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

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Reading a Yancey book is always an enjoyable experience for me, because of the conversational tones and quiet and unassuming, yet consistently convicting, insights he reveals. This time around my first impression was that he had missed the mark, a follow up read to finish the book months later gave me an entirely different perspective.

I was originally not impressed with the first several chapters, because while it was insightful as always, it was missing the emotional connection of his previous works, and I felt as though I had "heard this all before". The premise is his delve into the dichotomy of the two worlds Christians live in: one the physical world, a world full of desires, and fleeting and ultimately unimportant wants, and the other a spiritual world where we place our sights on things of immeasurable value from an eternal perspective. Obviously, this is not a new topic, but he looks closely in his usual unique perspective, at the various ways the things we encounter everyday reflect this dichotomy. While interesting, it didn't hit on any emotional cylinders for me, and so I put the book down and moved on without finishing.

Months later, after unpacking from a move, I found the book, and threw it my suitcase to finish on a plane. I picked it up in Chapter 12, where he looks into the life of the famous "Elephant Man". So powerful is the imagery and the contrast between the grotesque outward appearance and horrific treatment he endured and the rich, simple, and deeply loving personality of this man, that the message hit home. How do we "see" that which is real, behind or between the exterior illusions? From then on the book hit wonderful chords and sparked yet again the wonder and soul inspiring visionary impact Yancey is known for.

I quickly read the book again, and the pieces came together. Like all of his work, Yancey creates emotional imagery by juxtaposing a variety of source material and overlaying it on a theme. One powerful illustration was how he feels when returning to "home" after a trip out in the wilderness or to a foreign exotic location: "The first day back, modern culture betrays itself as a self-evident lie, a grotesque parody of the day to day life I know. The next day my reactions moderate. A few days later I am breathing the air of lust, consumerism, selfishness and ambition, and it seems normal". This is a wonderful glimpse at the way the current world obscures the spiritual.

Yancey delivers yet again. Highly recommended, even if you have to start with chapter 12 as I did to get to the heart of the issue. Keep writing Phillip, but perhaps look closer at editing, your work is too good to be discarded by too casual an entrance to such an important subject.

In a world full of lust and greed, in a culture fed by media ideals, life seems to be more hurried and confusing. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Shouldn't technology relieve our load? Shouldn't tolerance eradicate war and conflict?

Yancey refuses to back away from life's tough issues. Tackling them from an intellectual perspective, he doesn't offer easy answers. Yancey writes clearly and with well-managed words. He pulls back the curtain to reveal his own weaknesses and struggles. Along the way, he tunes our ears to the hints and rumors of a world to come. He puts thing in perspective. Pointing to the very restlessness of man's soul, Yancey offers hope in the belief of a second reality, a spiritual reality. He suggests that we are caught in a tension between two worlds--the temporal and eternal.

I'm impressed by Yancey's usage of historical snippets and recent research to turn up the volume of these spiritual rumors. Like C.S. Lewis before him, Yancey helps us face the evidence of a God who has created us with a purpose and a destination. Mere Christianity is all about learning to see how this life coincides with the one to come. After reading Yancey, I'm inclined to believe the rumors.

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.

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)

**** 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

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.

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

I highly recommend this book. Yancey doesn't try to preach but takes the reader on a discovering journey. Its written for those that are doubting & for those that aren't sure what to make of the God of the Christian Bible. Its thoughtful, intelligent and will challenge you. He explores the hard issues that aren't discussed often inside the Christian church. I find his style refreshing and I like that he's a critical thinker.

The book explores issues of life, God, the supernatural, faith and Yancey makes them all connect. The best way to describe this book is that it explores the concept of the Christian God. There's more to life than what meets the eye. He also drives the fine point that there is a spiritual world co-existing with our physical world and the two impact each other. It's a book for those that want to explore the Christian faith. I highly recommend it.

I've lately been going through some doubts & I'm not sure about being a Christian so its helped me a lot by reading this book. His writing is refreshing for those that want to ask the hard questions. No he doesn't give you sunday school answers! He doesn't try to preach to you either. You won't find a prayer at the end of this book. Its all about exploring the God concept and its as if he's exploring it with you. Check it out, it'll be worth your time.

I have read 2 other books by Mr. Yancy. When reading his books I usually read a few pages and then stop and think about his words-- they are both profound and simple at the same time. He speaks clearly to Christians who want to have a strong faith in Christ and at the same time struggle with doubts and questions.I would read anything that he has written , and was very excited when this new book came out. I highly recommend it.

I'm not the sort of person who normally reads books that would fall into the category of religious literature. Like many people today, I'm not entirely comfortable with discussions of faith and religion. Most books on faith seem too preachy and earnest, and they don't really speak to my life.

But I was raised attending church, and there are times when I wonder why I don't believe all the things that were so easy to believe when I was a kid, but seem so hard to believe now, when the world seems very scientific and certain.

Yancy's book asked many of the same questions I often ask myself, and didn't come across as preachy. I think this is the sort of book any young person today could read and learn from, without feeling like they were being proselytized to.