Rating: 
Summary: Normal Philip Yancey territory
Review: Philip Yancey is an expert in writing about the struggles, the doubts, and the uncertainties of the Christian life. In other words, he writes about reality. There is no sugar-coating from Yancey. No "Now I am happy all the day" type sentiment. But through all that gritty reality, he can still experience a deep faith in the God who is unseen, and often seems absent. Given that, there is not a lot about this book that distinguishes itself from his other works. This is familiar ground to those who have read some of his previous books. I do like his discussions of some of the non-traditional "attributes" of God (especially intriguing is the treatise on God's shyness). When I first noticed the chapters on the stages of faith as Child, Adult, and Parent, I cringed at the thought of the possibility of pop-psychology mumbo-jumbo being advocated, but these are some of the most valuable chapters in the book. His discussion of the strengths and "weaknesses" of the different persons of the Trinity is also very interesting.Philip Yancey obviously reads a lot of books. Most of his ideas seem synthesized from the various things he has read. It takes a very alert, organized mind to bring all this together. I don't know how many of his ideas in this book are original, and how many are "borrowed", but Yancey remains one of the most interesting writers on the Christian scene today. Although this is familiar Yancey territory, few writers stake out that same territory with the same skill and near-brilliance.
Rating: 
Summary: If there's a god, let him bless Phillip Yancey...
Review: There are too few Phillip Yancey's about: believers who admit that belief isn't easy, that questions are fair and unavoidable, that meaningful answers aren't pat ones. This book did not bring me back into the fundamentalist fold, but I truly felt blessed by Christian compassion and understanding when I read it. "By their works shall ye know them": this guy's the real thing, and while we do not share every belief about the nature of God and reality, he commands my profound respect.
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