the mystery of faith, he often asks more questions than he answers. One Yancey trademark is that he liberally salts the text with quoted material, which can be enriching for the reader who is introduced to new authors of interest. These include many of the crème de la crème of authors both classic and contemporary: Annie Dillard, Frederick Buechner, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Simon Weil, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Thomas Merton, Jonathan Edwards, Thomas à Kempis. It is difficult to think of better company to keep while wrestling with questions of faith.

However, this abundance of quoted material also means the reading is slower-paced. RUMORS OF ANOTHER WORLD, like most Yancey books, is best consumed by sipping rather than gulping; underlining and highlighting rather than skimming.

There is much to be underlined and highlighted; many insights that demand deeper personal reflection. As Yancey looks both inward and outward, listening for clues about the God he longs to know more intimately, he invites us --- compellingly --- to open our own hearts to the invisible world.

--- Reviewed by Cindy Crosby

Rating:
Summary: Yancey does it again
Review: Holding nothing back the author (Philip Yancey) writes about our world from a Christian perspective. He shows us that there is more to this world than initially meets the eye, something supernatural. Rumors of Another World is a book that explores these 'rumors', not as proof as if Yancey knows the absolute truth, but as possibilities that there is something more. This was a well written book that goes outside of the 'boundaries' that contain many Christian authors. I have recommended this book to several of my friends and relatives.