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Christianity Today, March, 2007 |

Not What It Seems

A bird's-eye view of contemporary evangelicalism.

Philip Yancey | posted 2/28/2007 08:51AM

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I heard of suicides, birth defects, children hit by trucks, and teenagers raped. One woman, now an ordained minister, spoke of a dark period after her son died when for 18 months she could not bring herself to pray. She cried out one day, "God, I don't want to die like this, with all communication cut off!" Even so, it took her 6 more months before she could pray again.

In one meeting, a 20-year-old came to the microphone and chided me for not taking literally the Bible's promise about faith that can move mountains. I agreed I needed a larger dose of such childlike faith, yet at the same time, I could not dishonor the pain of suffering people by telling them their faith is somehow defective.

From such souls, I learn that life is not a problem to be solved but a mystery to be lived. Prayer offers no ironclad guarantees, just the certain promise that we need not live that mystery alone.

Related Elsewhere:

Recent Philip Yancey columns include:

A Tale of Five Herods | If you had five minutes with the President, what would you say? (December 28, 2006)

Middle East Morass | Learning to regard people in light of what they suffer. (November 20, 2006)

Grappling with God | Prayer sometimes feels like a hug and a stranglehold at the same time. (October 20, 2006)

Postcard from Africa | Where hope and despair live side by side.(September 1, 2006)

The Lure of Theocracy | As we flee decadence, we must watch where we step.(July 1, 2006)

A Long, Warm Glow | A respected evangelical elder on the life of faith. (May 1, 2006)

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March 2007, Vol. 51, No. 3

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Chris Wray

Posted: March 06, 2007 7:32 AM


This column points to the mystery that is our life in the here and now. The point being that faith sustains, prayer is crucial, but that doesn't guarantee us the easy road that so many American Christians have come to expect, even demand.

David

Posted: March 05, 2007 1:57 PM

I don't think CNN views evangelicals as a bloc to be manipulated by politicians, but instead a bloc interested in manipulating politicians. The Christian right has minimalized itself to just another special interest group vying for their piece of the pie and selling their vote to get it. They, and we as well, would be better served by spending our time influencing our children so that their generation - and all the pols that emerge from it - have a genuine interest in the Kingdom, both in heaven and on earth and not just "looking Christian" to buy a vote.

eddie

Posted: March 04, 2007 9:17 PM


DeeRJay, May the Lord have mercy on such a bad reading of Scripture. You remind me of Job's advisers!

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