Pictured above: Philip and Janet Yancey
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My favorite living author is Philip Yancey. He has written dozens of books and I have read every one at least once. His first book was published when I was in seminary, I read each of his new books throughout my ministry, and since I have retired, he has written a couple more. All his books are terrific.
I have learned much from him about the centrality of Jesus in our lives, about why we suffer and how to suffer, about the Bible and how to apply it to our lives and culture, about how to live the Christian life, about pointing others to Jesus, and so much more. His writings have provided inspiration and content for countless sermons and Bible studies while a pastor, and now, for these Emailmeditations. I have many times recommended his books to others.
He has been a powerful witness for Jesus Christ. There are over seventeen-million copies of his books in print. He has spoken all over the world, has met with presidents and other world leaders, and his books have received numerous awards.
He has been married to his wife Janet for 55 years. They have no children. In his writings, he would often use examples from his personal life, so after all these years of reading his books, he and his wife almost feel like old friends.
This week, Philip Yancey, age 76, confessed to an eight-year affair with a married woman, going back to 2017. I am shocked, saddened, disappointed, and bewildered. Yancey’s moral failure is awful on so many levels.
This is not a gossip column, but Yancey’s work has been such a significant part of my work, something needs to be said.
First, I will reprint the official announcement from Philip Yancey himself as it appeared in a January 6 press release from Christianity Today magazine:
To my great shame, I confess that for eight years I willfully engaged in a sinful affair with a married woman.
My conduct defied everything that I believe about marriage. It was also totally inconsistent with my faith and my writings and caused deep pain for her husband and both of our families. I will not share further details out of respect for the other family.
I have confessed my sin before God and my wife, and have committed myself to a professional counseling and accountability program. I have failed morally and spiritually, and I grieve over the devastation I have caused. I realize that my actions will disillusion readers who have previously trusted in my writing. Worst of all, my sin has brought dishonor to God. I am filled with remorse and repentance, and I have nothing to stand on except God’s mercy and grace.
I am now focused on rebuilding trust and restoring my marriage of 55 years. Having disqualified myself from Christian ministry, I am therefore retiring from writing, speaking, and social media. Instead, I need to spend my remaining years living up to the words I have already written. I pray for God’s grace and forgiveness—as well as yours—and for healing in the lives of those I’ve wounded.
Yancey also provided a statement from his wife:
I, Janet Yancey, am speaking from a place of trauma and devastation that only people who have lived through betrayal can understand. Yet I made a sacred and binding marriage vow 55½ years ago, and I will not break that promise. I accept and understand that God through Jesus has paid for and forgiven the sins of the world, including Philip’s. God grant me the grace to forgive also, despite my unfathomable trauma. Please pray for us.
In 2023 Yancey was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. At that time, he described how the disease had been slowly disabling him and how his wife was preparing to care for him. He wrote: “I have a very competent wife who takes my health and well-being as a personal challenge. Sixteen years ago, when I lay strapped to a backboard with a broken neck after an auto accident, Janet drove through a blizzard to retrieve me. Already she was mentally redesigning our house in case she needed to prepare for life with a paralytic. She shows that same selfless, fierce loyalty now, even as she faces the potentially demanding role of caregiving.” Yancey wrote that during the time he was having the affair. This shameful behavior, from a man I have admired so much, for so long, is disheartening.
A few comments:
#1) Philip Yancey’s huge moral failure does not change the truth of what he has written. The power of what we proclaim is tied to God’s Word and promise, and is not dependent on our worthiness. I hope Yancey’s powerful books can still be a blessing to many. I will not discard mine.
#2) However, the personal lives of preachers, teachers, writers, and all Christians matter a great deal. As one old preacher cautioned, one mean-spirited comment by a pastor during the week can undo a whole month of wonderful Sunday sermons.
#3) Yancey’s statement is a good example of how to confess your sin. It is not like so many today who say, “I am sorry you were offended.” He says, “I was wrong, it was against everything I believe, I am ashamed, and I intend to change.”
#4) Janet’s statement is a powerful example of Christian forgiveness. She acknowledges the betrayal and the pain, but grants a forgiveness grounded in Christ’s word of forgiveness.
#5) Robert Louis Stevenson said, “We all have thoughts that would shame hell.” And oftentimes actions. Jesus says to each of us, “There is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open” (Luke 8:17). The Bible also says, “For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14). Hear the word of the Lord, sinner, and be humbled.
#6) The Apostle Paul, one who also had much sin to confess, said, “The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life” (I Timothy 1:14-16).
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Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a poor sinner.
–The ancient Jesus prayer
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