Philip Yancey (born November 4, 1949[1]) is an American author who writes primarily about spiritual issues. His books have sold more than 15 million copies in English and have been translated into 40 languages, making him one of the best-selling contemporary Christian authors. Two of his books have won the ECPA's Christian Book of the Year Award: The Jesus I Never Knew in 1996, and What's So Amazing About Grace? in 1998.[2] He is published by Hachette, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, InterVarsity Press, and Penguin Random House.
Life and career
Yancey was born in Atlanta[3] and grew up in nearby suburbs.[4] When he was one year old, his father, stricken with polio, died after church members suggested he go off life support in faith that God would heal him. This and other negative experiences with a rigid, conservative, fundamentalist church background contributed to Yancey's losing his faith at one point and deeply questioning the established church at other times.[5][6] After high school he attended Columbia Bible College in South Carolina, where he met his wife, Janet.[7] He went on to earn graduate degrees in communications and English from Wheaton College Graduate School and the University of Chicago.
As a journalist, he has interviewed two U. S. presidents and other notable people such as Bono, Billy Graham, and the authors Annie Dillard, John Updike, and Henri Nouwen. Former president Jimmy Carter has called Yancey "my favorite modern author".[9]
Yancey lives in Colorado, working as a freelance writer. Traveling widely for speaking engagements, he has visited over 85 countries.
Yancey suffered a broken neck in a motor vehicle accident in February 2007 but recovered. In August that year he completed his goal of climbing all 54 of Colorado's 14,000-foot (4,300 m)-plus peaks, the final three after his accident.[10] In the fall of 2022, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.[11] He later described Parkinson’s as "the gift I didn’t want."[12]
Bibliography
Yancey (left) has written many books, including Vanishing Grace
Secrets of the Christian Life (1979) (co-authored with Tim Stafford and first published as 'Unhappy Secrets of the Christian Life'), ISBN 0-310-35481-1
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made (1980) – co-authored with physician Paul W. Brand; Gold Medallion Book Award; ISBN 0-310-35451-X
I Was Just Wondering (1989) – excerpts from previous books and article ISBN 0-86347-460-8
A Guided Tour of the Bible: 6 Months of Daily Readings (1989), ISBN 0-310-51650-1
Praying with the KGB: A Startling Report from a Shattered Empire (1992) – ISBN 0-88070-511-6
Discovering God: A Devotional Journey Through the Bible (1993)
Pain: The Gift Nobody Wants (1993) – co-authored with physician Paul W. Brand; reissued in 1997 as The Gift of Pain; Gold Medallion Book Award; ISBN 0-06-017020-4